Can Philanthropy Help Rebuild Trust in News and the Public Square? (Continued from Page 1)

NCRP’S QUARTERLY JOURNAL Responsive SPRING 2017

IN THIS ISSUE

Can philanthropy help rebuild Philanthropy trust in news and the public square? 1 BY JOSH STEARNS

In today’s complex and uncertain times, philanthropy associations and 3 networks are more vital than ever

BY DAVID BIEMESDERFER

Long-term general support: The elusive Bigfoot in philanthropy 6 Rebuilding the middle: How United Ways and foundations 8 can get in the ﬁght to bring communities together

BY PETE MANZO

Funding change in the Deep South BY BILL BYNUM 10 A message from the President and CEO 2

Member Spotlight 15 Can philanthropy help rebuild trust in news

and the public square? By Josh Stearns Today there is real concern about the and undermine objective truth. When As such, we have to understand that spread of misinformation and issues of paired with the kinds of political attacks the challenges we face today are not basic trust in our democratic institu- journalists have faced in recent months just technological, but also economic, tions, including the press, our fourth these trends raise troubling questions cultural and political. The scholar da- estate. From viral hoaxes disguised to for a free and open society. nah boyd has called this an information look like news to propaganda spread However, despite the new contours war that is being shaped2 by “discon- by automated bots online, we are wit- of our current political climate and nects in values, relationships and social nessing a sustained attempt to spread technological developments, issues fabric.” They are fundamentally human misinformation, generate uncertainty of trust in journalism extend far back struggles and have as much to do with into our nation’s history. According to our relationships with each other as our polls, trust in the media has been erod- relationship with the media. ing since Watergate, but the impact of Given this complex web of forces, misinformation has been experienced P[ JHU IL KPMÄJ\S[ [V KL[LYTPUL [OL unevenly for a long time. Communities best role for philanthropy. This is the of color in particular have been grap- kind of wicked problem that systems pling with inaccurate reporting and thinking is designed to help untangle. challenging grantmakers outright false stories1 that have had real At Democracy Fund, we have invested to strengthen communities and damaging consequences. in systems (continued on page 12) Can philanthropy help rebuild trust in news and the public square? (continued from page 1)

approaches3 because they help us de- DEFINING THE PROBLEM WITHOUT lessons are being shared and translated velop multi-pronged strategies that re- ALL THE DATA PU[VHJ[PVUHISLPU[LSSPNLUJLMVY[OLÄLSK inforce one another in a complicated For all the concern about “fake news,” and dynamic world. Systems thinking there is still a remarkable amount we OPEN CALLS AS A CALL TO ACTION helps us see the often hidden and tan- don’t know about trust, truth and the At the start of this year, New Media Ven- gled roots of the issues we care about. spread of misinformation online or the tures launched an open call for media and We are currently mapping systems impact it has had on politics and pub- technology projects from “companies that shape people’s trust in the public lic debate. So much news consump- and organizations working to resist fear, square and will be able to share our tion and distribution happens on pri- lies and hate as well as those focused on analysis soon. vate platforms whose proprietary data rebuilding and using this unprecedented In response to these issues some makes it hard for researchers to study. moment of citizen mobilization to shape foundations are organizing rapid re- And yet, organizations like the Amer- a better future.”5 In about a month, they sponse grants and programs designed to ican Press Institute, Engaging News Proj- received more than 500 applications, an invest in new ideas and projects. Some ect, The Trust Project and Trusting News unprecedented number for them. donors are investing in investigative Project as well as a number of academic A few days later, the Knight Founda- journalism and local news4 to expand researchers are testing real-world strat- tion, Rita Allen Foundation and Democ- the capacity of trustworthy newsrooms. egies for building trust and probing the racy Fund announced a prototype fund for Others are taking a measured approach, YLHJO HUK PUÅ\LUJL VM TPZ HUK KPZPU- ¸LHYS`Z[HNLPKLHZ[VPTWYV]L[OLÅV^VM adjusting their current grantmaking or formation. accurate information.” That fund received planning with their grantees for the on- Foundations should expand their sup- 800 applications in a month.6 Finally, the going engagement these challenges de- port for research in this area but should International Center for Journalists just mand. The reality is that we need both do so strategically and in coordination launched a “TruthBuzz” contest,7 funded long- and short-term strategies. with other foundations to ensure that by the Craig Newmark Foundation.

