When it comes to local news mergers, bias top concern

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When it comes to local news mergers, bias top concern

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Zacc Ritter

In recent years, efforts to find a sustainable business model for local news coverage in the U.S. have resulted in the acquisition of local news organizations in different markets by large, national companies. Last week's announcement of a merger between Gannett and Gatehouse media, which would consolidate ownership of more than 260 local newspapers, is the latest in a trend that also affects local TV, with companies such as Sinclair Broadcast Group buying stations around the country.

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Newsroom diversity efforts have failed. It’s time to take a structural approach

Posted on August 5, 2019 by LaSharah S. Bunting

Despite decades of warnings, diversity in newsrooms is still one of the most pressing challenges facing the journalism industry. For years, journalism organizations founded and led by people of color have worked tirelessly to advocate for more diversity in staffing and coverage, particularly through training and development opportunities. Still, institutional efforts to address the issue have historically ranged from ineffective to nonexistent.

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Defending our democracy against disinformation

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Ana Mari Cauce

Misinformation and disinformation undermine our democratic discourse across the political spectrum. They sow division when we could be working toward common goals, grounded in facts that inform our shared values.

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America’s digital dilemma: Is technology harming our democracy

Posted on August 1, 2019 by Sam Gill

Everywhere we turn, we face the challenge of how to govern technology without stifling innovation.

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Connective Democracy: A new approach for building bridges in American society

Posted on July 25, 2019 by The Center for Media Engagement

The great experiment that is American democracy thrives on diverse views, but these divisions also make it fragile. Connective democracy involves understanding the ties that bind and the values that divide us, with a focus on identifying practical solutions that bridge societal fissures.

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Bringing research up to speed with the challenges of the digital era

Posted on July 23, 2019 by Zeynep Tufekci

What would a healthy public sphere even look like in the digital age? What would be the institutions that take all these questions into account? Who should make these decisions and how?

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Strengthening democracy in the digital age: Knight’s $50 million investment in a new field of research

Posted on July 22, 2019 by Sam Gill

Technology has made life more convenient. Yet, left unchecked and unquestioned, the digital technology revolution could threaten the future of our democracy.

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First Amendment vitals: Taking Gen Z’s pulse on free expression and inclusion

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Evette Alexander

Millennials have left the nest of higher education and entered the workforce. Undergraduates on campus now hail from the tip of the next age cohort known as Generation Z. They are the true digital natives born into an always-on world. The very oldest was four on 9/11, seven when Facebook launched, 10 when the iPhone came on the scene and 19 – freshly eligible to vote – in the 2016 election.

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Local equals trust: A call to help rebuild local news

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Karen Rundlet

Since Knight Foundation announced a $300 million initiative in February to help rebuild local news, we’ve received an exuberant response from funders, civic leaders and journalists. They, too, are seeking to bolster local reporting in their communities because they understand the important role that journalism plays in our democracy in informing communities and holding the powerful accountable.

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Announcing the Winners of the AI and the News Open Challenge

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Tim Hwang

We’ve been absolutely blown away by the interest and excitement around our AI and the News Open Challenge. After several months and the efforts of a small army of amazing reviewers to sift through the 500+ applications we received, we’re excited to finally announce the winners of the challenge today.

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Knight Media Forum: The opportunity is now to build the future of local news

Posted on March 6, 2019 by marika.lynch

We have never had a bigger opportunity – or greater need – to build the future of local news. That was at the heart of discussions at the Knight Media Forum, a gathering of leading journalism funders and practitioners held last week in Miami.

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Knight Foundation’s investment in media seeks to preserve an essential element of democracy: an informed citizenry

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Alberto Ibargüen

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High Schools: New Front Lines in Battle for Free Speech

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Sanford J. Ungar

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Eight ways to make international news local

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Chana R. Schoenberger

How can local journalists make the connection between the issues they report on and international events? “You have to find the connection between international affairs and people’s lives and build out from that,” said CNN GPS host and Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria.

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The price of progress: How “digital pollution” is poisoning democracy and what we can do about it

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Sam Gill

The warning lights are flashing. The challenges of the digital age are posing fundamental challenges to our democracy. To capture the benefits of digitization, without enduring intolerable costs, we suggest it’s time for a new paradigm—one similar to how we treat other forms of pollution from industrial progress.