Lenfest Institute for Journalism

At The Lenfest Institute, there’s a lot to be thankful for this year: The journalists who serve their communities with reliable news and information, the publishers developing innovative business strategies to support essential journalism, and the people behind the scenes who make this work possible through fundraising, audience development, training, and more. But most importantly, we’re thankful for people like you who support these journalists and who believe in building solutions for the next era of local news ????

Bold ideas wanted: Press Forward’s next grant round will invest up to $20 million in solutions that make it easier to start and sustain local news outlets. Rapid changes have impacted every aspect of the local news business, including how outlets produce stories, reach audiences, raise revenue and cultivate talent. Nonprofits can now submit ideas that strengthen local news's essential infrastructure by addressing common challenges newsrooms face in: ?? Building audience? ?? Strengthening operations? ?? Cultivating talented people? ?? Generating revenue Learn more about Press Forward’s Open Call on Infrastructure and apply by Jan. 15 ??

How is your newsroom using artificial intelligence in its workflows? Chances are, you’re probably already using AI tools like Grammarly, Otter, or DeepL in your day-to-day work. But there are several easy ways you can leverage AI to generate story ideas, streamline simple tasks, or expand the reach of their journalism.? Danya Henninger, editorial director at Technical.ly, shared tips for leveraging AI within your news organization, including strategies for crafting your policy, creating search engine optimized headlines, summarizing content, and analyzing data. Let us know which other AI tools you’ve found helpful in the comments ????

Extremely proud today to announce the launch of PHILLY GIVES, a new philanthropic initiative from William Penn Foundation Philadelphia Foundation Lenfest Institute for Journalism The Philadelphia Inquirer 6abc WPVI-TV Philadelphia The Philadelphia Tribune WURD Radio Esperanza New Mainstream Press, Inc. This community-driven fund uplifts and supports essential nonprofits serving Greater Philadelphia. Running from November 25, 2024, through January 31, 2025, the program will spotlight nine selected nonprofits that address the region’s most pressing needs, including affordable housing, food security, healthcare access, youth development, and workforce training Philly Gives leverages a unique partnership and a powerful commitment from six of the Philadelphia region’s premier news media companies: 6abc, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Philadelphia Tribune, Impacto, New Mainstream Press (Metro Chinese Weekly and Metro Viet News), and WURD Radio. “We are proud to participate in Philly Gives by using our reach to share stories of nine local nonprofits and the important work they are doing in our communities.” said Lisa Hughes, Publisher and CEO at The Philadelphia Inquirer. In gratitude to: Shawn McCaney Pedro A. Ramos Martin Alfaro ?? Lisa Hughes Bernie Prazenica Luis Cortes Richard Tofel Sara M. Lomax Annie Madonia, and most especially Dr. Janet Haas who invented this initiative, her latest in a lifetime of philanthropic impact.

“Being a leader encompasses more than being a manager — although I no longer doubt I can do the job. Being a news leader takes heart, gusto, and conviction. This program inspired me to believe in my personal power, tackle the more foreign and difficult lessons, and to simply stop doubting what I clearly have to offer.” Vicky Diaz-Camacho reflects on her journey through the Constellation News Leadership Initiative, a professional development fellowship from The Lenfest Institute supporting mid-career media professionals of color in Philadelphia ??

Before Monique Curry-Mims, MBA, MSEd, CAP? began her journey as the publisher and editor-in-chief of Generocity, she believed “if you want to do something right, you have to do it yourself.” But through the Constellation News Leadership Initiative, a professional development fellowship supporting mid-career media professionals of color, Monique’s leadership style evolved. Her focus has shifted to creating a solid vision for the company and giving her team the tools to bring it to life. “At Constellation, I learned the importance of collaboration and delegation — two skills that are essential to running a media company,” she wrote. “The program made me realize that leadership is not just about personal execution, but also about empowering others to bring their expertise to the table.”

When I moved to Philly to work at WHYY last year, I never imagined what being in the Lenfest Institute for Journalism's Constellation News Leadership Initiative would provide me with: clarity. Thanks to Sarah Glover, MBA for cluing me in to this program and major thanks to program leaders for selecting me. These are my reflections: https://lnkd.in/eNEarjuu

The Lenfest Institute is partnering with OpenAI and Microsoft to launch the Lenfest Institute AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program, which will help newsrooms harness generative AI to build more sustainable businesses. Lenfest Institute CEO and Executive Director Jim Friedlich spoke to Editor & Publisher (E&P) Magazine about the groundbreaking program, which will encourage experimentation with AI to support business-related functions, such as subscriber acquisition, or tools to assist reporters with tasks like data analysis. The five participating newsrooms will share what they learn over the two-year grant period with the broader industry. “The idea here,” Friedlich said, “is AI for sustainability in the journalism business rather than AI to replace journalists.”

The Lenfest Institute launched the Philadelphia Media Founders Exchange in 2022 to support media entrepreneurs of color through training, one-on-one coaching, and grantmaking. The program is returning for 2024-2025 — and this time, the class consists of program alumni who are ready to take their businesses to the next stage of growth.? This year’s program builds upon the foundational skills the fellows developed during their first Founders Exchange experience. The fellows will focus on strategic planning, operational efficiency, and revenue generation, with the goal being to empower participants to build profitable, impactful, and sustainable media enterprises. Please join us in welcoming the 2024-2025 Founders Exchange class: ?? Arianne Bracho, Madre Tierra ?? Jean-Pierre Brice, CMPRadio.net ?? Nathalie 'Talie' Cerin, Woy Magazine ?? Monique Curry-Mims, MBA, MSEd, CAP?, Generocity ?? Indah Nuritasari, Indonesian Lantern ?? Dr. Phillip J. Roundtree DSW, LCSW, MS, Quadefy LLC ?? Tamara “P.O.C.” Russell, REVIVE Radio + Media ?? Kaia Niambi Shivers Ph.D., Ark Republic PMFE is supported by Comcast NBCUniversal, the Independence Public Media Foundation, and the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation.

FunTimes Magazine, a Philadelphia-based publication serving the African Diaspora, launched the “988 Diaspora Campaign” in 2023 to connect community members with mental health resources. Over the course of the project, the publication built a unique coalition of newsrooms, Black healthcare organizations, mental health professionals, nonprofits, businesses, and cultural and faith-based organizations to disseminate information on mental health and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. “One of the most critical lessons from the campaign was the undeniable impact of culturally competent outreach,” said Associate Publisher Sandy Lawrence. “FunTimes established a deeper connection and trust by leveraging community navigators who shared the same cultural backgrounds as the people we aimed to reach.” Sandy recently sat down for a Q&A on the project, which was supported by The Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund ??