Lenfest Institute for Journalism

In today’s The Philadelphia Inquirer, Lenfest Institute CEO and Executive Director Jim Friedlich writes about how a strong and independent press helps ensure free and fair elections. In January 2016, the late cable-television entrepreneur H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest donated The Philadelphia Inquirer to The Lenfest Institute for Journalism, a newly formed public charity. His vision was to ensure The Inquirer — and local journalism as a whole — could remain independent, produce public-service journalism at the local level, and meet the challenges of the digital age. “His fear — and his foresight — was that absent the presence of well-funded independent local journalism and trusted news brands, the internet would be flooded with disinformation and political discourse dominated by the wealthy and the self-interested,” Jim writes. “Mr. Lenfest had in mind days like today.” The Lenfest Institute is proud to have supported local journalists in Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, and across the country in the lead up to Election Day. Link to the full essay, “A republic, if you can keep it,” in the comments.?

The Lenfest News Philanthropy Network is pleased to announce the 11 news organizations receiving support to experiment with their year-end fundraising efforts as part of The Lenfest Institute for Journalism’s News Catalyst Grant program. The grantees, which include both non- and for-profit media, will conduct experiments on innovative approaches to end-of-year fundraising — including direct mail fundraising, SMS messaging, live events, and more. The 11 organizations will each receive a grant of up to $20,000. The grantees are: ?? Ashland.news ??Borderless Magazine ??Documented ??El Tímpano ??QCity Metro ??inewsource ??Louisville Public Media ??Mountain Xpress ??Public Media Network ??Richland Source ??The Two River Times Catalyst Grants are made possible through the generous support of the Google News Initiative?and the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund.

"We’d like to be held to a high standard. We'll work with these newsrooms not just to improve their processes but to develop frameworks and applications from which the entire news industry can learn," Jim Friedlich of Lenfest Institute for Journalism. #NewsMedia #Journalism https://lnkd.in/eKTvXY9m

Spotlight PA already shares its coverage for free with more than 100 other newsrooms across Pennsylvania. But a groundbreaking new partnership will bring its in-depth, public service reporting to millions of more households. For the first time, Spotlight PA will share its content with five television stations across Pennsylvania, turning its most important investigations and other reporting into broadcast-ready news packages to air during regular local newscasts. The stations collectively reach 5.1 million homes and 10 million adults. Congratulations to our friends at Spotlight PA for this important milestone, which is its first significant investment in video and is helping to bridge the gap between the growing field of nonprofit journalism and traditional, commercial TV news.

The Lenfest Institute’s nonpartisan, nonprofit business model allows The Philadelphia Inquirer, which is owned by the Institute, to operate independently and express its editorial views without fear or favor.? As concerns over newspaper publishers exerting influence over editorial content grow, The Inquirer’s unique business structure is becoming more necessary than ever. After The Washington Post declined to endorse a presidential candidate, increasing scrutiny has been placed on its billionaire owner, Jeff Bezos. In Columbia Journalism Review, Steven Waldman called for the Post to be donated to a nonprofit, following the lead of Lenfest Institute founder H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest, who donated The Inquirer to the Institute ??

??? Webinar | Beyond Print: How News Publishers Can Build Sustainable Profit 18 November 2024 at 10am EST / 3pm GMT With news publishers facing increasing pressure from rising costs and declining print revenues, it has become critical for organisations to rethink their approach to operational efficiency and sustainability. Join us for this?free webinar?where we will discuss practical methods for streamlining operations, reducing costs, and driving sustainable growth while maintaining the high-quality journalism your audiences and communities rely on. Featuring insights from FT Strategies' Principal George Adelman, the Financial Times' Chief Commercial Officer Jon Slade and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism's CEO Jim Friedlich. Register here: https://lnkd.in/estWqSzN

In 2022, Medill Local News Initiative predicted that one-third of all U.S. print newspapers in the past two decades will have disappeared by the end of 2025. In this year’s annual State of Local News Report, the findings show that the U.S. has already exceeded that mark. Amid the continued loss of local papers there are bright spots: many local newspaper mergers and acquisitions are underway and digital news organizations are continuing to help fill information gaps. Check out the report for a snapshot of the rapidly changing local news industry in the U.S., and see how your region fares in access to news.

The Lenfest Institute is today announcing the launch of the Lenfest Institute AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program, a $10 million collaboration with OpenAI and Microsoft to help metro news enterprises use artificial intelligence to drive business sustainability and innovation. In the initial round of funding, WBEZ Chicago/Chicago Sun-Times, Newsday Media Group, The Minnesota Star Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Seattle Times will each receive a $500,000 grant to hire a two-year AI engineering fellow to pursue experimental projects that will help their organization and provide lessons and best practices for the broader news industry. These news enterprises will also receive software and enterprise credits from OpenAI and Microsoft Azure to support their projects. Each news organization in the Collaborative will share results, product innovation, and code widely within the local news industry to help maximize impact. The two-year pilot program is in partnership with The Lenfest Institute’s Local Independent News Coalition, a group of eight of the largest independently owned metropolitan news organizations in the United States.?A new round of fellowships will be announced shortly. Learn more about the first slate of AI Collaborative and Fellowship Program members?and their projects ??

News organizations want to make an impact, but it’s not always straightforward to identify all the downstream effects of an outlet’s journalism.?? ? Local journalism provides communities with a trusted source of news, keeps residents informed, and mobilizes audiences to take political action. But because this kind of community impact takes place over the long term, at the individual level, and out of the sight of newsrooms, it is not always easy to see. That’s why we just published an impact research guide, based on a community impact study that examined how three Statewide News Collective members — The Center For Michigan | Bridge Michigan | BridgeDetroit, New Hampshire Public Radio, and Montana Free Press — connected with both their audiences and community members who do not consume their journalism. The guide, written by The George Washington University professor Danny Hayes, is designed to help other newsrooms utilize surveys and focus groups to assess the long-term effects of their work on their communities.

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