New Tow-Knight Project to Identify Markers of Quality in Journalism
The goals is to find reliable news sources worthy of promotion and financial support.
Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism
The Tow-Knight Center serves as a catalyst for journalism innovation and sustainability by running education programs, events, and communities.
Since 2010, our Entrepreneurial Journalism programs have helped more than 130 aspiring journalism entrepreneurs from around the world develop new media ventures, including Narrative.ly, Skillcrush, NK News, and How India Lives.
We launched the News Integrity Initiative to advance news literacy and increase trust in journalism. NII later refocused its work on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in the news business. While NII no longer exists as a stand-alone entity, its work on DEI continues as part of other programs at the Newmark J-School.
Two-thirds of the 24 graduates of our first-in-the-nation Engagement Journalism M.A. program were working full-time in news within six months of earning their degrees, at organizations such as ProPublica’s Documenting Hate project and The Tylt.
Through our Communities of Practice program, Tow-Knight helps journalists and journalism educators share resources and develop expertise in emerging roles such as news product and audience development. We also conduct research and convene events to support collaboration among media leaders and a sustainable future for news.
The Center was established with generous support from The Tow Foundation and the Knight Foundation.
M.A. in Engagement Journalism
Social journalism is all about finding new ways to serve communities. Our Engagement Journalism M.A. students focus on the skills that are crucial for journalism today: engagement, social video, audience growth, social newsgathering and verification, data, analytics, social media tools, design thinking, product development, and more.
Check out alumni profiles, student projects and information about collaborations with organizations like ProPublica and The Guardian.
Engagement Journalism Medium Page | Engagement Journalism Director Carrie Brown’s Twitter
Entrepreneurial Journalism Creators Program
Our new online certificate program helps media entrepreneurs develop niche ventures — from newsletters and podcasts to local news sites — into sustainable businesses.
In 100 days, participants will learn to identify opportunities and build an audience. They will craft business models by exploring market needs and potential revenue opportunities. And they will learn to tell their stories in a compelling way, while building a strong network of colleagues, mentors, and collaborators.
Communities of Practice
Tow-Knight supports ongoing professional communities of practice for the new disciplines that are key to journalism’s future. We’ve seen from our own experience that one-off events and reports can accomplish only so much. From our contacts in the industry and research we conducted on the skills needed by news companies today, we seen that many new job titles have emerged — among them, product development, audience development, social media management, live video production, virtual reality production and internationalization. Tow-Knight works with journalists and researchers to produce research reports that share best practices and news industry surveys.
(Photo: Skyler Reid)
News Integrity Initiative
The News Integrity Initiative was launched in 2017 to advance media literacy and increase trust in journalism. It was seeded with $14 million in grants from a coalition of partners, which include Facebook, Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund, Ford Foundation, AppNexus, Knight Foundation, Tow Foundation, Betaworks, Mozilla, and Democracy Fund. NII later refocused its work on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices in the news business. While NII no longer exists as a stand-alone entity, its work on DEI continues as part of other programs at the Newmark J-School.
Recent News
Newmark J-School Study Finds Strong Demand for Certain Types of Journalism Jobs
Media employers are seeking journalists with multimedia and bilingual skills.
News Integrity Initiative Backs Research in Media Manipulation
Focus is on cases where attackers intend to destabilize democratic, social, and economic institutions.
Our Funders
Watch
Fellows share their experiences developing startup ventures at the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism, contact us via info@towknight.org or admissions@journalism.cuny.edu.
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