5 key takeaways from the 2025 Knight Media Forum
A message of hope and connection at the largest KMF in history
Against the backdrop of a challenging political environment for journalists and civic life, the largest Knight Media Forum in history—nearly 1,000 attendees strong—convened in Miami from February 18 to 20 with a recurring message of hope, belonging and community.
“We know that communities are strongest when we value and empower every member,” said Knight President and CEO Maribel Pérez Wadsworth in her opening remarks. “And our strength has always been our deep local roots. This local connection matters now more than ever.”
This is also a pivotal moment for local news and philanthropy in America. Press Forward and its funders have already invested more than $200 million, with 36 local chapters emerging nationwide and more funders than ever stepping up to support local news.
It was a year of change for KMF: We were at a new venue (the InterContinental Miami). We added engaging evening programming and a massive widescreen for plenary sessions. We highlighted compelling storytelling about investigative reporting, the powerful experiences of student journalists and government officials sharing how they use AI to better serve citizens. Here are some key takeaways from this year’s event.
Maribel makes her mark on KMF.
Having stepped into her role just before last year’s forum, Maribel fully put her stamp on this year’s event. Last year, she made a call to action: “move at the speed of news.” She wasn’t kidding—Knight has already invested $150 million in local news as part of a $300 million, five-year commitment to Press Forward.
Calls to action echoed throughout the conference, emphasizing the enduring trust within communities. "The power to create change is not lost—it’s local," Maribel said. She also highlighted a new approach: “We tried something different this year at KMF, bringing together all the fields that Knight touches.” This included dedicated gatherings for civic leaders, researchers, librarians, Carnegie-Knight Deans, community foundations and artists with sessions covering everything from free speech to climate solutions. (You can view Maribel’s opening remarks here.)
A big year of investment in local news.
Press Forward released its impact report ahead of KMF, and its leader, Dale Anglin, joined me on stage to discuss the coalition’s progress. The numbers are truly mind-boggling. Press Forward and its funders have invested more than $200 million in local news around the country, with 88 funders now participating, and 36 local chapters have been awarded more than $3 million in catalyst funding. Plus, those local chapters have raised more than $36 million for local news in their communities.
Alongside the big news from Press Forward, Knight announced another big investment in the American Journalism Project (AJP): $25 million to support up to 60 nonprofit news outlets and launch the Knight Resiliency Lab, which will strengthen financial and operational resilience in newsrooms. Knight has been a key supporter of AJP since its inception, having provided a $20 million grant in 2019 to help launch the organization.
Understanding how AI and influencers are reshaping journalism.
Unsurprisingly, AI’s impact on journalism, cities and police departments was a recurring topic. Discussions ranged from the fear of job displacement to concerns about tech companies reaping efficiency gains over workers. In the breakout session “AI: Reality vs. Hype” (see photo above), Dr. Arvind Narayanan shed light on AI’s disruptive potential.
“Jobs are bundles of tasks, and AI automates tasks,” he explained. “Most of the time, workers can reframe their tasks and upskill their jobs. In some jobs, it can be very different. Like in translation, there have been big job losses. If a job has already been unbundled and turned into gig work, it’s much easier for AI to replace workers.”
In another session on technology and policy, tech journalists discussed the changes that creators and influencers have had on journalism. The Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Horwitz noted that research shows traditional news is no longer the primary source of information for many audiences. Proof Media’s Julia Angwin pointed out that traditional journalists have a lot to learn from creators. “For journalists, some form of transparency … and showing our expertise would help build trust with our audience,” she said. “There’s a lot we can learn from the creator community.”
A bias toward openness and human connection.
While KMF has always explored how technology is reshaping our world, this year also brought a countercurrent—an emphasis on openness and human connection. The tech company with the most stage time was not Meta or Google, but the upstart Bluesky, with Maribel in conversation with its CEO, Jay Graber. “The main structural difference between Bluesky and other social platforms is that none of these networks are open, and we’re built open,” Graber said.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy gave a heartfelt keynote address about the power of technology to connect people, but also about the rise in loneliness and depression, especially among younger people who are addicted to social media. “When you have a crisis at 3 a.m., it’s not your random social media follower who’s there for you,” he said. “It’s the confidant, the person you can call on who won’t think twice about coming over right now.” Murthy referenced the Log Off Movement, a youth-led effort to step away from social media and prioritize real-world connections.
“Late Night Snacks” brings deep talks to fun settings.
A panel discussion at 9 pm? Typically, journalists would be unwinding over drinks at that time, but at KMF, they could do both. “Late Night Snacks,” held on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, featured a relaxed lounge setup with low-lit tables, an open bar, and, of course, snacks. While many saw Maribel’s welcome remarks on Wednesday morning as the conference kick-off, the true opener was John Jarboe, founder of Bearded Ladies Cabaret. At “Late Night Snacks” on Tuesday, she said she would be leading everyone in a rendition of the national anthem before cheekily launching into “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
The goal for these late-night sessions was to have high-stakes conversations in low-stakes settings. Mission accomplished. The first conversation was a debate of sorts between two free speech scholars, Dr. Mary Ann Franks and Jacob Mchangama, re-enacting their online debate over Franks’ recent book, “Fearless Speech.” On Wednesday night, “Late Night Snacks” brought in heavy-hitters FTC Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya and FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez, but moderator Julio Ricardo Varela kept the mood light and fun, discussing the lack of representation of Latinos in TV shows and movies.
Call-outs
The Next Challenge: The Glen Nelson Center at American Public Media Group announced the launch of the 2025 Next Challenge for Media and Journalism at KMF. The Knight-supported national startup competition is seeking groundbreaking for-profit and nonprofit startups that will reinvent the media landscape in the coming decade. The challenge will engage hundreds of startups and award $200,000 in grants to organizations transforming local news, building technology to power future newsrooms, and analyzing publicly-available data to power essential local journalism. Apply by March 18 here.
News Product Census: The News Product Alliance (NPA) has a survey to help shape the future of news products. Your input will help the NPA define industry trends, spot gaps and opportunities, and help inform the community of news product people and industry leaders. The census takes just 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and every respondent has a chance to win a free ticket to the NPA Summit!
The GAIN 2025 Challenge: Generative AI in the Newsroom is looking for use cases for generative AI and how those use cases are evaluated. If you work with generative AI in news production, send along details about your organizational context and use case, evaluation approach, learnings and ongoing challenges. Those invited to write up their approach for the blog will be paid $500 for their time and effort in contributing upon acceptance of the final draft. Learn more and apply by the end of March.
Jobs
University of Florida, Professor/Knight Chair in Journalism and Technology
Learn more here.
Buckeye Flame, Development Director
Learn more here.
Report for America, Director of Brand Strategy and additional positions
Learn more here.
Los Angeles Local News Initiative, Executive Editor and additional positions
Learn more here.
The Signal Network, Legal & Support Manager
Learn more here.
Mercer University, Journalism & Media Studies, Assistant Professor of Practice
Learn more here.
Training
Nonprofit News Business Certificate
9-month hybrid business training for nonprofit news leaders
Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY
Full scholarships thanks to Knight funding
Informational session on Feb. 13
Apply by March 3
Upcoming Events 📅
March 6–9
Minneapolis
International Symposium for Online Journalism (ISOJ)
Austin
March 27–28
International Journalism Festival
Perugia, Italy
April 9–13
Hacks/Hackers AI x Journalism Summit
Baltimore
May 7–8
Collaborative Journalism Summit
Denver
May 15–16
Lenfest News Philanthropy Summit
Philadelphia
May 20–22
Minneapolis
June 3–5
Philadelphia
June 10
Radio Television Digital News Association
New Orleans
June 11–13
Investigative Reporters & Editors
New Orleans
June 19–22
Quote of KMF
“Independent news is the canary in the democracy mine. People have to understand the consequences of what leaders do…In 10 years, will local news be better? It’s up to everyone in this room. Are you going to be in this fight?”
—Former California state senator Steve Glazer on the panel, “Addressing the Local Information Drought”
News @ Knight Credits
Written by Jim Brady, with Mark Glaser
Edited by Jim Brady, Kara Pickman and Atena Sherry
Did I miss Knight's calling out what the current administration is doing to the free press in the United States? Did I miss the outrage and outcry that deserves? Where IS THAT?!