2020 Agenda

2020 Knight Media Forum

Strengthening local news, community and democracy

February 24 – 26, 2020

JW Marriott Marquis, Miami

#kmf20 | knightmediaforum.org

Monday, Feb. 24

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. : Registration (Met Ballroom Foyer, Level 3)

5:30 – 8 p.m. : Welcome Reception (Olympia Theater, 174 E. Flagler St.)

  • Welcoming Remarks
  • Investigative journalism: The urgency at the local level
    • Marty Baron, Executive Editor, The Washington Post; Mindy Marques, President & Publisher/Executive Editor, Miami Herald Media Company. Introduction: Jennifer Preston, Vice President/Journalism, Knight Foundation

Tuesday, Feb. 25

7:30 – 9 a.m.: Breakfast Buffet (Pre-function South, Level 3)   

9:15 a.m.: Welcome (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • Alberto Ibargüen, President, Knight Foundation

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.: How communities will compete and succeed in the 21st century (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • André Dua, Senior Partner, New York, McKinsey and Company; Karen Freeman-Wilson, Former Mayor, Gary, Indiana; Brian Hooks, President, Charles Koch Foundation and Stand Together; Mariam Noland, President, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan. Introduction: Lilly Weinberg, Director, Community Foundations, Knight Foundation

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.: Break

10:45 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

  1. How local funders can support local journalism (Plaza 2, Level 5)
    • Sherrie Arb, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan; Melissa Milios Davis, Gates Family Foundation; Michael Murphy, The Cleveland Foundation. Moderator: Karen Rundlet, Knight Foundation. Scribe: Grace Diffey, Hamilton Community Foundation
  2. The latest research on why people give to news organizations (Plaza 4, Level 5)
    • Jesse Holcomb, Calvin University; Talia Stroud, University of Texas Center for Media Engagement. Scribe: Mary Grace Roske
  3. Finding and funding media innovators in communities of color (Plaza 5, Level 5)
    • Manolia Charlotin, Press On; Mukhtar Ibrahim, Sahan Journal. Moderator: Roxann Stafford, Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund. Scribe: Nicole Paquette, Communities Foundation of Texas
  4. Supporting coverage of key community issues: Education, gun violence and housing (Junior Ballroom A, Level 5)
    • Kayce Ataiyero, Joyce Foundation; Elizabeth Green, Chalkbeat. Moderator: Jon Funabiki, Renaissance Journalism. Scribe: Heidi Williamson, Berks County Community Foundation
  5. Bringing local reporting and solutions to your community (Plaza 1, Level 5)
    • Liza Gross, Solutions Journalism Network; Charlie Sennott, Report for America. Introduction: Jennifer Preston, Knight Foundation. Scribe: Emma Gilchrist, The Narwhal
  6. Libraries and civic engagement (Junior Ballroom B, Level 5)
    • John Bracken, Digital Public Library of America; Anthony Marx, New York Public Library. Scribe: Ana Mantica, The Miami Foundation
  7. On the Table: Solutions that have emerged from three years of breaking bread (Junior Ballroom C, Level 5)
    • Lisa Adkins, Blue Grass Community Foundation; Matthew Beatty, The Miami Foundation. Scribe: Carolyn Torgersen
  8. The role of public media newsrooms in local journalism networks (Gallery 1, Level 4)
    • Nancy Barnes, NPR; Michael Isip, KQED; Joy Lin, Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Moderator: Feather Houstoun, Wyncote Foundation. Scribe: LuAnn Lovlin, The Winnipeg Foundation
  9. Emerging models for building local journalism: The nuts and bolts (Gallery 2, Level 4)
    • Ryan Nave, Mississippi Today; Alice Rhee and John Thornton, American Journalism Project. Moderator: Sue Cross, Institute for Nonprofit News. Scribe: Tere Figueras Negrete, Funders’ Network

12:15 – 2 p.m.: Luncheon (Met Ballroom, Level 3)  

  • Recode Decode: A conversation with Univision’s Jorge Ramos
    • Jorge Ramos, Anchor, Journalist, Univision; Kara Swisher, Co-founder, Recode and New York Times Contributor. Introduction: Jennifer Preston, Vice President/Journalism, Knight Foundation. This plenary will be taped for an upcoming episode of Swisher’s podcast.

