Join us in the Knight Lounge, where you’ll find fresh juices and healthy snacks to grab and go as well as a space to relax and recharge. You’ll also find programming and access to more than 100 resources to help power your newsrooms. 

Hanover C on the exhibit level (the same level as registration)

Thursday, 9/19

8–9 AM | Knight Lounge 

Got legal Questions?: Media Law Resource Center

Join us for a Southern breakfast that includes fried chicken, waffles and mimosas, and saddle up to this session, where you’ll learn about media law and get answers to your legal questions. You’ll leave with a full belly and a clearer understanding of the media’s legal landscape.

Jeff Hermes, Deputy Director, Media Law Resource Center

9:30–11:30 AM | Knight Lounge 

Investigative Improv: Knight Election Hub

Three world-class investigative experts take audience suggestions and investigate candidates live. They’ll show you how to use their tools––available free to eligible newsrooms via the Knight Election Hub––to background check the people running for office near you.

Cameron Hickey, Junkipedia
Scott Klein, Knight Election Hub, Newspack
Anna Massoglia, OpenSecrets 
Brandi Swicegood, Sunlight Search

12–1 PM |  Grand Hall ABCD

Redefining News in the Age of Social Media 

Knight-sponsored session

How do Americans get news across different platforms, like print, television and digital devices? How about from TikTok, X, Facebook or Instagram? On which channels are news consumers less likely to feel worn out by the news they see? In this session, you’ll be briefed on the latest research from the Pew-Knight Initiative team. Then, you’ll meet pioneering individuals who have harnessed the power of their vast social media audiences to create and distribute information that may be redefining news in the twenty-first century.

Jim Brady, VP/Journalism, Knight Foundation 
Jiore Craig, Digital Strategist/Philanthropic Advisor
Katerina Eva Matsa, Director, News and Information Research, Pew Research Center
Mosheh Oinounou, President, Mo Digital and Mo News
Blair Imani Ali, Creator, Smarter in Seconds

1:00–2:30 PM | Knight Lounge 

Listening Session with Pew Research Center

What information about how Americans navigate today’s media and technology landscape would be most helpful and actionable for your newsrooms? Pew Research Center’s news and information team wants to hear from you. We are actively planning projects that are part of the Pew-Knight Initiative, which supports new research on how Americans absorb civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities. So far, we’ve examined how Americans navigate politics and news across social media, as well as Americans’ experiences with local news. 

Join us for a conversation over lunch that will not only give you a window into the kinds of topics the team plans to explore next, but also an opportunity to provide insight and feedback that may help inform potential future research ideas.

Kyla Gabriel, Director/Learning and Impact, Knight Foundation
Kirsten Eddy, Senior Researcher, Pew Research Center
Michael Lipka, Associate Director, News and Information Research, Pew Research Center

2:30–3:30 PM  | Knight Lounge 

How AI is shaping Atlanta’s Creative Industries

Register here.

It’s hard to have a conversation about journalism today in which you don’t end up talking about AI – the threats, the opportunities, and how the heck to use it in your work. Journalists aren’t the only ones figuring this out. Perspectives invites people who tackle the same challenges as journalists to help us spot new opportunities and address our problems with new insights.

So we’re bringing some leading members of Atlanta’s creative industry to the Knight Lounge to talk about how they’re approaching the challenges of authenticity, copyright, and authorship with AI as well as where they see opportunities for production efficiencies and new avenues for creative exploration.

The panelists will be:

Isaac Hayes III – futurist, founder of Fanbase, and son of soul singer Isaac Hayes
Uwonda Carter – founding partner at Carter+Woodward, whose clients include King Willonious, the creator of BBL Drizzy
Dr Fahamu Pecou – a local artist and filmmaker who uses AI in his work

The conversation will be led by Dr. Joycelyn Wilson, an assistant professor at Georgia Tech with a focus on hip-hop studies and digital media.

3:30–4 PM | Knight Lounge 

Meet Marisa: Knight Foundation 

We are serving up specialty coffees and the opportunity to meet the newest member of Knight’s Journalism team. An acclaimed investigative journalist, Marisa Kwiatkowski manages a portfolio of grants that includes protecting the First Amendment, investigative journalists’ safety initiatives and news organization legal support and training. 

