5 key takeaways from the 2024 Knight Media Forum
Maribel Pérez Wadsworth’s call to action, Press Forward expands locals, Pew-Knight research initiative and more.
There was a growing sense of optimism at last year’s Knight Media Forum (KMF). This year, there was a call to turn that momentum into action. New Knight president and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth had her coming-out party in Miami, addressing the largest gathering in the history of KMF and taking questions from Axios senior media reporter Sara Fischer in a closing luncheon conversation. If you wanted to get to know Maribel and how she will lead, this was a great chance to do that.
And the action she advocated for coalesced around the growth of Press Forward. She noted that Knight is a lead funder in the joint initiative, which announced 11 new local chapters at KMF. While past Forums encouraged funders to support local news, this year was more of an exhortation, as more foundations are stepping forward to address the crisis in local news. It was great to see many familiar faces and meet so many new folks.
Here are some key takeaways from this year’s event:
Maribel makes a strong call to action.
“We are well past time to just be talking about solutions. We need a bias toward action,” Maribel said in her opening remarks. She noted Knight’s support for the American Journalism Project, National Trust for Local News, News Revenue Hub, NewsMatch and others, but given the obstacles the field is facing, suggested that it’s time for philanthropy to move “at the speed of news.”
Maribel also made a strong case for public policy supporting local journalism. “Some are rightfully skeptical about government assistance for news,” she said. “Poorly designed policies would undermine editorial independence and threaten press freedom. But given the scale of the challenge, I believe that government action—nonpartisan, content-neutral policies—can and should be part of the solution for all news operations.”
And she set a bold goal for the prospects of Press Forward: “My ambition, our shared ambition, is that the $500 million seed investment in Press Forward will grow into a bigger, bolder statement—three or four times bigger, at least—that creates a sustainable, locally driven path to secure journalism’s future and ensure our democracy endures.”
Press Forward expands with new funders, 11 new local chapters.
“O Captain! my Captain!” Press Forward announced its new leader, Dale Anglin, ahead of KMF, and she was there to acknowledge the applause of the audience (and to try to answer their crush of questions and interest). Plus, Press Forward recently grew to include three more national funders: Annie E. Casey Foundation, Arthur Vining Davis Foundations and the Scripps Howard Fund.
MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey joined Maribel on stage to “light up the map” with 11 new Press Forward local chapters in Colorado, Lancaster, Pa., Lexington, Ky., Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, South Florida, and Wyoming, bringing the total to 17.
There was even a meeting of the Press Forward local chapters ahead of KMF, and a breakout session dedicated to people who wanted to start their own Press Forward Local. So, how many people were interested in that breakout? The room had about as many people standing in the back and sides as seated in seats. Helpfully, Press Forward has more information about launching a local chapter on their website, and is offering up to $250,000 in national funding, along with technical assistance, coaching and peer networks.
People are getting and trusting news in many new ways.
If we truly want to serve the local information needs of Americans, we first have to understand exactly how they get news and who they trust. Increasingly, that is not happening via mainstream news outlets, but from individuals on social platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and YouTube. That’s the impetus for the new $20 million, five-year research partnership announced at KMF, the Pew-Knight Initiative. “Our aim is to understand how disruptions in today’s news environment are fundamentally changing the way people consume information, and what implications these disruptions mean for American society and politics,” Maribel said.
And to see those disruptors live and in-person, we had a luncheon panel of leading social media creators who talked about how they built followings and strengthened trust through engagements and conversations. “I think of myself as being your smart friend,” Jessica Yellin of News Not Noise said. “Listen to your audience.”
Liza Santana, from Only in Dade, a Miami-focused citizen-journalism account, noted that she was able to build an audience with bigger and bigger in-person events. “We do comedy shows but also more serious events on health and charitable efforts,” she said. (To dig into how creators are changing the news game, check out this timely story in the New York Times.)
Even with the influx of philanthropy, sustainability and multiple revenue streams remains the top priority for newsrooms.
I loved the way that Maribel put it in her opening remarks: “Philanthropy is not a business model—it’s a revenue stream. ‘Nonprofit’ is not a business model—it’s a tax status. And, by the way, billionaire ownership is not a business model. No matter how a news organization is structured, or who owns it, it still requires multiple and diverse revenue streams.” Amen.
It was interesting to see how the “philanthropy is not a business model” meme was repeated throughout KMF. I had the pleasure of moderating a panel on the future of sustainable journalism, with Wendi Thomas of MLK50, Mukhtar Ibrahim of Sahan Journal, Sonny Messiah Jiles of Houston Defender and Matthew Copeland from WyoFile.
Ibrahim noted that his background as a journalist hadn’t prepared him for running a business. But he showed a slide breaking down his revenues today, as Sahan Journal is successfully connecting with libraries, theaters, community colleges and activating local businesses that want to reach the communities that he serves. And Copeland said that American Journalism Project’s investment in WyoFile was transformative. “Yes, they wrote checks,” he said. “But what they did beyond that is really the differentiator, in terms of helping us cross-pollinate, learn from one another, and borrow from one another's strengths.” You can watch the entire panel here.
Whistleblowers deserve protection and thanks.
We thrill at the discovery of leaked files and insider information that points to corporate fraud or malfeasance. But we don’t always consider the people who turn their lives upside down to help tell those stories: whistleblowers. I had the honor of introducing a discussion with three courageous people who blew the whistle on Cigna, Uber and Twitter. They each then discussed how difficult the decision to come forward was, and how it has permanently changed their lives.
Mark MacGann, who ran public affairs for Uber in Europe before sharing internal information with The Guardian, praised the assistance he got from The Signals Network, a whistleblower support network that has received funding from Knight. “They have been my staff, my rock, my stalwart over the past year and a half,” he said. He called for more training for journalists on how to work with whistleblowers.
Wendell Potter was leading corporate communications for Cigna when he visited a free health clinic in Virginia, near where he grew up. People were waiting in long lines to get care in barns and animal stalls. “I made a commitment that day to come up with another way to make a living,” he said. Today he writes the newsletter Health Care Un-Covered.
Anika Collier Navaroli, who helped lead Twitter’s safety team, testified before the Congressional committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. She talked about the emotional and psychological impacts of whistleblowing. “The hard thing is,” she said, “you blew up your entire life, so what do you do now?” You can watch the entire panel here.
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For those who missed out on KMF this year, or need a handy highlight reel, our crack communications team put together this four-minute video. And you can find all the main-stage sessions in their entirety here.
Training
CUNY
In-person and online, free
Apply by March 12
Direct Mail Fundraising for Newsrooms
Lenfest Institute
Online and free
March 19 at 1 pm ET
Essential Skills for Rising Newsroom Leaders
Poynter Institute
In-person, May 6–10, $1,500
Apply by March 26
Upcoming Events 📅
Baltimore
March 7–10
Austin
March 8–16
International Symposium on Online Journalism (ISOJ)
Austin
April 12–13
Collaborative Journalism Summit
Detroit
May 9–10
San Diego
June 11–12
LION’s Independent News Sustainability Summit
Chicago
September 5–7
Online News Association (ONA24)
Atlanta
September 18–21
News @ Knight Credits
Written by Jim Brady, with Mark Glaser
Edited by Jim Brady, Jessica Clark and Kara Pickman