Knight Foundation Report on Nonprofit Journalism Business Models Available Online

[Source: knightfoundation.org, August 12, 2010]

A Knight Foundation-funded summary report of a round table on nonprofit journalism business models is now available to view on the Web. Find the report and more information at http://kflinks.com/roundtable.

Title: Seeking Sustainability, A Roundtable (With Video)
Author: By Christopher Sopher
Publication Date: Jun 11, 2010
Publication File: Seeking-sustainability-061110

Online Nonprofit Local/Regional News Venture Roundtable

A meeting sponsored by Knight Foundation and co-hosted by Texas Tribune, Voice of San Diego and the Knight Chair in Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin

April 26, 2010

Why Nonprofits

By now it is relatively common knowledge that America’s news industry is undergoing profound and frequently tumultuous change. Every news organization is affected by the development of the Internet and the resulting changes in revenue streams, audience habits and community needs. Traditional media companies have been particularly distressed by shifts in the markets and business models that historically supported them—and the conversation about how to “save” or “reinvent” journalism has been largely focused on their concerns.

To a growing group of practitioners, funders and observers, however, the challenge is not saving traditional news organizations or traditional forms of journalism. The challenge is creating, strengthening and protecting informed communities and local information ecosystems, of which journalism is a necessary component.

Thus enters the nonprofit model, which allows organizations to pursue a journalistic mission without the competing demands of operating a for-profit business. Nonprofit news startups have been created in communities across the country, most with funding from major donors or foundations. The Knight Foundation alone has funded more than 200 experiments with what it calls a “build to learn” approach.

Seeking Sustainability

A meeting April 26, 2010 sponsored by Knight Foundation and co-hosted by the Texas Tribune, Voice of San Diego and Knight Chair in Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin.

1. Welcome Session

With Roderick Hart, Dean, UT Austin College of Communication; Alberto Ibargüen, president and CEO, Knight Foundation; Rosental Alves, Knight Chair in Journalism at UT Austin.