Thanks Dick for focusing our attention on Press Forward. Ditto to the thoughtful comments here.
Focus on local journalism is a good thing. Clearly the models of relying on advertising and legal notices are obsolete. This is a time of experimenting. The grants sound encouraging.
But the details matter. In my experience working with local business pubs in NJ and Pa., the challenges are many. Reporters who show solid journalism skills are often promoted to editor without any training. They in turn work with inexperienced reporters. Resources are nonexistent, etc etc.
Among my questions about the $500 million in grants:
Will there be training in: basic reporting skills; journalism ethics and the distinctions about what is legal and what is ethical; the latest in libel law; research; editing; digital skills; when and how to make corrections, managing (up and down); business (digital advertising, subscriptions); community relations; how to access public information, including working with the agency, filing FOIA requests, appealing denials?
How much training is baked into these grants and who does the training?
Is there a legal defense fund to help reporters with no resources appeal public info denials, deny a subpoena or handle a defamation claim?
Are there partnerships with local journalism schools to support training and diversity?
And what are the measurement tools used to confirm whether the training and grants have been effective?
Who are the decision makers? The locals (with guidance) or the funders?
How do these grants conflict with, or work in tandem with, other grants out there and what is the impact on fundraising for orgs outside the Press Forward umbrella?
Thanks for listening and I look forward to your thoughts and comments about the grants.
It's a good thing and John Palfrey's public comments so far (at the Media Impact Funders conference, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV6KTHWXiiU) suggested the leaders of the initiative are thinking in the right direction.
I've long thought that one of the key challenges for nonprofit journalism is raising the awareness that philanthropy is an essential part of the funding mix. When I enter Cityside Journalism Initiative into the various charity databases, there is never a category for journalism. The number of foundations that give to journalism remains a fraction of the total. When I talk to major donors about giving, it's very rare that they have ever considered journalism before.
John Thornton used to say that philanthropic funding for journalism nationally was about on a par with funding for ballet. I'm hopeful that Press Forward can be an inflection point that helps journalism be recognized as an essential part of our civic and democratic infrastructure, which both deserves and desperately requires major philanthropic funding.
A massive recognition by funders that democracy and local journalism are intertwined and that both are in crisis - this can only be a good thing. Still, those of us who have worked with a variety of philanthropic organizations for many years will have questions about the details. We only have the press release and other commentary to assess at the moment, but words are important....
-What does it mean to "strengthen local newsrooms that have trust in local communities?" How is that trust measured?
-Who will decide on "the strongest local ideas?" Journalists in local newsrooms? Academics? Think tank leaders? And what's the process for proving the strength, impact and endurance of those ideas?
-How will local newsrooms learn "networking" and "partnering" in an industry that's long been driven by competition and firewalls?
-Do "investments in community-focused journalism" include training to address deficits in skill and knowledge in local newsrooms not prepared to provide this type of journalism?
- Related to the previous bullet point: What about the newsrooms that are not "improving diversity of experience and thought" in underserved communities and news deserts? Abandon them? Rebuild them?
-How can this funding help journalism education programs (students AND faculty) recognize the changes in the industry? To understand the links between the failure of journalism and the failure of democracy?
I look forward to hearing more details and clarifications. I have many questions, but a lot of hope as well.
INN has 400 members and LION has around 450. Many of these are small sites run by solo entrepreneurs or small groups. They haven't caught the attention of the intermediary funders like the American Journalism Project or Google News Initiative. They are struggling to add revenue positions or pay full-time journalists. Yet they are doing important journalism. I think Press Forward could do a lot to bolster local journalism if it focuses on helping these smaller sites. Press Forward could set up a fund that sends many of these sites $100,000 to use as they like. And make the barriers to access low. I am concerned the Press Forward funds will exacerbate the gulf between the haves and the have-nots if it focuses on funding regional networks or already established news organizations.
There clearly is a need for more and better local news coverage and this effort's goals are commendable. Remains to be seen how it can meet them and whether local readers really want more rigorous accounts of just what local governments, developers and other agencies are actually doing.
