GFEM Board Statement of Support - Information Needs of Communities Recommendation on Philanthropic Investments

Spurred by the release of the Federal Communications Commission’s new report, “Information Needs of Communities,” the GFEM board voted at its June 2011 meeting to endorse the FCC recommendation that foundations do more media projects. 

“GFEM welcomes the FCC report on the Information Needs of Communities.  We believe that a comprehensive solution to the urgent problem of declining public interest media and accountability journalism will require a multi-pronged response involving both public and private sectors. GFEM specifically applauds and endorses the recommendation within the report that calls for increased philanthropic support for nonprofit and public interest media and journalism.”

See also http://gfem.org/node/8565 for information on a partnership between GFEM, the Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Foundation Center and GuideStar to create a research project developing new ways of measuring whether foundations are indeed increasing journalism and media-related grantmaking.