Flatiron School students showcase their digital innovation projects at A Wider Net: Inclusion & Innovation in Tech, Oct. 22, 2015 in New York. Photo courtesy of The Paley Center for Media.

Louise Gormanly is the director of institutional giving and special initiatives at The Paley Center for Media. Today Knight Foundation is announcing $250,000 in new support for a thought leadership series hosted by the center.

News and information are bringing the world ever closer together, but the means of communicating is growing increasingly more complex. Disruptive technologies are carving out new paths from content producers to users. But what does the proliferation of digital routes mean for the practice of journalism?

In a series to be produced in 2016-2017, with the support of Knight Foundation, The Paley Center for Media will explore this question in depth. The series will be delivered under our PALEYIMPACT initiative. Its purpose is to ask—and answer: How do news, entertainment and documentary content, and digital distribution platforms, shape the current public discourse?  

The Paley Center has examined the role—and impact—of media in our culture and society since its founding in 1975 by William S. Paley. A broadcasting pioneer and founder of CBS—the network that gave us Edward R. Murrow and “60 Minutes”—Mr. Paley was prescient in recognizing that television and radio programs provide an unmatched documentary record—be it of truth-telling, political spin, or artistic experimentation—of 20th century American life. His vision for the institution was to be the steward of this disappearing past and a bellwether of an auspicious media future. This intent still informs our programming.

Today, at our centers in New York and Los Angeles, we draw in diverse communities that reflect just how diverse media has become. They include innovators and leaders, content creators and data analysts, journalists and storytellers, policymakers and advocates, students and researchers, high-level influencers and on-the-ground activists. We serve as a hub for unlikely connections that can accelerate cross-sector learning, innovation, debate and collaboration.

(L-R) Mike Conlow, Blue State Digital; Katie Harbath, Facebook; Azarias Reda, CTO, Republican National Committee; Ashley Spillane, former president, Rock the Vote; Chris Hughes, trustee, Knight Foundation. Photo courtesy of The Paley Center for Media.

Much of our work in the last decade has been undertaken with the support and the collaboration of Knight Foundation, including, recently: “The Next Big Thing in Digital News Innovation” (2012); “Media and Open Government in a Post-9/11 World” (2014); and forums on the direct impact of technology, new media and data in such areas as journalism and voter engagement (2015).

The new Knight Foundation-supported series will build on prior programs. Our goal is to spotlight the emerging technologies and talented people advancing—and changing—journalism and the flow of information in the public arena. Immersive technology, messaging apps, the unedited immediacy of Facebook Live, for example, are changing how we craft, experience and share stories. With this also comes a new means to measure how content reaches, infiltrates, and even mobilizes the public to respond. Our programs seek to help map this news and information maze. 

We will kick off the live series this fall with a program on each coast: 

In New York, on Sep. 27, “Fueling Extremism in a Wired World” will look at the evolution of propaganda in media, from Nazi Germany’s use of radio and television, to present-day extremists’ use of social media. Panelists will include: Emily Bell, Columbia Journalism School; Monika Bickert, Facebook; Steve Luckert, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; Jehane Noujaim, filmmaker, “Control Room”; and Richard Stengel, U.S. Department of State.

In Los Angeles, on Nov. 2, “Advancing the Story: The Next Chapter in Media Impact” will feature discussions on innovative modes of storytelling and topics that are spiking public interest, driving the news cycle, and inspiring scripts; and presentations on new approaches that use data to measure audience impact. Renowned film and television writer, producer and director Norman Lear will headline, with more participants to be announced shortly.

The series will continue in 2017 with three more programs. Each program will deliver a set of sign posts, offering incremental insights and practical guidance to help those engaged in journalism and storytelling to navigate forward in an ever-evolving media landscape.

Programs from the PALEYIMPACT series are available on The Paley Center website and on the center’s YouTube channel.