This typology of misinformation by Claire Wardle of First Draft News identiﬁes the spectrum of fabricated stories and the motivations behind them.

12 National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Responsive Philanthropy These open calls are a way for foun- surface fact checks in their search re- A NEW ERA FOR NEWS LITERACY dations to catalyze energy and surface sults9 and is trying to give more weight 0U(WYPSÄ]LMV\UKH[PVUZHUKMV\Y[LJO- new ideas, bringing new people and to authoritative sources.10 nology companies launched the News sectors together to tackle the complex The growth of the fact-checking Integrity Initiative at the CUNY Gradu- challenges related to misinformation. ÄLSK PU YLJLU[ `LHYZ OHZ ILLU M\LSLK ate School of Journalism. Designed to by strategic investments from a number advance a new vision for news literacy, NEGOTIATING NEW RELATION- of foundations, including Democracy [OPZNSVIHSLMMVY[PZYVV[LKPUH\ZLYÄYZ[ SHIPS BETWEEN JOURNALISTS AND Fund. These investments have helped approach to expanding trust in journal- THE PUBLIC strengthen the practices and infrastruc- ism. Today, we the people are the pri- Trust is forged through relationships, ture for fact-checking making these mary distributors of news. As such, it is and for many, the long-term work of re- platform partnerships possible. Howev- critical that the public be adept at spot- building trust in journalism is rooted in er, new challenges demand new kinds ting fakes and debunking falsehoods, fundamentally changing the relationship of fact checking. and that we cultivate the skills to track between the public and the press. For Foundations should not wait until a story to its source and the motivation the last few years, foundations like De- the next election to increase support to hold each other accountable. mocracy Fund, Knight Foundation, Rita for these efforts. Now is the time to in- With support from MacArthur, Rob- Allen Foundation and others have been vest in learning and experimentation ert R. McCormick, Knight and other deepening their investments in news- to make fact-checking work even bet- foundations, projects like The News Lit- room community engagement efforts. ter, engage an often critical public, and eracy Project, Center for News Literacy Organizations like Hearken, which adapt to the new realities we face. and The LAMP have been working with reorients the reporting process around students for years to address these is- the curiosity of community members, CULTIVATING NEW SKILLS FOR sues. Similarly, youth media groups like and the Solutions Journalism Network, COMBATTING MISINFORMATION Generation Justice in New Mexico, Free which encourages journalists to report While fact-checkers hone the science Spirit Media in Chicago and the Trans- on solutions, not just problems, help VM KLI\URPUN VMÄJPHS Z[H[LTLU[Z MYVT formative Culture Project in Boston, are optimize newsrooms for building trust. politicians and pundits, we need to working with diverse communities on The Center for Investigative Reporting, develop new skills for combating the becoming active creators, not just con- ProPublica and Chalkbeat have also pi- ^PKL HYYH` VM \UVMÄJPHS HUK OHYK[V sumers of media. And libraries across oneered exciting projects in this space. source falsehoods that spread online. the country are hosting workshops and Making journalism more responsive The leading organization working on trainings for people of all ages. [VHUKYLÅLJ[P]LVMP[ZJVTT\UP[`KL- these issues is First Draft News, which In the past, foundations funding mands culture change in newsrooms combines rigorous research with prac- health, climate change and racial justice and an emphasis on diversity and inclu- tical hands-on training and technical have recognized the need to help people sion. If we want communities to trust assistance for newsrooms, universities ZVY[MHJ[MYVTÄJ[PVU;VKH`MV\UKH[PVUZ journalism, they have to see themselves and the public. (Disclosure: I was one JHU OLSW L_WHUK [OL ÄLSK I` PU]LZ[PUN HUK[OLPYSP]LKL_WLYPLUJLZYLÅLJ[LKPU of the founders of First Draft News.) in engaging models of news literacy and the reporting. Too often that is still not Other efforts include Storyful, Bell- supporting efforts to get news and civic the case, and foundations can play a vi- ingcat, the Atlantic Council’s Digital literacy into state education standards. tal role in sustaining the ongoing work Forensics Research Lab and On the to renegotiate these relationships. Media’s “Breaking News Consumer’s PROLOGUE TO A FARCE Handbook” series.11 OR A TRAGEDY WEAVING FACT-CHECKING INTO A Most of these efforts work not only James Madison wrote in an 1822 letter PLATFORM WORLD with newsrooms, but also human rights that “A popular Government, without In December, Facebook announced VYNHUPaH[PVUZ ÄYZ[ YLZWVUKLYZ HUK popular information, or the means of that it was enlisting fact-checking orga- community groups who are on the front acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce nizations around the globe to help as- lines of confronting misinformation. or a Tragedy; or, perhaps both.” We are sess the veracity and accuracy of stories Foundations should help connect their increasingly facing an information eco- ÅHNNLKI`-HJLIVVR\ZLYZVU[OLWSH[- grantees to these resources and support Z`Z[LT ÅVVKLK I` TPZPUMVYTH[PVU HUK form.8 Google is working with Duke First Draft and others to scale up their disinformation being strategically de- University’s Reporter’s Lab on how to work in this critical moment. ployed to spread uncertainty and dis-

