Societal trends and new technologies are reshaping how we seek and share information, form beliefs, and connect with one another. While the effects are increasingly visible in our daily lives and public dialogue, much remains to be understood. These shifts present both challenges and opportunities—for individuals, communities and institutions alike.

The Information and Society program supports efforts to illuminate these changes and inform policy and social practice in ways that advance core democratic values like free expression, access to information and accountability.

In addition to grantmaking, the program cultivates strategic partnerships, convenes key stakeholders and pursues mission‑aligned investments—all guided by an expansive portfolio of commissioned and independent research.

These include:

Knight Research Network: A multiyear effort to grow a field of research, legal scholarship and nonpartisan policy analysis examining the evolving relationships among information, media, technology and democracy.

The Pew-Knight Initiative: A multiyear partnership with the Pew Research Center to better understand how Americans consume civic information, form beliefs and identities, and engage in their communities.

Knight Free Expression Research Series: A two-decade exploration of public attitudes toward free speech, with a focus on young Americans.