The American Press Institute has received grants totaling $200,000 for additional support of API’s political fact-checking and accountability journalism program.
The program began in early 2014 with a grant of up to $400,000 over two years from the Democracy Fund. The new funding includes $100,000 from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and $100,000 from the Rita Allen Foundation.
The funds support research to improve political fact checking, working with news outlets to increase fact-checking practices, and contributions to public debates on the topic.
This year, API has conducted hands-on studio workshops for journalists, educators, students and the public at eight locations around the country; and has presented informational sessions at conferences in the U.S. and abroad.
In addition, six experienced scholars from the U.S. and U.K. are conducting research on the impact of fact checking, effectiveness of various forms of fact checking, and other accountability-related topics.
In 2015, API will conduct additional outreach and training, and will develop more resources aimed at supporting news organizations’ fact-checking efforts on the eve of the 2016 election cycle.
Founded in 1946, The American Press Institute conducts research, training, convenes thought leaders and creates tools to help chart a path ahead for journalism in the 21st century. The Press Institute is an educational non-advocacy 501(c)3 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Newspaper Association of America. It aims to help the news media, especially local publishers and newspaper media, advance in the digital age.
For more information about the fact-checking program contact Jane Elizabeth, senior research project manager, jane.elizabeth@pressinstitute.org. You can also sign up for API’s weekly newsletter on fact-checking, truth-telling and accountability.
About The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation helps people build measurably better lives. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, the environment, global development and population, performing arts, and philanthropy, as well as grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A full list of the Hewlett Foundation’s grants can be found in its online grants database.
About the Rita Allen Foundation
The Rita Allen Foundation invests in ideas in their earliest stages, promoting breakthrough solutions to significant problems in science and society. Established in 1953, it has provided major grants to more than 100 biomedical scholars, many of whom have made important advances with their research. Since 2009, the Foundation’s resources and areas of investment have expanded. It now uses strategic philanthropy to promote civic literacy and engagement as well as support young leaders in the sciences and social innovation.
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We’ve gathered reflections from researchers in social science who have attended recent API Local News Summits, where they had the chance to interact with and explore how their work helps — and can be improved by insights from — local journalism.
The press will be much more effective in serving people and strengthening democracy if it learns from what researchers are learning. Among the examples and takeaways, you will find that news leaders and non-news experts alike value the opportunity to think differently about the challenges in front of them, about how local news can change and how research can ask different questions.
We'll share some of the resources, tools and lessons learned from our training sessions and research help desk. We hope you can use these as you plan your continuing accountability coverage and start thinking about the next election on the horizon.
