NEW YORK — Sept. 22, 2015 — Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson — star of podcasts, YouTube and television — will receive the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s 2015 Innovation Award for helping to advance the field of journalism through his work with new media. Established by Knight Foundation in 2013, the award is hosted by the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism and its Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism. The award will be presented on Oct. 14 at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism.

“Dr. Tyson has harnessed every new medium — from Twitter to podcasts — to distill the complicated world of science into engaging and thought-provoking content that captures audiences everywhere,” said Jennifer Preston, Knight Foundation vice president for journalism.

As part of the award, Tyson will receive a $25,000 grant and an additional $25,000 to award to a journalistic innovator of his choice. The award ceremony at CUNY will begin with a panel discussion on podcasting innovation, moderated by Gimlet Media’s Alex Blumberg. Speakers will include Heben Nigatu, co-host of BuzzFeed’s “Another Round,” and Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC’s “Notes to Self.” The panel will be followed with an interview with Tyson by Jeff Jarvis, director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism.

“We are honored to bring Neil deGrasse Tyson to our school,” said Sarah Bartlett, dean of the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism School. “We teach our journalism students to use new media and social media to inform the publics they serve with authority and clarity. With his work, Dr. Tyson is an extraordinary role model for them.”

Tyson is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space in New York, a part of the American Museum of Natural History. He founded the department of astrophysics at the museum in 1997. Born in Manhattan, he is a graduate of The Bronx High School of Science, Harvard University, the University of Texas at Austin, and Columbia University, where he earned his doctorate in astrophysics. He is the creator of the podcast and TV show “StarTalk” and host of the 2014 public television series “Cosmos.”

This is the third annual Knight Innovation Award. The 2014 recipient was Shane Smith, CEO of VICE Media, who joined with Knight to endow an international media training program hosted at CUNY. The 2013 recipient was Sue Gardner, then head of the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more information, please visit knightfoundation.org.

About the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism

The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism opened in 2006 with a commitment to blend traditional journalistic values with new forms of storytelling that embrace digital technology. Its innovative curriculum offers multimedia-focused Master of Arts degrees in journalism, entrepreneurial journalism, and social journalism in the heart of the nation¹s media capital. It also offers a one-semester Advanced Certificate in Entrepreneurial Journalism and a summer intensive digital journalism workshop series focused on emerging skill sets. Journalism.cuny.edu

CONTACT

Hal Straus, general manager, Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, 202-415-9458, [email protected]

Anusha Alikhan, director of communications, Knight Foundation, 305-908-2677, [email protected]