You have questions on Press Forward. We have answers.
How will our strategy change? Are for-profits included? And more.
Press Forward was likely the worst-kept secret in the recent history of local journalism—in large part because no one was trying to keep it a secret. But now that it’s been officially announced, questions abound. So I wanted to use this edition to address some of the queries we’ve received.
How will Press Forward impact Knight’s overall journalism strategy?
The biggest change is obvious: The amount of money we have to support local news over the next five years has increased. The $150 million in additional funds approved for Press Forward will double Knight’s journalism budget through the end of 2028.
What won’t dramatically change are Knight’s overall priorities. We’ll remain focused on:
improving the sustainability of local news
strengthening journalism’s infrastructure
working to diversify America’s newsrooms—and the organizations that support those newsrooms
supporting technical and product developments across the industry
We also plan to support each of Press Forward’s four funding priorities, which have significant overlap with the Knight priorities listed above.
Will Knight make grants outside of Press Forward’s four core funding areas?
Absolutely. There are a number of organizations we fund today that do not fit into Press Forward’s priority areas, and we will continue to explore support for those organizations and any others who aren’t a fit for Press Forward. I’ve personally been approached by people who say they’ve heard that Knight won’t do any funding outside of Press Forward. That is absolutely false. We will.
Are Press Forward grants only meant to support nonprofit news?
Knight’s grant money must go directly to nonprofit organizations, but those funds can still support for-profit organizations via fiscal sponsorships or intermediaries. We believe the future of local news must include for-profit and nonprofit news organizations, so we intend to help both. Knight already provides indirect support to for-profit newsrooms via grants to LION Publishers, Report for America, Solutions Journalism Network and others, not to mention via programs such as the recently announced Tech Sustainability Initiative, the Knight x LMA BloomLab and the various Table Stakes programs.
Can newsrooms apply for funding directly?
Yes, newsrooms will be able to apply directly through Press Forward, and more details will soon be available here. But, as we mentioned in our last newsletter, there’s no rush to apply. Most funders will be coming online in 2024 and Press Forward funds are budgeted over the next five years. So our best advice for potential applicants is to take the time to refine your pitch and apply when you’re ready. Speaking for Knight, when we evaluate newsroom applications, we will maintain our focus on business sustainability, as our goal is to be a catalytic funder and not a permanent one.
We will tackle more questions here in our next handful of newsletters. If you’ve asked a question, we’ll answer. Here’s where you can submit questions.
Welcome Natalia Gonzalez!
I’m thrilled to announce that Natalia Gonzalez has joined the Journalism team as an associate. Prior to joining Knight, Natalia served as an assistant to the Global Team at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she helped bring top talent to BCG offices around the world. Natalia holds a master's degree in history from the University of Miami and has conducted academic research in Havana, Miami and New York. Natalia has taught English and done service work throughout Latin America, and was a Fulbright Scholar, teaching in northern Argentina.
Natalia’s arrival brings Knight’s journalism team back to a full complement of six. We’re excited to have her on board—and just in time for Press Forward!
Other news around the horn…
Research
🏫 College reporters produced more than 7,500 stories last year. As we consider who will fill the local news gaps in communities, one solution is right down the street at the local university: college-run newsrooms. And these aren’t campus media or interns, but college reporters who cover local news. According to research by the Center for Community Media (CCM) at the University of Vermont, nearly 2,000 student reporters in 62 colleges and universities, in collaboration with more than 1,000 news outlets, produced more than 7,500 stories last year. CCM has used this data to create fact sheets, case studies, an interactive map, and resources to increase student-led reporting programs. “It may come as a surprise to many Americans that much of the professional reporting that keeps our communities informed is now the work of students, in coordination with professional editors and faculty,” said CCM director Richard Watts.
💡 Study on Oklahoma news leads to training, grants. Many times, media research is announced to great fanfare, followed by…<crickets>. So it’s heartening to see a different approach happening in Oklahoma, where local news research will lead to a Trusting News training and grants of up to $100,000 for newsrooms that want to implement the lessons from the data. The Oklahoma Media Center released research showing that residents largely relied on social media and word of mouth for news, and rarely paid for it. Recommendations included investing on-the-ground in communities, posting vital information to social media, and partnering with local influencers. “This investment in local knowledge will set newsrooms up to innovate and evolve based on data, not assumptions,” said Joy Mayer, director and founder of Trusting News.
