Oklahoma Watch is a Knight Community Information Challenge winner that aims to bring attention and action on issues such as the incarceration of women through independent journalism in partnership with established news organizations around the state.

It officially launches Jan. 30 but is already publishing via a new website and its partner publications. We checked in this week for a status report from editor Tom Lindley.

Q. When did the site launch?

A. While our official “Women in Prison” project launch date has been set for Jan. 30, we unofficially launched Oklahomawatch.org  Dec. 2 to coincide with the publication of a three-part newspaper print/online series that was produced in conjunction with Oklahoma’s two major daily newspapers and distributed to the rest of the state’s newspapers.

The series focused on the state’s prison overcrowding and budgetary crisis and was meant to give lawmakers something to think about as they neared the deadline for filing bills for the 2011 legislative session. We felt it was important to

Over the next seven years, the Knight Foundation will give $70 million to community foundations in the 26 Knight communities where the Knight brothers once owned newspapers. The effort will help the Foundation focus on its ideal of fostering informed, engaged communities.

Since 1988, Knight has worked closely with community foundations in these cities, and believes they offer an important grassroots grasp of the issues that can help guide funding. From the release:

'Information is an essential community need and community foundations were established to meet core needs,' said Alberto Ibarügen, Knight Foundation's president and CEO. 'They also only exist and thrive because of community engagement and contributions. That makes them ideal partners to help us understand and advance local community engagement, focused on ensuring that these communities have the information they need to mange their affairs in our democracy.'

 

A new position will be created at Knight Foundation's Miami headquarters to direct the initiative.

"Our goal is to better coordinate and focus our initiatives in the Knight communities and use our resources in the most effective way possible,' said Trabian Shorters, Knight Foundation's vice president for communities. 'The new director will work together with foundation staff and advisory committees in each Knight community to guide the local foundations on use of the funds.'

Read the full news release for more details on the initiative.

 

The Center for International Media Assistance has released an interesting new report examining recent trends in private U.S. funding of media development projects around the world.

U.S. foundations have funded programs in 'media development' (independent news and information in general) and media for development (coverage of particular'issues).

The report recommends donors keep consulting and continue to attract new foundations into the field. For more, read the report.

--'Marly Falcon, Knight Foundation contributing blogger