MIAMI – Joining the national response to international terrorism, trustees of the John S. and James L Knight Foundation have approved a $5 million fund for relief and post-terrorist attack activities.

Knight trustees have decided to move with deliberate speed in the allocation of the $5 million, committed to meeting an array of needs in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Knight Foundation has also pledged from $250,000 to $500,000 to memorial efforts honoring the hijacking victims who died Sept. 11 while preventing United Airlines Flight 93 from being used as a terrorist weapon. Passengers on the Newark to San Francisco flight, alerted to the suicide attacks on the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, banded together to disrupt the hijackers’ plans. The plane crashed into rural Somerset County in southwestern Pennsylvania, killing all 45 people on board. Authorities believe the actions of the passengers and crew kept the airliner from striking a potential target in Washington, D.C.

“Our nation’s loss – of lives, of invulnerability, of innocence – has been tempered by enduring examples of heroism, caring and strength,” said Hodding Carter III, president and CEO of Knight Foundation. “We hope our contribution helps the nation rebuild, move on, and honor those whose bravery may have prevented greater losses.”

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities.