The University of Texas at Austin will receive $4 million to expand access to its journalism courses available to people across the continent in three languages.

Miami, Fla. – As part of a longstanding commitment to expand and grow a sustainable future for independent journalism, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is granting $4 million to The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas’ Moody College of Communication.

With this grant, the Center will reorganize and expand its three main initiatives, building upon its 20-year track record of helping journalists elevate the standards of journalism in countries around the world. Thanks to a pioneering online learning program that has reached more than 275,000 students from 200 countries and territories; the annual International Symposium on Online Journalism, which fosters dialogue, research and peer-to-peer learning; and the LatAm Journalism Review, a trilingual digital magazine that features original reporting on the news industry and press freedom issues in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Center is poised to pave the way toward a sustainable future.  

“The Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas is at the forefront of strengthening local journalism in the region,” said Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO of Knight Foundation. “Under Rosental Alves’ leadership, the Center has had tangible impact, creating better informed communities throughout the Hemisphere. With the continued backing of the University of Texas, Knight’s additional funding will allow it to help even more journalists now and to better secure its own sustainability.”

“The Center is grateful to the Knight Foundation for this new generous grant, which will allow us to start our third decade from a stronger position,” said Knight Center founder and director Rosental Alves, who holds the Knight Chair in International Journalism. ”We will be able to expand our services that benefit thousands of journalists in the Americas and beyond, helping them navigate these times of rapid changes in the media ecosystem affected by the digital revolution.” 

Alves said the grant is a reminder of the Center’s accomplishments thus far and an opportunity to continue making an impact on journalists and the work they do. In its 20 years, they have helped journalists advance in their careers by making them aware of new disciplines in modern journalism, including safety, trauma and mental health, data analysis and visualization, fact-checking, and more. 

“We are eager to build upon this impactful work, which aligns with the Knight Foundation’s efforts to promote journalism excellence in the digital age,” said Mallary Tenore, associate director of the Knight Center. “This new grant will equip us with the resources we need to continue providing journalists with free and low-cost training, events, and publications that they can’t find elsewhere.” 

Knight Foundation has been a longtime supporter of the Center, dating back to the Center’s inception. In 2002, Professor Alves created the Center with a generous $2 million grant from the Knight Foundation. In 2007, Knight pledged an additional $1.6 million over five years to allow the Knight Center to refocus its work as a digital media center for Latin American and Caribbean journalism and to expand its efforts to serve as an incubator for new journalism organizations. Since then, Knight has supported the Knight Center’s activities with a series of grants, focusing mainly on the online courses and their signature conference. 

As the leading funder of journalism and media innovation in the country, these investments further Knight’s commitment to fostering more informed and engaged communities, which are essential to a healthy democracy. Learn more about Knight’s journalism program at kf.org/journalism. 

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About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

As social investors, the Knight Foundation supports democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and in the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. Learn more at kf.org and follow @knightfdn on social media. 

Media Contact:

Rebecca Dinar, [email protected], Director/Communications