Knight Foundation's Strategy for Media InnovationOur strategy is experimental. Right now, nobody knows all the answers. But the more experiments we seed, the more approaches we explore, the more likely we are to find innovations that will serve communities and strengthen journalism in the digital age.Knight FoundationKF_837e7ba0-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2aKnight Foundation wants to help define and meet the information needs of communities in a democracy. To that end, in just three years, we’ve invested $100 million in a multi-faceted media innovation initiative. Its seven projects address media innovation on various levels, including national media policy, technology innovation and the evolution of the World Wide Web. Projects such as the Knight News Challenge, and others, have to date spawned more than 100 media experiments.
_83817efe-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2aTo help define and meet the information needs of communities in a democracy._8381808e-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2aKnight News ChallengeFund innovative ideas for using digital media to deliver news and information to geographically defined communities._83818160-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a1www.NewsChallenge.org
The 2011 Knight News Challenge is the fifth year of a contest awarding as much as $5 million a year for innovative ideas that develop platforms, tools and services to inform and transform community news, conversations and information distribution and visualization.
Knight Foundation plans to invest at least $25 million over five years in the search for bold community news and social media experiments.
For the 2010 contest, twelve winners were awarded close to $3 million._83818214-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2aKnight Community Information ChallengeOffer matching grants to foundations across America to support creative ways to keep communities informed and engaged._83818296-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a2www.InformationNeeds.org
The Knight Community Information Challenge is a five-year initiative to engage community and place-based foundations in meeting local information needs.
Now in its third year, the effort was founded on three key beliefs:
* Information is a core community need, as important as clean air, jobs and good schools.
* As traditional media have struggled, residents aren’t getting the local information they need to take action on the issues that affect their lives.
* Foundations can and should help residents be informed about the issues that shape their communities.
The challenge has three related opportunities.Media Learning Seminar[Convene] a gathering of foundation leaders to explore ways to meet information needs_83818318-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a2.1Tecnical Support[Provide] access to circuit riders, or technical support to guide grantmakers attempting information projects_8381839a-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a2.2Matching Grants[Conduct] a matching grants contest to support experimentation_83818430-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a2.3U.S. CommunitiesU.S. Place-Based FoundationsTo be eligible for the grants contest, applicants must be a U.S. community or place-based foundation, projects must meet a local information need and foundations must match Knight’s investment.Knight Commission on Information Needs of Communities in a DemocracyIn partnership with The Aspen Institute, propose public policy to better meet information needs. _838184da-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a3Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a DemocracyThe Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy was a blue ribbon panel of seventeen media, policy and community leaders that met in 2008 and 2009. Its purpose was to assess the information needs of communities, and recommend measures to help Americans better meet those needs. Its Report, Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, was the first major commission on media since the Hutchins Commission in the 1940’s and the Kerner and Carnegie Commissions of the 1960’s.
In the digital age, technological, economic and behavioral changes are dramatically altering how Americans communicate. Information is more fragmented. Communications systems no longer run along the same lines as local governance. The gap in access to digital tools and skills is wide and troubling. This new era poses major challenges to the flow of news and information people depend on to manage their complex lives.
The Commission’s aims are to maximize the availability and flow of credible local information; to enhance access and capacity to use the new tools of knowledge and exchange; and to encourage people to engage with information and each other within their geographic communities. Among its 15 recommendations the Commission argues for universal broadband, open networks, transparent government, a media and digitally literate populace, vibrant local journalism, public media reform, and local public engagement.
The Commission seeks to start a national discussion leading to real action. Please let us know what measures you believe will advance the cause of Information Healthy Communities.
Aspen Institutewww.KnightComm.org_83818566-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2aUniversal AccessHelp communities across the United States ensure digital access for every citizen._838185fc-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a4Communities in the United Stateswww.knightfoundation.org/mii/universalaccess.dot
Universal Access --
At Knight Foundation, we strongly believe that information is as vital to the healthy functioning of communities as clean air, safe streets and good schools.Today, much of the critical information people need to make decisions is offered solely online.
We believe that if you're not digital, you're a second-class citizen. You're second-class in access to information and second class economically and even socially. In a country where even entry-level job applications must be made online, denial of digital access equals denial of opportunity.
For a foundation dedicated to community and communications, that's not acceptable. That's why Knight Foundation is investing in projects in communities across the United States to ensure digital access for all Americans. They include:San Jose, Miami and St. PaulGrants to the nonprofit OneEconomy to provide computers, Internet access and tech support for low income families in San Jose, Miami and St. Paul in 2002 and 2005_83818692-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a4.1Web CastsWorking with OneEconomy and Intel to do a series of Informational web casts for Knight communities in July of 2006 about digital access_83818732-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a4.2Milledgeville, GeorgiaHelping OneEconomy assist Milledgeville, Georgia in acquiring a universal access grant from the State of Georgia_838187d2-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a4.3Internet Access and Training Launching a $3.3 million initiative to expand free Internet access and training through local libraries in 12 U.S. communities_83818872-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a4.4DetroitBringing Internet access to two underserved neighborhoods in Detroit_83818912-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a4.5Carnegie-Knight InitiativeTransform journalism education in the United States. _838189bc-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a5Journalism Educatorswww.NewsInitiative.org
Revitalizing Journalism Education --
A national initiative led by 12 of America’s leading research universities with the support of two major foundations will advance the U.S. news business by helping revitalize schools of journalism.
The universities will take advantage of the riches of their institutions by integrating the schools of journalism more closely with the entire campus in an effort to better teach, challenge and prepare the next generation of news industry leaders for an increasingly complex world. The initiative will experiment with curriculum and hands-on experience with the hope of creating a national conversation with other schools across the country.
The Carnegie-Knight Initiative involves three distinct efforts:CurriculumEnrich curriculum to integrate the schools of journalism more deeply into the life of the university._83818a70-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a5.1News21 Incubators[Conduct] annual national investigative reporting projects overseen by campus professors and distributed nationally through both traditional and innovative media._83818b24-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a5.2Campus ProfessorsTraditional MediaInnovative MediaCarnegie-Knight Task ForceFocus on research and create a platform for educators to speak on policy and journalism education issues._83818bd8-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a5.3Carnegie-Knight Task ForceJournalism EducatorsWorld Wide Web FoundationAdvance the Web to empower all people and benefit humanity._83818c96-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a6The Web FoundationThe Web Foundation, working with the Web Science Trust and the World Wide Web Consortium, is working toward One Web for all people. We work to advance our understanding of the Web, explore next-generation technologies, and develop open standards to make the Web an increasingly powerful tool for all people, around the worldwww.webfoundation.org_83818d54-ebbf-11df-902d-ca4b7a64ea2a2010-11-08OwenAmburOwen.Ambur@verizon.net