Knight Foundation

Media and Democracy: Unpacking America’s Complex Views on the Digital Public Square

Gallup and the Knight Foundation conducted a survey of US adults regarding media and democracy. Major findings include:

American Views 2020: Trust, Media and Democracy

For the 2020 American Views survey, Gallup and Knight polled more than 20,000 U.S. adults and found deepening pessimism and further partisan entrenchment about how the news media delivers on its democratic mandate for factual, trustworthy information. Many Americans feel the media’s critical role of informing and holding those in power accountable is compromised by increasing bias. As such, Americans have not only lost confidence in the ideal of an objective media, they believe news organizations actively support the partisan divide.

New Grants to Support Research on Internet Governance

On June 29, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced new investments to support research on the rules, norms and governance of the internet and digital platforms. The $1.7 million in 20 new grants will focus on research to inform the national conversation on technology policy issues, including free expression online and the scale and power of digital platforms. These grants, to researchers representing a range of backgrounds and perspectives come amid growing debate over technology’s role in our democracy. The new research investments include:

Techlash? America's Growing Concern With Major Tech Companies

A new Knight Foundation and Gallup study confirms that, for Americans, the techlash is real, widespread, and bipartisan. From concerns about the spread of misinformation to election interference and data privacy, we’ve documented the deep pessimism of folks across the political spectrum who believe tech companies have too much power — and that they do more harm than good. Some findings:

Knight Foundation Invests $3.5 Million in Research to Inform the National Debate on Internet Governance and Policy

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced more than $3.5 million in funding to support new, independent research into issues at the forefront of national tech policy debates.

Newsroom Diversity Efforts Have Failed. It's Time to Take a Structural Approach.

People of color made up nearly 40 percent of the US population, according to 2018 Census Bureau figures. In comparison, only 16.55 percent of journalists in US newsrooms in 2017 were people of color — down from 16.94 percent in 2016, according to the American Society of News Editors’ newsroom census. Knight Foundation’s $1.2 million investment in the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education is an attempt to help newsrooms rethink solutions to the diversity crisis.

Knight Foundation Invests $50 Million to Develop New Field of Research Around Technology's Impact on Democracy

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced a commitment of nearly $50 million in research to better understand how technology is transforming our democracy and the way we receive and engage with information.

Disinformation, 'Fake News’ and Influence Campaigns on Twitter‘

How did misinformation spread during the 2016 presidential election and has anything changed since? A new study of more than 10 million tweets from 700,000 Twitter accounts that linked to more than 600 misinformation and conspiracy news outlets answers this question, revealing that the concentrated “fake news” ecosystem active during the 2016 election is still in place today. The report highlights more than 6.6 million tweets linking to fake news and conspiracy news publishers in the month before the 2016 election.

Indicators of News Media Trust: A Gallup/Knight Foundation Survey

In this report, part of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Trust, Media and Democracy initiative, Gallup asked a representative sample of U.S. adults to discuss key factors that make them trust, or not trust, news media organizations. Key findings:

Major Internet Companies As News Editors

As part of its ongoing Trust, Media and Democracy initiative, the John S. and James L.Knight Foundation partnered with Gallup to ask a representative sample of US adults for their views on the news editorial functions played by major internet companies. From a broad perspective, Americans credit major internet companies for connecting people and helping them become better-informed. At the same time, they are concerned about their role in spreading misinformation and in potentially limiting exposure to different viewpoints.

Gallup/Knight Find Troubling Trend in Media Trust

Recent research from Gallup and Knight Foundation investigated how the use of opinion- or behavior-based metrics influenced study participants’ level of trust in the media.  Each participant was randomly assigned to an experimental group that viewed a news article and certain average historical trust ratings of the news source.

Local TV News and the New Media Landscape

The future of local television as a vital source of news and information likely depends on the medium’s ability to transcend media fragmentation. This four-part Knight Foundation report looks at the state of the industry, how newsrooms are innovating, and what the future may hold for both TV local news and streamed video. Among the authors’ recommendations: