Last week, hundreds of funders and news organization leaders gathered for the 2024 Knight Media Forum in Miami. As philanthropic support for journalism has grown, this conference has become more important than ever for media industry leaders.
The conference marked the first conference under the leadership of the Knight Foundation’s new CEO, Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, who started in January. Several LMA staff members, board members and collaborative members attended the conference. Here are their takeaways:
The nonprofit/for-profit debate is over
Sonny Messiah Jiles, publisher/CEO of Defender Network in Houston, told the audience during a panel presentation, “I think we all need to get over this nonprofit versus for-profit thing,” and instead be united as we work to serve our communities with vital news and information. The room applauded.
At LMA, we have long said that a healthy local ecosystem requires many players, and we’re cheering on all of them to win. The tax status shouldn’t matter; the commitment to journalism should.
The hiring of Wadsworth as CEO of the foundation underscores this point. The former president of news for Gannett and publisher of USA Today understands better than most why journalism produced by for-profit companies is critical to a healthy democracy.
Press Forward’s new director, Dale Anglin, told attendees in a breakout session this week that foundations can and should support for-profit media.
In past years, there was a push by some to villainize for-profit media. While there were still some remnants of that at KMF24, it largely disappeared. Cheers to that debate being put to bed. Now let’s move on to support each other, collaborate and focus on the critical role we play in our democracy.
– Nancy Lane, LMA/LMF Co-CEO
The focus shifts to preserving high-quality, public service journalism across the board
I left Knight Media Forum 2024 feeling hopeful. The imperatives laid out in opening remarks by leaders of the Knight Foundation and MacArthur Foundation — to seize this moment and move quickly to ensure a future for local news — certainly inspired a lot of that hope. But more of my inspiration came from listening through the sessions, meetings and side conversations, as people said the right things and asked the right questions to demonstrate they are laying groundwork for local journalism sustainability and even (dare we dream?) growth.
At this year’s KMF, it seemed to me, we also started setting aside polarizing and counterproductive debates — for example, about funding for-profit vs. nonprofit news organizations — and shifted focus toward preserving high-quality, public service journalism across the board, as well as building the revenue streams to keep it coming.
– Jay Small, LMA/LMF Co-CEO
From fear to focused: the ‘AI for news’ conversation gets strategic
What a difference a year makes. Last February at KMF, attendees were still reeling from shock and awe at the Thanksgiving release of ChatGPT, and processing the twin emotions of excitement and terror at what new large language models might mean for the news industry and society.
At KMF24, those conversations among both funders and news organizations were more specific and strategic, focused on actions to both seize the opportunities and manage the threats.
Instead of AI and news as one commingled topic, a half dozen areas have emerged that deserve focus and funding: capacity-building newsroom use cases; editorial guidelines to build trust; new AI products to serve consumers; business model transformation; managing bias and AI ethics; intellectual property/copyright and LLMs; and public policy. As the saying goes: A problem well defined is half-solved. This refined conversation about AI and news will enable both local news leaders and funders to focus their actions to move more quickly and strategically.
– Frank Mungeam, LMA Chief Innovation Officer
Press Forward local chapters expand at conference, with more expected
One of the more popular breakout sessions was on the topic of starting local Press Forward chapters. The panel was moderated by Duc Luu of the Knight Foundation and featured leaders at four different foundations: the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln, the Chicago Community Trust, the McKnight Foundation, and the San Antonio Area Foundation.
All of the foundations are leaders in their local Press Forward chapters, with the San Antonio fund announced at the conference. The goal with local chapters is to grow awareness about funding journalism and the amount of actual journalism funding, Luu said.
“There’s not enough money right now,” he said. Luu said the hope is to grow the number of local chapters to hundreds across the country. They also need to grow the amount of funding available, at both local and national levels.
Anyone interested in starting a chapter in a community can apply through the website. The national Press Forward offices will provide tools and resources for chapters. They will also provide funds to match their local dollars.
– Penny Riordan, LMA Director of Business Strategy and Partnerships
Media must redefine themselves to serve audiences as news consumption habits shift
What struck me as a common thread across multiple panels is that we must better serve our audiences. The latest Pew Research Center analysis says there’s been a notable decrease in how closely Americans follow the news compared to the past. This arises amid a shift in news consumption habits, eroding trust in media and widespread news fatigue.
“There is a real question over whether people need and crave journalism the same way,” said S. Mitra Kalita, CEO and co-founder of URL Media, during the panel Empowering Local Journalism: Strengthening Trust, Expanding Resources, and Shaping Policy. She goes on to say the “problem is not one of execution. It’s a lack of reinvention. It’s lack of relevance to our audiences.”
Too often, media companies chase page views and engagements to measure success when we really need to focus on the impact on the community. My takeaway: The industry needs to adopt new tools and frameworks to measure the outcomes of our work and redefine ourselves in service to our audiences.
As Wadsworth noted in her Q&A with Sara Fischer from Axios, “as we make investments, we want to know that those investments are actually moving the work forward … that it’s really helping to change lives in a positive way in my community.”
– Apryl Pilolli, Knight x LMA BloomLab Technology Director
Lean into local news ecosystems all across America
Eyebrows were raised last year with Press Forward announcing plans to raise half a billion dollars to revitalize local news. More questions were answered recently at the 2024 Knight Media Forum, starting with the introduction of new Director Dale Anglin.
This national movement must rely on multilayered solutions at both the national and hyperlocal level. Local news isn’t a panacea to save the fading beacon of democracy, but I agree with MacArthur Foundation President John Palfrey that “it is one very tangible, one very practical intervention that we can fund.”
We must lean into local news ecosystems in all parts of America because every newsroom needs more people and more financial support. The free and independent press is facing an existential crisis. U.S. newsrooms are under the gun, understaffed to deal with the immediacy of the 24-hour news cycle and mistrust exacerbated by social media.
Communities need an equitable news and information system that can be sustained by multiple and diverse revenue streams. Our beleaguered news industry must be nimble to meet reliable information needs of folks in local communities.
– Rob Collins, Executive Director of Oklahoma Media Center
Reinvigorating local news is the dominant theme
Unlike any other general national media conference I’ve participated in, I was struck by the singular, dominant theme of this year’s Knight Forum — reinvigorating local news. There was a palpable sense that this is the media issue of our time, and that we need to move with urgency to help support all forms of local news, both commercial and nonprofit. That sense of common purpose to meet the moment was encouraging to me.
Both Knight CEO Maribel Wadsworth and MacArthur CEO John Palfrey also stressed that as significant as the philanthropic “Press Forward” initiative is, it’s not sufficient to solve the challenges of local news. Maribel described Press Forward as providing a “bridge” for local news while we collectively explore pathways to new, sustainable models. She emphasized that philanthropy alone is not a business model. But I loved her call to action to funders, “It is time — now — for philanthropy to move at the speed of news.” Indeed.
– Tim Franklin, LMF board member and senior associate dean and John M. Mutz Chair in Local News at the Medill School at Northwestern University
A plan to pursue a Press Forward chapter in Dallas
The forum provided us with information needed to ensure the sustainability of The Dallas Examiner™. I am committed to starting a Press Forward chapter in Dallas, Texas. I met people at the forum who can advise me and help with the process and I am confident I can do it. The pastor of my church is chair of Communities Foundation of Texas and I will start the conversation with him. There is not a Press Forward chapter, nor I am aware of funding for Black newspapers in the city. Philanthropy is one of the revenue streams that we must pursue to sustain The Dallas Examiner™.
– Mollie Finch Belt, Publisher/CEO, The Dallas Examiner, and participant in the Knight x LMA BloomLab