2 – 2:50 p.m.: Dessert, Networking, Meet-ups

3 – 4 p.m.: Emerging models for building local journalism (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • David Hulen, Editor, Anchorage Daily News; Paul Huntsman, Publisher and Owner, Salt Lake Tribune; and Fraser Nelson, VP of Business Innovation, Salt Lake Tribune; Diane Kaplan, CEO, Rasmuson Foundation. Moderator: Julie Sandorf, President, Charles H. Revson Foundation

4 – 5 p.m.: The internet unleashed: The growing challenge of hateful content online (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • Safiya Umoja Noble, Associate Professor, UCLA; Talal Ansari, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal; Joan Donovan, Director of Technology and Social Change, Harvard’s Shorenstein Center; Ethan Zuckerman, Director of the Center for Civic Media, MIT. Introduction: Sam Gill, Senior Vice President and Chief Program Officer, Knight Foundation

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.: Networking Reception (19th Floor, JW Marriott Marquis)


Wednesday, Feb. 26

7 – 8:30 a.m.: Breakfast Buffet (Pre-function South, Level 3)

8:30 – 9:15 a.m.: Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Inventor, World Wide Web (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • Introduction: Sue Kronick, Trustee, Knight Foundation

9:20 – 10:20 a.m. : Amplifying voices from underrepresented communities (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • Maria Hinojosa, President and Founder, Futuro Media Group; Jeff Hirota, CEO, Community Foundation Boulder County; Martin Reynolds, Co-Executive Director, Maynard Institute. Moderator: Jennifer Choi, News Integrity Initiative, Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, CUNY. Introduction: Karen Rundlet, Director/Journalism, Knight Foundation

10:25 – 11:15 a.m. : Making issues move: The role of data and digital in democracy (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • A conversation with Teddy Goff, Founding Partner, Precision Strategies, former Digital Director, Obama for America 2012; Ory Rinat, Deputy Assistant to the President and Chief Digital Officer, The White House. Moderator: Judy Woodruff, Anchor and Managing Editor, PBS NewsHour

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Breakout Sessions

  1. Getting results from the ProPublica Local Reporting Network (Gallery 2, Level 4)
    • David Hulen, Anchorage Daily News; Charles Ornstein, ProPublica; Wendi C. Thomas, MLK50: Justice Through Journalism. Moderator: Peter Lattman, Emerson Collective. Scribe: Heidi Williamson, Berks County Community Foundation
  2. Meeting news and information needs in rural communities (Gallery 1, Level 4)
    • Korenna Wilson, LOR Foundation; Terrence Williams, Keene Sentinel. Moderator: Dana Coester, West Virginia University. Scribe: Emma Gilchrist, The Narwhal
  3. Supporting coverage of key community issues: criminal justice, education, environment (Plaza 2, Level 5)
    • Susan Chira, Marshall Project; Katie Lepri, WLRN; Liz Willen, Hechinger Report. Moderator: Jeff Cohen, Arnold Ventures. Scribe: Grace Diffey, Hamilton Community Foundation
  4. Philanthropic support for non-profit and for-profit legacy newspapers (Plaza 1, Level 5)
    • Sharon Chan, The New York Times; Lauren Gustus, McClatchy; Fraser Nelson, Salt Lake Tribune. Moderator: Nicco Mele, Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation. Scribe: LuAnn Lovlin, The Winnipeg Foundation
  5. New research: What makes people love where they live (Plaza 4, Level 5)
    • Evette Alexander, Knight Foundation; Rob Santos and Molly Scott, Urban Institute. Scribe: Carolyn Torgersen
  6. Artificial Intelligence: Preparing Communities for Big Brother (Plaza 5, Level 5)
    • Mina Hanna, IEEE-SA;  Carole Piovesan, INQ Data Law. Moderator: Paul Cheung, Knight Foundation. Scribe: Tere Figueras Negrete, Funders’ Network
  7. Charlotte: Collaboration and community engagement through media partnerships (Junior Ballroom A, Level 5)
    • Glenn Burkins, QCityMetro; Sherry Chisenhall, Charlotte Observer; David Boraks, WFAE. Moderator: Charles Thomas, Knight Foundation. Scribe: Mary Grace Roske
  8. Covering the Census 2020 in an age of misinformation (Junior Ballroom B, Level 5)
    • D’Vera Cohn, Pew Research Center; Lindsey Linzer, The Miami Foundation; Claire Wardle, First Draft Coalition. Scribe: Nicole Paquette, Communities Foundation of Texas
  9. Storytelling on important issues: Lessons from building public spaces (Junior Ballroom C, Level 5)
    • Bridget Marquis, Reimagining the Civic Commons; Dan Rice, Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition. Scribe: Ana Mantica, The Miami Foundation

12:45 – 2:15 p.m.: Closing Luncheon (Met Ballroom, Level 3)

  • Creating value not content: The importance of original reporting
    • A.G. Sulzberger, Publisher, The New York Times. Introduction: Alberto Ibargüen, President, Knight Foundation

Click here for full list of Knight Media Forum 2020 participants.