Journalism –
Investing in vibrant journalism for a stronger democracy

For many years, Knight has supported journalism education at universities nationwide. More recently, the foundation has focused on funding technological innovation and sustainable models for local news. In 2023, Knight announced a $150 million commitment, as part of Press Forward, doubling our commitment to journalism funding over the next five years. Press Forward is a national philanthropic collective to support local news in the United States. This program has invested in scalable organizations, infrastructure that benefits the entire ecosystem and journalism support organizations that provide catalytic capacity for newsrooms.

Knight’s journalism investments focus on strengthening the systems, strategies and safeguards that enable news organizations to serve the public and protect democracy. Our investments are geared toward solutions across four interconnected areas.

Revenue Development and Diversification
Our overarching goal is to strengthen business sustainability in the news industry, recognizing that unique revenue solutions and business innovation are needed to ensure sustainable models. We support solutions that diversify revenue, reduce operational costs and scale repeatable models for producing and distributing news. We also support proven news organizations as they expand and invest in technologies and programs that accelerate sustainability.

Audience Growth and Engagement
We invest in data-informed strategies that help news organizations grow and deepen their audiences in a rapidly changing information ecosystem. As AI-driven platforms and search shifts reduce the reliability of traditional pathways to discovery, journalism must evolve how it reaches and engages people. We support tools, research and approaches that help news organizations better understand audience behavior, experiment with formats and distribution strategies and build direct, trusted relationships with the communities they serve.

Technology, AI and Product Innovation
Technology is reshaping how journalism is produced, discovered and sustained, with AI accelerating that change at unprecedented speed. Knight invests in technology and product innovation that helps news organizations responsibly integrate AI, advance visual and data-driven storytelling and build tools that improve workflows, audience engagement and decision-making. We seek opportunities where emerging technologies can be applied thoughtfully and at scale—supporting experimentation, shared infrastructure and product strategies.

First Amendment and Journalist Safety
At a time of heightened legal, political and physical threats to journalists, safeguarding the First Amendment is more vital to a healthy democracy than ever. Knight supports organizations that provide essential legal services, including litigation defense, Freedom of Information Act assistance, pre-publication review, entity formation, intellectual property protection and guidance on business operations. Knight also supports organizations that provide safety training, resources and direct assistance, helping ensure that the public’s right to know is protected.

Knight invests in organizations, infrastructure and tools that strengthen newsroom operations—including legal services, content platforms, revenue tools and training—enabling news organizations to operate more efficiently and focus on delivering accurate, engaging information that serves the public.

Audience development is also central to Knight’s mission and investment priorities. We invest in strategies that help news organizations reach new and younger audiences, experiment with formats and storytelling approaches that resonate, and build durable relationships with the communities they serve—meeting people where they are and earning their trust over time.

Sustainable, audience-centered journalism depends on the skills, expertise and collaborative environments that enable journalists to do their best work. We support programs aimed at attracting and retaining top talent, fostering inclusive and equitable workplaces and promoting innovation and continuous learning.

Across all investments, Knight upholds the First Amendment’s core principles of press freedom and free expression. We support innovative approaches that defend these fundamental rights while helping ensure journalists can do their work safely and independently.