Knight National News Headlines

Volunteers build new playground for Cutler Bay school

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Volunteers built a new school playground in one day, thanks in part to the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the nonprofit KaBOOM!

News Challenge-funded screens link communities in Boston suburbs

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Jamarhl Crawford stood on the sidewalk outside the Nubian Notion gift shop in Dudley Square, microphone in hand and an enormous screen in front of him. And on that 60-inch television, Zach Cone, standing in Brookline’s Coolidge Corner, spoke to him. The two men were separated by just 2.5 miles, or a few minutes on the No. 66 bus. But that distance can seem insurmountable when one neighborhood is predominantly black and working class and the other is a wealthy, mostly white community. As they chatted about their family histories, Crawford and Cone seemed closer.

See John Ewing's Winner Page on Newschallenge.org.

Macon council panel makes appropriate decision on redevelopment funding

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

City Council’s Appropriations Committee made an justified about-face Wednesday. Tuesday it had made a number of cuts from the Board of Elections, Industrial Authority and Keep Macon-Bibb Beautiful. However, the most egregious cut hit Historic Hills and Heights, a redevelopment effort that works in the area surrounding Mercer University, most notably Beall’s Hill. It is a joint effort between the city, Mercer and the Macon Housing Authority. All the partners contribute $75,000 annually and it was that figure that met the budget ax.

Hills and Heights funding restored by Macon council committee

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

A day after cutting $75,000 for Historic Hills and Heights from the city’s proposed fiscal 2011 budget, the Macon City Council’s Appropriations Committee restored the funding Wednesday. The original cut was made Tuesday as part of more than $100,000 in cuts to outside agencies the city helps ...

Interview: Knight Chair Brant Houston

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Project gives kids new place to play

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Thanks to volunteers and funds from the county and a nonprofit, Gulfstream Elementary's playground is getting revamped.

Non-Profit News: How Start-ups Can Pay Their Way

Tue, 04 May 2010 00:00:00 EDT

At the University of Texas in Austin last week, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation convened a dozen of the country's new, mainly nonprofit news-gathering organizations to discuss the Holy Grail of start-up theology: seeking ways to be sustainable beyond philanthropic largesse. Knight's president, Alberto Ibarguen, and their vice-president for journalism programs, Eric Newton, have played a crucial guiding role in the emergence of these journalism enterprises, countering the broader narrative of severe cutbacks in newspaper and broadcast resources. Nothing like this has happened on a national scale in the American media since the origins of public radio and television in the 1960s and 1970s, when a combination of government-backed initiatives such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foundations, led by the Ford Foundation, provided the framework and funding for nonprofit news over the airwaves.

ProPublica Joins Pulitzer Prize Ranks

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Knight-funded ProPublica has won a 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.

PBS, NPR stations get $10M infusion for local news

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Public radio and TV stations across the country will receive more than $10 million over the next two years to boost local news coverage as newspapers decline.

On Thursday, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting announced the creation of local journalism centers in five regions. NPR and PBS stations in each region will collaborate on covering key issues, including immigration, agribusiness, the economy and health care. They will jointly hire about 50 multimedia journalists.

See this related headline from October 2009:
NPR LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE LOCAL JOURNALISM VENTURE WITH CPB AND KNIGHT FOUNDATION FUNDING

Investigations with Impact: Huffington Post Investigative Fund aims to meld classic reporting with the power of the Web

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EDT

Two months after its launch, the Huffington Post Investigative Fund published the story of Benjamin French, a 12-year-old from Michigan who was born without part of his right arm. His family's insurance provider, a Teamsters health plan administered by Blue Cross Blue Shield, had refused to cover his most recent prosthesis because he had reached his lifetime maximum benefit of $30,000. Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow read from the story on the Senate floor during a debate over health care reform.

F.C.C. Plan to Widen Internet Access in U.S. Sets Up Battle

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

The Federal Communications Commission is proposing an ambitious 10-year plan that will reimagine the nation’s media and technology priorities by establishing high-speed Internet as the country’s dominant communication network. Readers' Comments

The plan, which will be submitted to Congress on Tuesday, is likely to generate debate in Washington and a lobbying battle among the telecommunication giants, which over time may face new competition for customers. Already, the broadcast television industry is resisting a proposal to give back spectrum the government wants to use for future mobile service.

Knight Commission on InterCollegiate Athletics Co-Chair William E. Kirwan Honored

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

NEW YORK, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The TIAA-CREF Institute is pleased to announce William E. (Brit) Kirwan, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland, as winner of the 2010 TIAA-CREF Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Leadership Excellence. This award recognizes leadership and commitment to higher education and contributions to the greater good.

Madeleine d'Ambrosio, Vice President, TIAA-CREF Institute, will present the award on March 8, 2010 at the American Council on Education's Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona to Chancellor Kirwan.

"Chancellor Kirwan brings a collaborative and cooperative leadership style to higher education welcoming all viewpoints," said Stephanie Bell-Rose, Managing Director and Head of the TIAA-CREF Institute. "This coupled with his forward thinking makes him one of the nation's most dynamic and effective higher education leaders and we are so pleased to honor him today."

Established in 1993, the TIAA-CREF Hesburgh Award is named in honor of Reverend Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame, nationally renowned educator and world humanitarian. Father Hesburgh also served on the TIAA and CREF Boards of Overseers for twenty-eight years.

"Father Hesburgh stands as the symbol of leadership of what a university president can and should do," said Kirwan. "To have my name in any way associated with him is the greatest professional honor in my life."

Brit Kirwan has served as chancellor of the University System of Maryland, which comprises 11 universities, since 2002 and previously served as president of the University of Maryland, College Park and The Ohio State University. His ongoing efforts have improved higher education and increased the general public's appreciation for the role colleges and universities play in advancing society.

Brit Kirwan's bio at www.knightcommission.org

Just Published: Place-Based Foundations and the Knight Community Information Challenge

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST

This brief explores how, through the Knight Community Information Challenge, place-based foundations are incorporating community information needs into their work for the benefit both of their communities and their own strategies and missions. Read more.

Struggling schools will get more teachers

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

Teach for America -- the national program that places top college grads in high-need public schools -- will triple the size of its teaching corps in Miami-Dade County, the nonprofit will announce Friday.

The scale-up to about 350 teachers is being made possible by a $6 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. ``We view Miami as a critical community for the country,'' Teach for America founder Wendy Kopp told The Miami Herald Editorial Board on Thursday. ``We know from our experience in other communities, that if we can attain full-scale, we can be a part of truly moving the needle here.''

School administrators across the district welcomed the news. ``We would love to have more Teach for America teachers,'' said Martha Chang, the dean of academic affairs at Miami Edison Senior High.

``If they are even half as good as the two we already have, we'll be set.'' Teach for America corps members are recent college grads from diverse backgrounds. Some have studied education. Others have strong leadership credentials.

UM Video Project Links Miami, Havana

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

CPJ's Joel Simon Outlines Action Needed on Impunity

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Impunity is an urgent issue facing press freedom campaigners. Joel Simon of the Committee to Protect Journalists outlines a roadmap for action

Akron Knight Foundation leader will retire

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Forty years ago, Vivian Celeste Neal's trip to Akron was to be a short-term visit to help a sibling with a new baby. Instead, the Pennsylvania native stayed, earned a graduate degree from the University of Akron, married and raised two children in her adopted city. Her most recent job was community liaison and program director developing grants awarded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to Akron and Northeast Ohio. She has recommended $67 million in grants over seven years for Akron; Lexington, Ky., and Fort Wayne, Ind. In Akron alone, the grants have totaled $57 million.

Akron Bioinnovation Institute Poised for First Grants

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Internews Produces Humanitarian Broadcast in Haiti

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Local radio stations in Haiti aired a Creole-language humanitarian information broadcast produced by Internews yesterday in collaboration with a growing alliance of humanitarian aid and media assistance providers. The program, Nouvelles-Utiles (News You Can Use) will be produced daily and distributed to local radio stations, which are eager to air it.

Thursday’s program included stories refuting rumors that there was an imposed curfew in Port-au-Prince, and notice of water distribution locations, bank re-openings, and waste management services. Information from the Red Cross discouraged hasty and uncoordinated disposal of bodies, and dispelled rumors that dead bodies cause disease.

Pogue's Posts: Information on Haiti Is Getting Siloed

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Christopher P. Csikszentmihalyi, director of the M.I.T. Center for Future Civic Media, urges Web sites to standardize on a Google widget to gather information on Haiti.

Sorting Out Journalism's New Funding Proposals

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

At Newseum, Hillary Clinton Urges Global Response to Internet Attacks

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

WASHINGTON — Declaring that an attack on one nation’s computer networks “can be an attack on all,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton issued a warning on Thursday that the United States would defend itself from cyberattacks, though she left unclear the means of response.

Donations to Haiti Set New Records

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

The earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday has prompted a flurry of donations that exceeds the amount raised for previous catastrophes — including Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunamis — over the same number of days. So far, donors have contributed more than $78-million to U.S. relief groups.

Knight Foundation honors Mississippi Press Publisher Ricky Mathews for community service

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

GULFPORT, Miss. -- Mississippi Press Publisher Ricky Mathews was honored Wednesday by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for his community leadership.

Mathews has served seven years as chairman of the community advisory committee for the foundation's Mississippi Gulf Coast chapter.

Foundation President Alberto Ibarguen praised Mathews for his leadership and dedication to the nonprofit organization, especially following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Though Mathews no longer lives in coastal Mississippi, "I think he'll always be a part of this community," Ibarguen said. "He's a truly great leader and I'm very, very proud to come to Gulfport and pay our respects to the outstanding service he's given to the community."

Mathews thanked foundation members for allowing him to lead the committee.

"A mentor taught me early in my career that the key to success is listening," he said, "gaining perspective and learning that there are lots of sides to every story. Life is a journey you never arrive at, and the moment you think you did, you start going backward."

Mathews, former president and publisher of the Biloxi Sun-Herald, now leads Advance Alabama/Mississippi newspapers and is publisher of the Press-Register in Mobile and The Mississippi Press in Pascagoula.

