Press Freedom and Freedom of Information

The foundation's goals are to protect and expand freedom of the press and freedom of information at home and abroad; increase coordination of existing global programs and increase impact with new media; and target swing countries. From the foundation's earliest years, John S. Knight and the foundation played a leadership role in supporting the Inter American Press Association's free press endeavors in Latin America, including an ongoing project on the investigation of the murder of journalists, called Impunity. Most recently, the foundation has made grants to foster and protect the development of emerging free press institutions in the Middle East, South Asia and East Asia. These activities abroad have been and will continue to be the foundation's primary thrust in international philanthropy. The centerpiece of that effort is the Knight International Press Fellowship program, funded by more than $19 million and administered by the International Center for Journalists.

Other free press grants have been made to:

Committee to Protect Journalists: World's leading monitor of abuses against journalists. Operates program to place international journalists whose lives are in danger at four U.S. universities for a year of study.
University of Texas at Austin: Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas trains journalists in the region to improve the quality of news they produce.
National Security Archive Fund: Expand access to government documents.
Internews Network: Expand Global Internet Policy Initiative, establish Free Press Initiative in the Middle East.
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Operating support and to host the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government.
American Society of Newspaper Editors: To expand national Sunshine Week to help raise public awareness and support for open government issues.
Channel One: To promote First Amendment and student media.

Knight Foundation has also established the Knight Chair in Constitutional Law and the First Amendment at Yale Law School.

Research on Press Freedom

The Future of the First Amendment reports on a two-year, $1 million survey of high school students and their knowledge of the First Amendment (January 2005).
- 2006 Survey Update, Part I (September 2006)
- 2006 Survey Update, Part II (September 2006)
The Media Missionaries: American Support for International Journalism -- U.S. support for independent local media around the world – including Latin America – is needed more urgently than ever, according to a new study by media analyst Ellen Hume for Knight Foundation. The survey found that a new wave of repression against journalists in developing democracies threatened to unravel many of the accomplishments of $600 million in global media aid by American foundations and the U.S. government during the past decade. The report concludes that democracy will struggle worldwide as long as people are cut off from basic information about their own governments and the rest of the world.

Updated December 20, 2006