Responsive Philanthropy Spring 2017 13 [Y\Z[;OVZLLMMVY[ZHYLILPUNHTWSPÄLK 1VZO:[LHYUZPZHZZVJPH[LKPYLJ[VYMVY[OL media-announce-new-grants-to-support- by the speed with which information is Public Square program at Democracy free-press shared across social media, algorithms Fund. Learn more at www.democracy- 5. More at http://www.newmediaven- tures.org/6th-innovation-fund-open- tuned for viral views and emotional im- fund.org. call/. WHJ[HUKÄS[LYI\IISLZ[OH[PUJYLHZPUNS` 6. More at https://www.knightfoundation. divide us into silos. org/articles/knight-prototype-fund-open- ;OLYL PZ UV VULZPaLÄ[ZHSS ZVS\[PVU Notes call-closes-with-more-than-800-ideas. to address the challenges of eroding trust 1. L. Joy Williams, “Fake News Is Not 7. More at https://www.icfj.org/news/ and the spread of false and misleading New to Black Folks, But Here Are craig-newmark-foundation-support- information. The interventions discussed Some Tips to Avoid It,” NewsOne.com, truthbuzz-icfj%E2%80%99s-global-fact- above are largely focused domestically https://newsone.com/3671096/ checking-challenge. but there is more that can and should be fake-news-is-not-new-to-black-folks-but- 8. More at http://www.democracyfund. done to confront these issues on the glob- here-are-some-tips-to-avoid-it/. org/newsroom/entry/democracy-fund- al stage. Foundations and donors should 2. danah boyd, “Google and Facebook facebooks-new-fact-checking-partnership- invest in approaches that focus on mak- Can’t Just Make Fake News Disap- is-an-important-step. pear,” Backchannel, March 27, 2017, 9. More at https://blog.google/prod- ing change across three interconnected https://backchannel.com/google- ucts/search/fact-check-now-available- areas: the press, in the public square and and-facebook-cant-just-make-fake-news- google-search-and-news-around-world/. social platforms. disappear-48f4b4e5fbe8. 10. More at http://searchengineland. Given the diverse strategies founda- 3. More at http://www.democracyfund. com/googles-project-owl-attack-fake- tions can pursue in their response to this org/systems. news-273700 moment, it is critical that we work to- 4. Democracy Fund, “Democracy Fund 11. Brook Gladstone, “Breaking News Con- gether to share what we are learning, in- & First Look Media Announce $12M+ sumer’s Handbook,” On the Media/ vest strategically in what is working and in New Grants to Support Free Press” WNYC, Nov 18, 2016, http://www. put the people most impacted by these http://www.democracyfund.org/news- wnyc.org/story/breaking-news-consum- issues at the center of our funding. Q room/entry/democracy-fund-ﬁrst-look- er-handbook-fake-news-edition/.

HEALTH EQUITY BRIEF FOUNDATIONS, DONORS AND HEALTH POLICY: Why federal health debates matter to you and how you can respond

Learn more at www.ncrp.org/publication/health-equity-brief

14 National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy Responsive Philanthropy