Knight Foundation

Universal broadband, stronger public media and government transparency are just three of the wide-ranging reforms required to make communities throughout the country more healthy, informed and democratic, according to the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities. The Knight Commission, which was made possible by a $1.7 million grant from the Knight Foundation in 2008, assembled 17 media, policy and community leaders to identify the changing information needs of communities and to suggest policies for enhancing the free flow of information and its uses. The Knight Commission recognized that communities flourish when their residents are well-informed, have an abundance of local news available, and have the skills and tools needed for enacting change. However, the era of digital media has greatly altered the quantity, quality and accessibility of news and information. Americans have access to more information than ever before, but...

  Though declining resources have left the media less likely to investigate cases in which freedom of information has been limited, more and more people are supporting government transparency says a new study put forth by Media Law Resource Center and the National Freedom of Information Coalition. The findings – though bittersweet – compliment a 2009 investigation that found that traditional media support for open government lawsuits in their states had fallen dramatically. They also give new meaning to Knight’s FOI fund, which helps state groups pursue open-government litigation by covering up-front costs such as court fees, if attorneys are willing to take on a pro-bono basis cases that otherwise would go unfiled. “If ordinary citizens are becoming more aware of their access rights, and more assertive regarding them, it is indeed a reason to be gratified,” said Kenneth F. Bunting, executive director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.  “However, if news organizations are trending toward being less gung-ho...