Oh Richard. From my seat at Reconstitution I’ve been ranting about all of this for years but on two completely different dimensions which you, Knight, Press Forward, and Newmark still miss.
1) complete lack of investment in high risk, high reward innovations that could make the entire hard news journalism economically sustainable, independent of philanthropy. I assume because that would out these ivory tower folks out of their gatekeeper business. As a result every dollar has been going into a bucket with no bottom. For shame.
2) Their definition of what is local is monstrously antiquated. I can play you recordings of pre-application webinars in which Dale Angwin states that ‘no, we don’t support solutions that address all geographic localities, just individual ones,’ and ‘no, we don’t support a conceptual definition of local which includes things like black women, or poor Hispanic farm workers.’
As a result, Reconstitution has been unable to even apply.
We will now not accept foundation or philanthropy support. It’s unethical, poorly implemented, and creates friction keeping journalism in the 20th (or 19th) century.
FU.
We will be funded, governed, and owned by the communities we served, from the grassroots up.
I would be interested in understanding why a foundation based in Miami and serving other cities with a healthy black population, barely have any black staff too.
Watchdog Tofel on the story. Well done.
Terrific piece!
Oh Richard. From my seat at Reconstitution I’ve been ranting about all of this for years but on two completely different dimensions which you, Knight, Press Forward, and Newmark still miss.
1) complete lack of investment in high risk, high reward innovations that could make the entire hard news journalism economically sustainable, independent of philanthropy. I assume because that would out these ivory tower folks out of their gatekeeper business. As a result every dollar has been going into a bucket with no bottom. For shame.
2) Their definition of what is local is monstrously antiquated. I can play you recordings of pre-application webinars in which Dale Angwin states that ‘no, we don’t support solutions that address all geographic localities, just individual ones,’ and ‘no, we don’t support a conceptual definition of local which includes things like black women, or poor Hispanic farm workers.’
As a result, Reconstitution has been unable to even apply.
We will now not accept foundation or philanthropy support. It’s unethical, poorly implemented, and creates friction keeping journalism in the 20th (or 19th) century.
FU.
We will be funded, governed, and owned by the communities we served, from the grassroots up.
Kiss our collective asses.
I would be interested in understanding why a foundation based in Miami and serving other cities with a healthy black population, barely have any black staff too.