The Miami-based Knight Foundation works to advance journalism in the digital age, investing in the vitality of communities throughout the nation. Advisory committees search local communities for grant placement opportunities.

At Wednesday's breakfast, Ibarguen also announced the foundation will provide $388,615 for nonprofit leadership training along the Gulf Coast and another $160,000 grant for Harrison County libraries.

The nonprofit training will begin in the spring, with classes operated by the Mississippi Center for Nonprofits.

Ibarguen said the library funding would pay for 10 new desktop computers, 77 new laptops and the improvements to wireless networks, plus training in basic computing and Internet skills at seven of the nine Harrison County library branches.

The grant is part of a three-year, $5.5 million Knight Foundation initiative benefiting library users in 20 communities across the United States, Ibarguen said.

Adele Lyons, program director for the coastal Knight Foundation, presented Mathews with a pen created by Biloxi sculptor Marvin Miller.

Shortly after Katrina, Miller began carving the remnants of oak trees scattered along U.S. 90 in Biloxi and Gulfport, forming animals and sea creatures. About 100 of the sculptures now line the highway. Miller saves the smaller wood and creates writing pens, Lyons said.

"When I heard about this, I knew it was the perfect parting gift for the foundation to give to Ricky Mathews," Lyons said. "It just entails so many things that seem important to you."

New $2M Grant Aims to Boost Open-Records Efforts

Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Groups seeking more government transparency are getting a boost from a new grant. The National Freedom of Information Coalition announced Monday a $2 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The three-year grant will fund court costs, filing fees, depositions and other expenses related to open-records requests. The NFOIC, based at the University of Missouri journalism school in Columbia, says the grant will be crucial to stemming an expected drop in freedom of information advocacy because of the economic crisis. A recent Coalition survey suggests open-records litigation will decline dramatically in the coming years, in part because struggling news outlets are reluctant to spend money fighting such cases. Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Knight Foundation gives $500,000 to library for technology upgrades

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

The Knight Foundation announced today it will invest $500,000 for new computers and other technology at the Washington Memorial Library, making it easier for residents to research or get computer training.

“For a community to be strong, folks have to have access to information,” said Beverly Blake, program director for the foundation.

US Artists: Co-founder of Long Beach arts group gets Knight fellowship

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

LONG BEACH - Sophiline Shapiro is not unaccustomed to being a trailblazer. A survivor of the Cambodian genocide, she was one of the first choreographers to help bring Cambodian Classical dance back from near extinction during the cultural cleansing of the Khmer Rouge.

She was one of the first Cambodians to set up a classical dancing school and academy in the United States, beginning in a small studio in her living room.

And on Tuesday, she became one of the first two artists named as USA Knight Fellows.

Grants to Artists Are Announced

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

When the advocacy group United States Artists was created in 2005, the founders decided that the best way to support art was to support artists — by annually giving 50 artists or collaborators $50,000 grants, no strings attached. This year’s winners, who were to be formally announced on Monday night at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, Calif., include the poet and novelist Sapphire, whose book was recently made into the film “Precious”; the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz; the sisters behind the fashion label Rodarte, Kate and Laura Mulleavy; the hula master Hokulani Holt-Padilla; the performer Anna Deavere Smith; and the choreographer Sophiline Cheam Shapiro. The nonprofit group, which issued its first awards in 2006, was started with $22 million in seed money from four big foundations. Since then, other organizations and individuals such as Eli and Edythe Broad, Target, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation have underwritten some of the fellowships. “Other awards are usually tied to a particular kind of project,” Mr. Cruz said from Santa Monica. “With this I can do whatever I want.” One project he said he had in mind at the moment is to adapt one of his plays into a novel.

Knight Foundation president: Communities must better themselves

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation can fund a variety of projects to improve communities, but it’s up to the communities themselves to create ideas to better themselves.

That was the message Friday that Knight Foundation President and CEO Alberto Ibargüen delivered to more than 100 elected officials and community leaders at a luncheon at Macon’s Armory Ballroom, where recipients of Knight Neighborhood Challenge Grants were recognized.

The foundation has invested about $35 million into Macon since 1969, Ibargüen said, including $5 million this year.

“The Knight Foundation believes in informed, engaged communities,” Ibargüen told the audience. “It’s really what we do, who we are.”

Earlier this year, the foundation awarded two major grants worth $5 million — $3 million of which went to the Community Foundation of Central Georgia for the Knight Neighborhood Challenge, and $2 million to establish the College Hill Alliance, which is a partnership between Mercer University and the city of Macon to develop the part of the city between downtown and the college.

In the digital age, we need universal, affordable broadband

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST

When a big newspaper goes bankrupt -- or shuts its doors for good -- what's really at stake?

This year, great American cities asked themselves that question. In Philadelphia and Chicago, papers filed for bankruptcy protection. In Seattle and Denver, the ``second daily'' closed.

But what does it really mean, for the city in question, for the greater community, for us, as consumers of news? Does it matter?

An august body of experts, everyone from a First Amendment lawyer to a software engineer, traveled the nation to answer that question.

Their conclusions constitute the recently released 118-page report of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy