Improving Local Media Coverage: Three Approaches

A Philanthropy New York THOUGHT LEADER program, presented with Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media (GFEM)
February 23, 2011
8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
New York, NY

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
8:30-9:00 a.m. Check-in and Coffee
9:00-11:00 a.m. Program

Historically, the daily newspaper has been the main conduit for daily news in communities throughout the United States. In recent years, the commercial newspaper industry has suffered severe declines in circulation, revenue and staffing. This has led to decreased coverage of local and state politics and civic affairs. The result is that many critical policy debates are being decided without the broadest possible participation of an informed public.

Increasingly, philanthropy is waking up to the crisis in American journalism, recognizing that the decline of news-gathering threatens to undermine democratic institutions and undercut many philanthropic efforts. And now a growing number of foundations have begun to support new approaches to news reporting, particularly at the local level.

In recent years, Philanthropy New York has held several sessions on media and journalism. Previous sessions addressed the underlying issues that led to the decline in local media coverage and examined theories on how to reconstruct it. This session will highlight practical approaches that foundations, media outlets and academic institutions are taking to improve local media coverage.

In particular, we will focus on new grantmaking initiatives designed to strengthen reporting by public radio stations (WNYC) and networks (NPR). As well, we will discuss new experimental and entrepreneurial approaches to carrying out the news-gathering function, as developed by pioneering academic institutions, including the City University of New York and New York University.

Join Julie Sandorf, President of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, Lori McGlinchey, Senior Program Officer of the Open Society Foundations, and Emily Tow Jackson, Executive Director and Trustee of the Tow Foundation for a discussion on how their organizations have committed to increasing local media coverage. Vincent Stehle, consultant to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will moderate.

PRESENTERS:
Lori McGlinchey, Senior Program Officer, Transparency and Integrity, Open Society Foundations
Julie Sandorf, President, Charles H. Revson Foundation
Vincent Stehle, Consultant, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Emily Tow Jackson, Executive Director and Trustee, The Tow Foundation

WHO SHOULD ATTEND: All interested grantmakers.

Registration: http://www.philanthropynewyork.org/

Registration is required by COB February 21st.
Please email register@philanthropynewyork.org with any questions.