What We Stand For

The crisis facing journalism does not call for a bailout, but for a far-reaching national journalism strategy to save the news. The national journalism strategy must be aggressive but carefully planned, bold but targeted. And it must not be guided by profit-seeking or nostalgia, but rather by core public interest principles.

  • PROTECT THE FIRST AMENDMENT. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential to a free society and a functioning democracy.
  • PRODUCE QUALITY NEWS COVERAGE. To self-govern in a democratic society, the public needs in-depth reporting on local issues as well as national and international affairs that is accurate, credible and verifiable. Journalism should be animated by a multitude of voices and viewpoints.
  • PROVIDE ADVERSARIAL PERSPECTIVES. Reporting should hold the powerful accountable by scrutinizing the actions of government and corporations. Journalism should foster genuine debate about important issues.
  • PROMOTE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY. Newsrooms should serve the public interest, not private or government aims, and should be treated as a public service, not a commodity. Journalism should be responsive to the needs of changing communities.
  • PRIORITIZE INNOVATION. Journalists should utilize new tools and technology to report and deliver the news. The public needs journalism that crosses traditional boundaries and is accessible to the broadest range of people across platforms.

We need to explore how the federal government can best support the future of investigative journalism, beat reporting and quality news in America. This is not about newspapers, it is about newsrooms. It is not about protecting old institutions, it is about serving local communities.

We understand that the future of this industry will likely consist of a diverse collection of models, and we recognize the need for experimentation and innovation now and in the future.

Based on our analysis, we have identified five promising policies that should be the top priorities for policymakers:

  • NEW OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES. Encouraging the establishment of nonprofit and low-profit news organizations through tax exempt ("501(c)(3)") and low-profit limited liability company ("L3C") models.
  • NEW INCENTIVES. Creating tax incentives and revising bankruptcy laws to encourage local, diverse, nonprofit, low-profit and employee ownership.
  • JOURNALISM JOBS PROGRAM. Funding training and retraining for novice and veteran journalists in multimedia and investigative reporting.
  • R&D FUND FOR JOURNALISM INNOVATION. Investing in innovative projects and experimenting to identify and nurture new models.
  • NEW PUBLIC MEDIA. Transforming public broadcasting into a world-class noncommercial news operation using new technology and focused on community service.

We make no claims that these models, alone or collectively, will automatically provide a panacea to the crisis in journalism. However, we believe that these alternatives are worth further consideration, study and action. All of these models, to varying degrees, attempt to circumvent market failure with structural alternatives that seek to democratize media. Furthermore, they all could be accomplished via specific policy interventions and are politically viable, though formidable challenges exist. Most importantly, we hope that by highlighting these options, we can begin a truly public conversation about what the future of journalism should look like and point policymakers and regulators toward an agenda that will save the news and serve the public good.

Read a detailed analysis and explanation of each of these recommendations in our report: Saving the News: Toward a National Journalism Strategy.