NEW YORK – Oct. 26, 2016 – To advance the future of journalism through innovation and talent development, and help create new models of journalism education, the City University of New York (CUNY) Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism today announced $3.5 million in new support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism launched the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism in 2010 with funding from Knight Foundation and the Tow Foundation, which has renewed its support alongside Knight. The center works to create a sustainable future for quality journalism by educating students and mid-career journalists in innovation and business management; researching relevant topics, such as new business models for news; and helping to develop new journalistic enterprises. It also convenes and supports groups of professional journalists working in new disciplines, such as product development and audience development. The center created the world’s first Master of Arts degrees in entrepreneurial journalism and social journalism.
Students from these programs have created noteworthy projects such as Skillcrush, an interactive online learning community, Narratively, an innovator in storytelling, and Purple, a news chatbot. They have also joined news organizations such as The New York Times, The Guardian, The Marshall Project and BuzzFeed.
New Knight funding will build on the Tow-Knight Center’s success developing innovative approaches in the field of journalism and journalism education.
The support will allow the Tow-Knight Center to:
- Identify critical trends and forces in journalism, as well as best practices, replicable models and proven strategies that drive change.
- Build networks and support communities of practice focused on new disciplines – such as product development and audience development.
- Continue research into the growing list of new skills needed by journalists to help inform curriculums and meet industry needs.
- Explore new teaching outcomes for journalism education.
“The future of journalism depends on visionary leaders to find new ways to serve communities with greater relevance and sustainable business models,” said Jennifer Preston, Knight Foundation vice president for journalism. “The Tow-Knight Center has a record of success inspiring students and journalists in the field to meet this challenge. Graduates are leading cultural and digital change inside newsrooms, as well as their own startups. We are thrilled to be part of the center’s next chapter.”
“In a time of crisis in our industry, Knight and Tow’s support for advancing the field is critical. It will challenge us to continue our innovation and leadership in the news industry and journalism education,” said CUNY J-School Dean Sarah Bartlett.
“In our first six years, we accomplished much, but that work has just begun and we are grateful for Knight’s confidence in our plans to continue to drive the news industry to a digital, social and sustainable future,” said Jeff Jarvis, director of the Tow-Knight Center
Through its expansion the center aims to increase the number of graduates and leaders launching their own startups and bringing innovation to newsrooms across the country. It will also work to extend the success of new models in journalism education to other campuses, and build networks that support the use of new innovations in the field.
Funding for CUNY’s Tow-Knight Center is part of Knight Foundation’s efforts to promote new models for journalism education, and talent and learning in the field. Knight is a major supporter of journalism training and leadership development, with projects including ONA Local, News University and the Online News Association Challenge Fund for Journalism Education, as well as journalism fellowship programs at Stanford University, the University of Michigan, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Insitute of Technology and Columbia University.
About the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism
The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, founded in 2006, is the only public graduate journalism school in the northeastern U.S. It prepares students from diverse economic, racial, and cultural backgrounds to produce high-quality journalism. The school offers three master’s degree programs: a Master of Arts in Journalism, an M.A. in Entrepreneurial Journalism and an M.A. in Social Journalism. In Fall 2016, it launched a unique Spanish-language program to train bilingual students interested in covering Latino and Hispanic communities in the U.S. and abroad.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation is a national foundation with strong local roots. We invest in journalism, in the arts, and in the success of cities where brothers John S. and James L. Knight once published newspapers. Our goal is to foster informed and engaged communities, which we believe are essential for a healthy democracy. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.
Contacts:
Amy Dunkin, Director of Academic Operations, CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, [email protected], 646-758-7826
Anusha Alikhan, Communications Director, Knight Foundation, [email protected], 305-908-2646