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JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT
FOUNDATION, MINNESOTA NEWS COUNCIL AND WASHINGTON NEWS COUNCIL
TO AWARD GRANTS
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has named the Minnesota
News Council in Minneapolis and Washington News Council in Seattle
to conduct a national contest for two $75,000 seed grants to
form new news councils. The seed money will come from a $250,000
Knight Foundation grant awarded jointly to the Minnesota and
Washington News Councils to administer the nationwide competition.
The mission of the Minnesota and Washington News Councils is
to promote fair, accurate, vigorous and trusted journalism.
They do this by engaging news organizations and the public in
open conversations about standards of fairness. News councils
are often mistakenly referred to as watchdog groups. They are
not; the news media are, and should be, the watchdogs of all
institutions in a society.
But the news media — also a societal institution —
historically have resisted scrutiny from outside the newsroom.
In today’s climate, in which news organizations seeking
to rebuild trust are recognizing the value of openness, news
councils offer another way to achieve it.
The Minnesota and Washington News Councils encourage parties
in dispute to resolve their differences. If they cannot agree,
the council will conduct a hearing in public at which a dozen
journalists and a dozen laypersons consider the complaint and
issue a determination that is widely publicized. The determination
carries no sanctions but is meant to generate a conversation
that can lead to improved media performance and increased public
trust.
Both existing news councils also engage in other activities
to help maintain public trust and confidence in the news media
– holding public forums and panels, speaking to community
and civic groups, and sponsoring educational activities including
student mock hearings, internships, and scholarships.
The Minnesota News Council was formed in 1970 by the Minnesota
Newspaper Association, and soon became an independent organization.
The Washington News Council was formed in 1998 by a group of
concerned citizens, including many journalists, and is also
an independent non-profit organization.
CONTEST
CONTACTS:
Gary
Gilson, gary@news-council.org
John Hamer, jhamer@wanewscouncil.org
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