Media Content

Media Issues

GFEM is an advocate to our grantmaker colleagues, encouraging them to fund innovative media arts and public interest media—through support of content, infrastructure, and policy—as a vital form of cultural expression and essential component of our democracy. Whether providing support for documentary or narrative films, or efforts to close the national or international “digital divide,” or supporting advocacy and educational organizations to keep the Internet unrestricted, or highlighting media advancements being made in developing countries, or the evolving media policies in developed nations-GFEM’s aim is to provide small and large funders alike with information to assist them in making decisions about supporting the interconnected areas of media content, infrastructure and policy.

Content

A television program or film puts a face on an issue. A radio news feature or documentary brings a tangible reality to recited facts. Video streamed on a website underscores issues presented in plain text and can move people to action. Whether the content is targeted to public or commercial media outlets, funders need a working understanding of the entire media landscape in order to be most effective in their grantmaking. View Content articles

Infrastructure

A high-speed, unfettered Internet, community-based media arts organizations, PBS, NPR, Public/Educational/Government (PEG) public access stations, or mobile phones are all a part of our media infrastructure—GFEM provides funders with information to help them in supporting media infrastructure, whether local, national, or international. View Infrastructure articles

Policy

Restrictive media policies can curtail access to the content we do have through the infrastructure we currently have in place. There are clear roles for funders to play in helping to address media policy issues and GFEM works to keep funders abreast of the constantly shifting media policy environment. View Policy articles

Don’t Forget the Ethnic Media

By Elizabeth R. Miller, Senior Program Associate, The Overbrook Foundation

A.P. in Deal to Deliver Nonprofits’ Journalism

[Source: New York Times, by Richard Perez-Pena; June 15, 2009] Four nonprofit groups devoted to investigative journalism will have their work distributed by The Associated Press, The A.P. will ...

Foundations Invest in Watchdog Reporting as Group Considers National Investigative Network

[Source: Poynter Online, by David Westphal; Jun. 29, 2009] There's a new conventional wisdom about foundation-funded journalism: It's going to be bigger than most anyone imagined.How big? Well, ...

New Policies to Save the News: 5 Promising Models

On May 12th, the non-partisan media advocacy organization Free Press released Saving the News: Toward a National Journalism Strategy. This new report features an in-depth analysis of ideas ...

Federal Trade Commission Looking Into Range of Fixes for News Industry

[Source: Broadcasting & Cable, by John Eggerton - May 20, 2009]The Federal Trade Commission is concerned about the future of news on TV and radio as well as newspapers.

Netsquared 2009 Recap: Making the Virtual Proximal

[Source: Huffington Post, by Allen Gunn of Aspiration - June 4, 2009]As someone who organizes nonprofit technology events for a living, I spend a lot of time reflecting on what role live ...

Rural America Goes Ultra-Digital

Broadband survey suggests consumers in the hinterlands will get top-of-the-line Internet technology -- if operators can get their hands on stimulus money.  [Source: Fortune Magazine, by Anu ...

Hate Speech, Media Activism and The First Amendment

[Source: Extra! Magazine, by Candice O'Grady - May 2009]Extra! Magazine is a monthly publication by Fairness in Accuracy and Reporting (FAIR).

First, Interstate Highways, Now Broadband: The FCC's Report on Bringing Broadband to Rural America

[Source: The Daily Yonder, by Bill Bishop - June 1, 2009] The Federal Communications Commission chair didn't provide a plan for bringing broadband to rural America, but he did point to a ...