WATCH: “Philly DA” offers a compelling close-up of criminal justice reform

Earlier this month, Philadelphia’s reform-oriented District Attorney Larry Krasner cruised to a landslide victory in his bid for re-election, consolidating power behind his efforts to remake the criminal justice system in Pennsylvania’s largest city. For anyone interested in understanding how Krasner was able to gain that position and wield the power of that office, we have a remarkable account of his journey in "Philly DA," an eight-part PBS documentary series. The series debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, was originally broadcast in April nationally, and is going to be rebroadcast in some locations over the next couple weeks. In the meantime, viewers can watch anywhere on the PBS platform. Read More

The news media’s coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign was overwhelmingly negative and lacked in-depth explanations of the candidates’ policy positions. Misinformation ran rampant, and widespread disinformation campaigns successfully sowed doubt among citizens, which left them confused about who and what to trust. Read More

In our second collaborative webinar, Media Impact Funders and Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement Funders (PACE) convened thought leaders from across the Infogagement landscape to discuss how driving civic engagement in today’s interconnected media landscape requires re-building public trust. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter changed the landscape of democracy, granting widespread access to public discourse, and empowering citizens to create change in new ways.  But what began as tools to amplify new voices has also given way to the spread of disinformation, deepening polarization, and ultimately, dampening civic engagement. Speakers: Kelly Born, Program Officer for the Madison Initiative, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Jenny Choi, Director, Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY Talia Stroud, Associate Professor, Department of Communications Studies,The University of Texas at Austin Watch the webinar below:… Read More

America’s public square—the institutions, networks, and spaces where Americans engage in the critical issues facing our democracy—is facing a paradigm shift. A combination of economic impacts, advances in technology, and social change are re-shaping how we access and engage with the information that connects us to civic life. Read More