Should Foundations Finance The New York Times?
As The New York Times searches for new revenue streams, it is working more with nonprofit journalism programs — a move that is being examined by the newspaper’s public editor, Clark Hoyt, and others.
In his column this week, Mr. Hoyt looks at the Times’s collaboration with Spot.Us, a Web site that solicits donations from the public for specific journalism projects, and ProPublica, a charity dedicated to creating articles in the public interest.
Mr. Hoyt writes that any new partnership has “potential pitfalls,” but that the newspaper has pledged to disclose where the money is coming from and to maintain editorial control.
In The Huffington Post, Jeff Jarvis, an associate professor of journalism at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism, applauds the newspaper’s work with charities and volunteers and says it is part of a broader change as newspapers are more willing to share their news-gathering responsibilities.
Mr. Jarvis also emphasizes that newspapers should remain commercial ventures because nonprofit support will never equal “the level of reporting and journalism a community needs.”
In his column, Mr. Hoyt says Times editors and executives have considered foundation underwriting for specific news sections, but the company’s spokeswoman told Mr. Hoyt that no grantmaker has been approached.
In a sense, however, the newspaper already is working closely with a foundation. As Mr. Hoyt notes, both Spot.Us and ProPublica have received major support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in Miami. For example, Knight awarded in June $719,500 to The New York Times and ProPublica to create an online database of government documents used in investigative reports.
In the issue that appears online today, The Chronicle of Philanthropy profiled Alberto Ibargüen, the Knight foundation’s president, and the work of his organization.
What do you think? How will the growing ties between nonprofit groups and daily newspapers affect journalism?
