Knight Lab is a team of technologists, journalists, designers and educators working to advance news media innovation through exploration and experimentation. Straddling the sciences and the humanities, we agree that there has never been a more exciting time to be working at the intersection of media and technology. Every bit of what it means to be a journalist is being reassessed, redefined. While traditional news outlets are cutting back, many leading companies, digital-first organizations and startups are inventing the future of journalism. As an industry, we are witnessing a rebirth. As the Knight Lab, we are participating in a revolution.

The Lab develops prototypes, projects and services that help make information meaningful, promoting quality journalism, storytelling and content on the internet. Lab projects arise in response to ideas from news consumers, students, and faculty as well as in collaboration with news publishers of all sizes. As our technology becomes more realized, we work with publishers to install prototypes, gather feedback and iterate on the ideas that have momentum. We strive to make a difference no matter the project’s scale.

Located just outside Chicago, Northwestern University Knight Lab is a joint initiative of Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications and Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science. The Lab was launched and is sustained by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, with additional support from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation and the National Science Foundation.