Startups
💪🏾 Tiny but strong startups to launch in Wichita and New Mexico. Tiny News Collective (TNC), which recently received a $2 million investment from Knight, has been tasked with filling news deserts with startups run by diverse founders informing underserved communities. While TNC has run these cohorts of founders with trainings, tech support and fiscal sponsorship, it hadn’t partnered with local communities—until now. Wichita Foundation opened applications for founders of information startups in Wichita (no entrepreneurial or journalism background required), with three outlets to receive $30,000 each along with two years’ membership at TNC. Plus, the New Mexico Local News Fund launched a new local news incubator with four startups receiving $20,000 each, along with TNC membership during the six-month program. The chosen startups will serve Las Cruces, Mora, Zuni Pueblo, and Black New Mexicans in the International District in Albuquerque.
Disclosure: Mark Glaser, one of the writers of this newsletter, is involved in supporting the New Mexico Local News Fund.
Impact
🗳️ Democracy Day collaboration files 90 stories. We’ve been hearing that “democracy is on the ballot” in upcoming elections, but are news organizations really covering democracy in depth? The U.S. Democracy Day collaboration, focused on global Democracy Day on Sept. 15, once again showed what’s possible. The Center for Cooperative Media (CCM) managed the project, with 136 newsrooms filing 90 stories, and 11 freelance stories. Out of these, 88 percent are available for other news outlets to freely publish. As CCM’s Joe Amditis wrote in a roundup story: “The collaboration seeks to shine a light on the cracks in our democratic foundations and threats to its legitimacy, while also spotlighting the masons repairing those cracks, brick by brick.” The stories were augmented by webinars leading up to Democracy Day, and the Democracy Infusion Project, providing resources for journalism educators. The collaboration was supported by Democracy Fund and sponsored by Knight.
✊🏾 “New Black press” grows powerful through social media. There’s a new generation of digital media outlets serving young, Black audiences through social media and social justice. Detroit journalist Phil Lewis profiles a few of them, including Kansas City Defender, The Triibe in Chicago, the Black Wall Street Times in Tulsa, and Baltimore Beat. How do they stand out? The Defender has a young staff of digital natives and 60 percent of their audience is between 13 and 30 years old. The Triibe has had “Triibe Tuesday'' events to engage audiences with workshops and panels. The Baltimore Beat created “Beat Boxes,” newspaper boxes that have, uh, free newspapers—but people also have shared masks, COVID tests, feminine hygiene products and more with neighbors. “We are very much in the community, and we're also thinking from a multimedia point of view so that we can reach our audience where they are because people don't just get their news in one way,” said Tiffany Walden, co-founder of The Triibe.
⚖️ News21 fellows investigate America one year post-Roe. One of the oldest modern fellowship programs in the U.S. is still going strong, with Carnegie-Knight News21 fellows digging deep into America one year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The program, with core funding from Knight, included 25 fellows from universities around the country who came to Arizona State University in Phoenix this summer for the project, then traveled to two dozen cities in 12 states, Washington, D.C., and Monterrey, Mexico. “Patients and providers nationwide have felt the repercussions of this, but we’re also seeing impacts in statehouses and at polling booths,” said News21 Executive Editor Pauline Arrillaga. The reporting included in-depth stories, mini-documentaries, and even a short-run podcast. All the content is freely available for any news outlet to republish.
Jobs
OTT Streaming Content Producers in three local newsrooms for the Northeastern University Reinventing Local TV News Project. Learn more here.
CEO, Institute for Nonprofit News. Learn more here.
CEO, Indiana Local News Initiative. Learn more and apply here.
Program Coordinator, Oklahoma Media Center. Learn more here.
Director, Local News, MacArthur Foundation. Learn more here.
Program Officer, Local News, MacArthur Foundation. Learn more here.
Associate Director, North Carolina Local News Lab Fund. Learn more here.
Fellowships
McGraw Fellowship for Business Journalism
$15,000 stipend to support enterprise reporting
Deadline to apply: October 6
Upcoming Events 📅
Radio Television Digital News Association
Minneapolis
September 20–22
New York
September 21–22
University/Statehouse Reporting Conference
Columbia, Mo.
September 28–30
Albuquerque
September 29–30
Southeast News Sustainability Meetup
Durham, NC
October 3–4
Military Veterans in Journalism
New York
October 5–7
Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS) CAMP 2023
Chicago
October 13–15
Trust Conference from Thomson Reuters Foundation
London
October 19-20
Tweet of the Week
News @ Knight Credits
Written by Jim Brady, with Mark Glaser
Edited by Jim Brady, Jessica Clark and Kara Pickman