A primer on net neutrality from the Benton Foundation
Update as of Dec. 14, 2017—The FCC voted 3-2 today to repeal net neutrality regulations intended to keep the internet open and fair. “It is not going to destroy the internet,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, responding to the groundswell of support from the public and internet businesses for net neutrality. “It is not going to […]
Total eclipse of the news: What happens when the president dominates the media cycle?
What can be said about President Trump that hasn’t already been said? With an overwhelming amount of news media coverage devoted to his every comment—whether on Twitter or IRL—it’s hard to even imagine waking up to a headline that’s not about him. And for the last year, we barely have.
MIF/Hewlett Foundation webinars explore how funders can fight misinformation
Update as of Dec. 19, 2017—We have completed our webinar series. Read up on the various ways in which funders are fighting misinformation on the three points of the information system: production, distribution and consumption. By Kelly Born | Program officer for the Madison Initiative at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation “Fake news” continues to spread like […]
Highlights from our Documenting Impact discussion featuring Across the Line and Do Not Track
Since 2014, Media Impact Funders has been showcasing the work of producers dedicated to creating documentaries in the public interest through our annual Media Impact Festival.
True story: How fake news skews our impact models and what we can do about it
Up in the lofty reaches of theory, the case for the impact of news is clear: Reporters report facts in good faith, and audiences consume these stories and deliberate with others who might not share their perspectives. In the process, they’re better informed to act in their role as citizens, and a better democracy results. […]
A key task for grantmakers: Enhance the freedom of journalists around the world
In his eighth and final speech to the United Nations General Assembly, President Obama called on world leaders to embrace the idea of open society as the only way for nations to prosper. “Entrepreneurs need to access information in order to invent; young people need a global education in order to thrive; independent media needs […]
'The Web belongs to all of us': Q&A with the Web’s inventor, Sir Tim Berners-Lee
This post originally appeared on the Ford Foundation’s Equals Change blog on Sept. 21, 2016. Not everyone knows the name Sir Tim Berners-Lee, but they certainly know his invention: the World Wide Web. And if being responsible for one of the most important innovations in human history wasn’t enough, early on Berners-Lee made the generous […]
Foundation Maps for Media Funding: Introducing a new tool for unlocking the power of media grants data
Media Impact Funders and Foundation Center Announce New Mapping Tool for Media and Philanthropy
How philanthropists can slow the slide of political rhetoric
President Obama last week issued a blunt critique of the news-media industry for enabling a steep decline in the nation’s political rhetoric.
Effective Communications and Creating Momentum for Social Change
By Vince Stehle |Originally posted on the Center for Effective Philanthropy blog Foundations are in the business of making the world a better place. Preserving the environment, reducing violence, and improving education are a few examples among the many philanthropic objectives that foundations may pursue. But are we applying ourselves as effectively as we might?
Internet Policy and Communicating for Policy Change
By Jon Stahl, communications director, Philanthropy Northwest In the past few days, we’ve hosted a pair of events with our friends at Media Impact Funders, the national network of grantmakers working on media and technology issues. In different ways, both touched on the power of communications — both medium and message — to drive forward the […]
Net Neutrality Updates
March 12, 2015 The FCC releases the new rule, protecting the Internet from blocking, throttling and paid prioritization. See excerpts and analysis from the New York Times. February 26, 2015 Victory for the open Internet. The FCC formally voted 3-2 in favor of reclassifying Internet under Title II protections, enshrining net neutrality into law. Read […]