Impact lessons from a community foundation investing in local journalism
By Lindsay Green-Barber | Founder & CEO, Impact Architects In 2013, the city of Detroit filed for bankruptcy, and local media organizations struggled to stay afloat. In this turmoil, residents did not have access to high-quality journalism to meet their information needs, and the strain on journalism organizations made it difficult for them to make […]
Media Impact Funders to strengthen support of local media with support from Knight Foundation
Philadelphia, PA—The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has awarded Media Impact Funders (MIF)—a member-supported network of funders who support media in the public interest—a $200,000 grant to identify and expand the number of community foundations, place-based foundations and other funders interested in supporting local news and information. With the spread of misinformation, deep […]
Updated Journalism and Media Grantmaking guide offers insights for funders new to the field
Over the past year, we’ve seen a notable uptick in interest among funders about the role they can play in supporting news and community information. To meet this need, we are pleased to share a newly updated version of Journalism and Media Grantmaking: Five Things You Need to Know and Five Ways to Get Started, produced […]
Combating misinformation, Part 3: Understanding and improving how audiences consume facts
Since October, MIF has been hosting a webinar series organized by Kelly Born of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation on how funders can support remedies for the deluge of false facts faced by news consumers.
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.
What muddled podcast metrics reveal about the challenges of assessing new media markets
By Jessica Clark and Sarah Lutman Podcasting is burgeoning, as we document in a new report we wrote for the Knight Foundation, From Airwaves to Earbuds: Lessons from Knight Investments in Digital Audio and Podcasting. Digital distribution options are allowing media makers to bypass traditional radio broadcasters to reach listeners directly through a growing number […]
Guidance on philanthropic funding of media and news
By the American Press Institute As nonprofit funding of news grows, what are the best practices for ensuring editorial independence?
3 ways funders can stand up for the truth
It’s been a rough month for the truth in America. Disputes over “alternative facts” from the White House on crowd size and voter fraud have been coupled with attempts to muzzle government agencies accustomed to sharing their research with the public. Scientists are gearing up to march on Washington, and even The Onion’s satire about Sean Spicer’s […]