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Knight Commission on Info Needs of Communities

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  18. @TDFcommunity We are working to get the text of her speech, we'll keep you updated.

  24. We'll be tweeting links to blog posts, video archives, photos & more over the next few days. Stay tuned to #infoneeds.

  25. That's a wrap! Thanks to everyone - organizers, speakers, participants for making our Media Learning Seminar such a success! #infoneeds

  26. "It's easy to sing the gospel of social media, I want to sing the gospel of participation - @EthanZ at #infoneeds #sm

  27. .@EthanZ: What I'm interested in is a paradigm shift so that it's possible for people to amplify their voices #infoneeds

  29. MT @jsb: @ethanz: Better ambient awareness if we use tools like Twitter correctly- old HS friends can break us out of silos. #infoneeds

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About our Knight Commission on Info Needs of Communities strategy

The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy was a blue ribbon panel of seventeen media, policy and community leaders that met in 2008 and 2009. Its purpose was to assess the information needs of communities, and recommend measures to help Americans better meet those needs. Its 

 Informing Communities: Sustaining Democracy in the Digital Age, was the first major commission on media since the Hutchins Commission in the 1940’s and the Kerner and Carnegie Commissions of the 1960’s.

In the digital age, technological, economic and behavioral changes are dramatically altering how Americans communicate. Information is more fragmented. Communications systems no longer run along the same lines as local governance. The gap in access to digital tools and skills is wide and troubling. This new era poses major challenges to the flow of news and information people depend on to manage their complex lives.

The Commission’s aims are to maximize the availability and flow of credible local information; to enhance access and capacity to use the new tools of knowledge and exchange; and to encourage people to engage with information and each other within their geographic communities. Among its 15 recommendations the Commission argues for universal broadband, open networks, transparent government, a media and digitally literate populace, vibrant local journalism, public media reform, and local public engagement.

The Commission seeks to start a national discussion leading to real action. Please let us know what measures you believe will advance the cause of Information Healthy Communities.

Knight Commission on Info Needs of Communities Project Categories

About our Journalism & Media Strategy

Knight Foundation aims to help sustain democracy by leading journalism to its best possible future in the 21st century.

Media Innovation: Since 2007, Knight has invested more than $100 million in new technologies and techniques, including in more than 200 community news and information experiments. Its media innovation portfolio seeks to improve public media, discover new platforms for investigative reporting, increase digital and media literacy, promote universal broadband access and support a free and open Web.

Journalistic Excellence: As the nation’s leading journalism funder, Knight funding has supported training for more than 100,000 journalists worldwide, and has helped to transform journalism education with the college-level Carnegie-Knight Initiative, major fellowship programs at Stanford, Michigan and Harvard and 22 Knight Chairs with endowments of more than $50 million.

Freedom of Expression: The foundation helps safeguard the rights of journalists worldwide and supports public information campaigns about the value of freedom of information and open government.

The foundation has invested more than $454 million in more than 1,000 journalism and media grants since 1950.

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