Thanks Dick for focusing our attention on Press Forward. Ditto to the thoughtful comments here.
Focus on local journalism is a good thing. Clearly the models of relying on advertising and legal notices are obsolete. This is a time of experimenting. The grants sound encouraging.
But the details matter. In my experience working with local business pubs in NJ and Pa., the challenges are many. Reporters who show solid journalism skills are often promoted to editor without any training. They in turn work with inexperienced reporters. Resources are nonexistent, etc etc.
Among my questions about the $500 million in grants:
Will there be training in: basic reporting skills; journalism ethics and the distinctions about what is legal and what is ethical; the latest in libel law; research; editing; digital skills; when and how to make corrections, managing (up and down); business (digital advertising, subscriptions); community relations; how to access public information, including working with the agency, filing FOIA requests, appealing denials?
How much training is baked into these grants and who does the training?
Is there a legal defense fund to help reporters with no resources appeal public info denials, deny a subpoena or handle a defamation claim?
Are there partnerships with local journalism schools to support training and diversity?
And what are the measurement tools used to confirm whether the training and grants have been effective?
Who are the decision makers? The locals (with guidance) or the funders?
How do these grants conflict with, or work in tandem with, other grants out there and what is the impact on fundraising for orgs outside the Press Forward umbrella?
Thanks for listening and I look forward to your thoughts and comments about the grants.
Kris
It's a good thing and John Palfrey's public comments so far (at the Media Impact Funders conference, for example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV6KTHWXiiU) suggested the leaders of the initiative are thinking in the right direction.
I've long thought that one of the key challenges for nonprofit journalism is raising the awareness that philanthropy is an essential part of the funding mix. When I enter Cityside Journalism Initiative into the various charity databases, there is never a category for journalism. The number of foundations that give to journalism remains a fraction of the total. When I talk to major donors about giving, it's very rare that they have ever considered journalism before.
John Thornton used to say that philanthropic funding for journalism nationally was about on a par with funding for ballet. I'm hopeful that Press Forward can be an inflection point that helps journalism be recognized as an essential part of our civic and democratic infrastructure, which both deserves and desperately requires major philanthropic funding.
A massive recognition by funders that democracy and local journalism are intertwined and that both are in crisis - this can only be a good thing. Still, those of us who have worked with a variety of philanthropic organizations for many years will have questions about the details. We only have the press release and other commentary to assess at the moment, but words are important....
-What does it mean to "strengthen local newsrooms that have trust in local communities?" How is that trust measured?
-Who will decide on "the strongest local ideas?" Journalists in local newsrooms? Academics? Think tank leaders? And what's the process for proving the strength, impact and endurance of those ideas?
-How will local newsrooms learn "networking" and "partnering" in an industry that's long been driven by competition and firewalls?
-Do "investments in community-focused journalism" include training to address deficits in skill and knowledge in local newsrooms not prepared to provide this type of journalism?
- Related to the previous bullet point: What about the newsrooms that are not "improving diversity of experience and thought" in underserved communities and news deserts? Abandon them? Rebuild them?
-How can this funding help journalism education programs (students AND faculty) recognize the changes in the industry? To understand the links between the failure of journalism and the failure of democracy?
I look forward to hearing more details and clarifications. I have many questions, but a lot of hope as well.
INN has 400 members and LION has around 450. Many of these are small sites run by solo entrepreneurs or small groups. They haven't caught the attention of the intermediary funders like the American Journalism Project or Google News Initiative. They are struggling to add revenue positions or pay full-time journalists. Yet they are doing important journalism. I think Press Forward could do a lot to bolster local journalism if it focuses on helping these smaller sites. Press Forward could set up a fund that sends many of these sites $100,000 to use as they like. And make the barriers to access low. I am concerned the Press Forward funds will exacerbate the gulf between the haves and the have-nots if it focuses on funding regional networks or already established news organizations.
There clearly is a need for more and better local news coverage and this effort's goals are commendable. Remains to be seen how it can meet them and whether local readers really want more rigorous accounts of just what local governments, developers and other agencies are actually doing.