Speakers

• Michael Yamashita, Publisher, Bay Area Reporter
• Paulette Brown-Hinds, Publisher of Black Voice News; John S. Knight Journalism Senior Fellow at Stanford University; and board member of the American Press Institute, The James Irvine Foundation and Inland Empire Community Foundation
• Tasneem Raja, Editor-in-Chief, The Oaklandside
• Moderated by Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED’s, “Forum”

Speakers

• Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED’s, “Forum”
• John Palfrey, President, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Speakers

• Geeta Anand, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author; Dean and Professor, UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism
• Katherine Ann Rowlands, President, Bay City News; former John S. Knight Journalism Fellow
• Elodie Mailliet-Storm, Executive Director, CatchLight; former John S. Knight Journalism Fellow
• Moderated by Alexis Madrigal, co-host of KQED’s, “Forum”

Speaker

• Eric Newton, writer and consultant

Proceeds from “Circle Way” are donated to the Hogan-Newton Fund for Young Journalists at the Miami Foundation, which supports turbocharged internships at news organizations.

Yes, You Can Measure the Impact of Journalism. Here’s One Approach

Here’s a question we hear a lot: How do you effectively measure the impact of journalism beyond quantitative metrics like pageviews? Funders who care deeply about measuring the impact of their investments (i.e. assessing real-world change in their communities) are looking for more clarity on how best to evaluate it. Lindsay Green-Barber, the founder and principal of Impact Architects, will provide an overview of the Impact Tracker, a customizable Google-based platform aimed at helping news organizations, funders and other stakeholders understand the impact of journalism by defining, measuring and tracking real world change. The Tracker can organize and display an organization’s impact at the structural, community, and individual levels.

• Lindsay Green-Barber, Founder, Impact Architects

Empathy and Story: Creating New Capacities for Change

Trust in the news is low. As of 2022, 38 percent of Americans have no trust at all in newspapers, TV and radio (combined). In a 2022 op-ed, journalist Amanda Ripley shares a possible reason why: our journalism has lost its humanity—and moreso, its empathy. We are bombarded with difficult news, at a rate and magnitude that renders us hopeless and avoidant. To reconnect our journalism with our humanity, Ripley compels us to invest in “low-ego, high-curiosity journalism” that fosters hope, agency and dignity. Storytellers and journalists that work to cultivate and embed empathy have seen lasting impact by listening and adapting to the ways that their communities gather around information. This interactive session will consider new ways to build capacity through story, with an opportunity to envision new empathic outcomes.

• Madeleine Bair, Founding Director, El Tímpano
• Josué Rojas, Practicing visual artist, muralist and educator
• Moderated by Jasmine Sudarkasa, Executive Director, Curve Foundation

“After Ayotzinapa” is a podcast from Reveal at the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX with the National Security Archive that investigates and exposes corruption at the highest levels and makes unsettling connections to America’s war on drugs.

• Anayansi Diaz-Cortes, Senior Reporter and Producer, Reveal, Center for Investigative Reporting

“Ear Hustle” is the Pulitzer Prize-nominated PRX podcast that shares stories about the daily realities of life inside and after prison, shared by those living it.

• Nigel Poor, Co-Founder, “Ear Hustle”
• Earlonne Woods, Co-Founder, “Ear Hustle”

In the first session, Grant Oliphant, Chief Executive Officer of the Conrad Prebys Foundation, will engage Mark Horvath, founder of multimedia storytelling and news publisher platform Invisible People, and Marisol Bello, executive director of the Housing Narrative Lab, a communications and narrative research hub, in a thoughtful dialogue about what we think we know about homelessness, and how to find—and resource—solutions.

In the second session, we’ll explore the unique perspective that Devon Gray and EPIC bring to the poverty advocacy space—that narrative change, power-building, and policy change are inseparable. We will discuss EPIC’s partnership with Emmy- and Sundance-winning filmmaker Jacob Kornbluth to capture the lived experiences of people in poverty and bring their voices and ideas to Sacramento, across California, and across the nation. Finally, we will look at the partnership in the context of a narrative change campaign—with our short documentary “The People and the Power” (working title), and dozens of short videos—as the primary assets. Tactics include screenings across the state with directly-impacted communities, a curriculum guide for teachers, sharing content with influencers, and more.

Narrative Change Complexity: Informing Collaborative Decision-Making for Impact

Recently, philanthropic interest in narrative change strategies has been increasing, and both funders and practitioners seek to establish realistic expectations around impact. The USC Norman Lear Center, with funding from the California Health Care Foundation, is distilling factors linked to the success of these efforts. We’ll preview a strategic investment decision-making framework to align impact expectations among key stakeholders.

• Erica Rosenthal, Director of Research, Norman Lear Center at University of Southern California
• Stephanie Teleki, Director of Learning and Impact, California Health Care Foundation

We’re All Ears: A Practical How-To for Podcasting

Are you thinking about supporting podcast activity—learn about the practice and impact of podcasting and hear from our mainstage speakers Nigel Poor, Earlonne Woods and Anayansi Diaz-Cortes, in a breakout discussion facilitated by Community Manager at the PRX Podcast Garage at KQED, Eric Dhan.

Speaker

• Sahar Driver, Founding Co-Director, Color Congress

Speakers

• Carrie Lozano, Sundance Institute’s Director of Documentary Film and Artist Program
• Pete Nicks, Emmy Award-winning cinematographer, producer and director
• Moderated by Chi-hui Yang, Senior Program Officer, Ford Foundation’s JustFilms initiative

Journalism Funders Working Session

In recent months, some of the largest funders in journalism have convened to discuss efforts to catalyze more funding for news and information. These funders have been working to identify the most valuable opportunities to stimulate financial resources for local news. Throughout the day, we will discuss strategies to advance these ongoing initiatives.

Documentary Funders Working Session

This is an exciting and turbulent time for nonfiction storytelling, amid shifts in both the form of documentary and the field itself. There is rapid growth of independent field infrastructure, alongside opportunities and challenges presented by consolidation of the distribution landscape. Documentaries are trusted source of information and increasing their role in society, politics and culture, becoming flashpoints in culture wars in the process. And the documentary field is leading the way in conversations around community-centered ethics and accountability relevant across all media. Join the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation | JustFilms, and the Perspective Fund for a deep dive into these emergent topics. Come away with ideas for collaboration and alignment in service of proactively championing the independent and equity-focused storytellers in this high-stakes moment and for the long-term.

Check back soon for updates on this agenda.