Hodding Carter III has died. He led a life dedicated to service. He believed to his core in the power and benefit of informed and engaged communities in our democracy. 

Hodding was a newspaperman, a diplomat and a teacher. He held the Knight chair in journalism at the University of Maryland before being named president of Knight Foundation. 

At the Foundation, he led and oversaw the development of a full, professional staff and asserted the foundation’s independence from the company that had also been once owned by the Knight brothers. During his term, the foundation became the nation’s premier funder of journalism training. It also was an early funder of organizations like Local Initiatives Support Corporation,  Teach for America and the Committee to Protect Journalists. 

As we mourn his passing, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he led, the legacy he leaves behind, and the unwavering dedication to service he exhibited throughout his storied career, detailed in this obituary from the New York Times. 

His life was a testament to the power of truth, the importance of free press, and the transformative impact of philanthropy. He was as outspoken as he was brilliant and witty and always full of hope for better.  

And he was a devoted friend. 

We shall miss him. 

Alberto Ibargüen