Marisa Kwiatkowski, Director/Journalism, Knight Foundation

4–5 PM | Knight Lounge 

INN Pods: Institute for Nonprofit News

Find your pods, find your peers, find your people. At INN, we are using the data and findings from our INN Index to connect our members to their peers. INN has hosted virtual and IRL meetups for members to meet peers and leaders of outlets with similar revenues, expenses, audiences and staff sizes. It’s been fascinating to sit at a pod table where one outlet made 75% of their revenue in membership while another shared that membership made up only 8% of their revenue mix. INN members learn from one another (and learn faster) when they find their pods, find their peers, find their people. Join us for coffee and conversation within your INN pods and with Knight Foundation.

Friday, 9/20

8–9 AM | Knight Lounge 

Conversation with Jennifer Agiesta and Jim Brady: Knight Election Hub

This session has been cancelled, breakfast will still be available from 8 – 9. Join us.

9:30–10:30 AM  | Knight Lounge 

Election Lightning Talks: Knight Election Hub

The Election SOS and Knight Election Hub teams bring you a series of lightning talks on parts of your election strategy you might not have a plan for yet––but definitely should. Afterward, we’ll facilitate small group discussions on some of those decisions and ideas to help you get election ready.

Josh Hoffner, U.S. News Director, Associated Press
Jessica Huseman, Editorial Director, Votebeat
Evan Mackinder, News Revenue Hub
Jeje Mohamed, Consultant and Trainer, Digital Safety and Free Expression, PEN America
Viktorya Vilk, Director, Digital Safety and Free Expression, PEN America

10:30–11:30 AM | Knight Lounge 

Office Hours: Knight Election Hub

Are you still thinking about your election coverage and wondering what else you can do to prepare? Knight Election Hub staff and resource providers will be on hand for demonstrations and to answer your questions.

Scott Klein, Knight Election Hub; Entrepreneur in Residence, Newspack
Knight Election Hub resource providers

11:30 AM–12 PM | Knight Lounge 

Meet Marisa: Knight Foundation 

We are serving up specialty coffees and the with an opportunity to meet the newest member of Knight’s Journalism team. An acclaimed investigative journalist, Marisa Kwiatkowski manages a portfolio of grants that includes: protecting the First Amendment, investigative journalists’ safety initiatives,  and news organization legal support and training. 

Marisa Kwiatkowski, Director/Journalism, Knight Foundation

2:30–4 PM | Knight Lounge 

Election Crisis Workshop: Information Futures Lab, Brown University

Learn to respond to AI-generated deep fakes, rumors, voter suppression campaigns and language barriers in an immersive workshop that places you at the center of a fast-moving breaking election story and challenges you to make strategic reporting decisions in real time. RSVP here.

Kaylin Dodson, Senior Research Associate, Information Futures Lab, Brown University
Stefanie Friedhoff, Professor of the Practice and Director, Information Futures Lab, Brown University 
Shaydanay Urbani, Partnerships Manager, Information Futures Lab, Brown University
Claire Wardle, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Cornell University

4–5 PM |  Grand Hall ABCD

Local News Renaissance

Knight-sponsored session

Join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion with funders, stakeholders and leaders dedicated to revolutionizing local news ecosystems. Delve into the innovative solutions and collaborative efforts that are shaping the future of journalism, from Press Forward Local chapters to the recently launched Georgia Trust for Local News. Learn about the challenges they face, the strategies they employ and the impact of their work.

Dale Anglin, Director, Press Forward
Jess King, Executive Director, Steinman Institute
Duc Luu, Director of Sustainability Initiatives/Journalism, Knight Foundation
DuBose Porter, Executive Director, Georgia Trust For Local News

Saturday, 9/21

Trip to Macon with Knight Foundation

ONA attendees are invited to join Macon Mayor Lester Miller on a special tour to experience the former ghost town that now boasts craft brewpubs and a thriving culinary and live music scene. The day trip will include a visit to the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park, representing more than 12,000 years of continuous human habitation. We’re proud to showcase how collaboration, planning and strategic philanthropic investment have revitalized Macon. Click here to register. Space is limited.

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