In 2002, Rosental Alves, former executive editor of Brazil’s most prestigious newspaper, launched the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. During the past five years, the center has trained thousands of journalists, using distance learning to extend its training; created a trilingual web site in English, Spanish and Portuguese; helped create self-sustaining professional journalism groups in Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia; formed the Austin Forum, a network of journalists’ organizations; and helped form a new national organization of investigative reporters in Colombia.

This grant will help Alves will lead journalists into the 21st century by teaching great journalists the latest digital techniques, and also by using the latest digital techniques to teach great journalism throughout the Americas.

This grant will enable the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas to expand its digital media work while raising funds for a fifth year of operation and to study the feasibility of an endowment. By the end of the grant, the center will have directly trained 2,200 journalists through nine innovative seminars or workshops that mix online and on-the-ground training, 35 moderated online training classes and 20 self-directed training modules in Spanish, Portuguese and English; help to create at least six new journalists’ organizations; redesign the Knight Center web site and electronic newsletter; create a web site for the Austin Forum network and form an alumni network. Ultimately, this grant hopes to help lead journalists throughout the Americas into the 21st century.