Public Radio Stations Partner With Knight Foundation, American Press Institute On Engaged Journalism Initiative

Knight Foundation Funding Project

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC RADIO (News-Talk KPCC/PASADENA-LOS ANGELES), the KNIGHT FOUNDATION, AMERICAN PRESS INSTITUTE, CHICAGO PUBLIC MEDIA (News-Talk WBEZ/CHICAGO), BOSTON UNIVERSITY News-Talk WBUR/BOSTON, and MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO are partnering in a new initiative for engaged journalism -- working with community members -- in local public media newsrooms. The KNIGHT FOUNDATION is putting $230,000 into the creation and implementation of the year-long venture.

“Finding ways to increase engagement couldn’t be more vital for newsrooms today,” said KNIGHT FOUNDATION VP/Journalism JIM BRADY. “This initiative will help newsrooms build trust and develop a more inclusive dialogue with the communities they serve. We’re proud to support this effort, which will provide important lessons that can benefit the entire industry.”  

“Many newsrooms around the country have community engagement strategies and donor databases, but few are equipped to identify or leverage the potential connection between the two,” said SCPR Chief Content Officer KRISTEN MULLER. “We are excited to be collaborating on this project, which we believe will result in creating a template for not only better serving our audiences, but also expanding our reach to those traditionally excluded by local and public media organizations.”

“The practice of engaged journalism is a key way for news organizations of all types to fulfill their mission because it forms stronger relationships with the communities they serve. Such ties are vital to the sustainability and health of both news outlets themselves and also to their communities,” said AMERICAN PRESS INSTITUTE EVP/Chief of News Transformation AMY L. KOVAC-ASHLEY. “We are excited to catalyze this important work and learn alongside these four public media organizations.”

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