The SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University invites you to this overview of findings on how philanthropy might strengthen U.S. democracy through efforts to reimagine local opinion journalism. At a time when philanthropy is paying increased attention to the role of local journalism in civic discourse, the new report — “Philanthropy and Local Opinion Journalism: A Civic Opportunity” outlines how local media is working with funders and other donors to re-envision and expand the voices in one local “agora,” the local media opinion section.
Join to be among the first to hear the findings as well as implications and recommendations, as outlined by Kevin Loker, an SNF Agora Institute Visiting Fellow for 2023-2024. Kevin is Senior Director of Program Operations and Partnerships at the American Press Institute, a national nonprofit that supports local and community-based media through research, programs, and products that foster healthy, responsive, and resilient news organizations.
In addition to learning about the report, participants can expect to:
- Hear from innovators in local opinion journalism
- Learn about the related work of peer funders
- Discuss ideas that resonate in small groups of your choice.
Kevin and others will stay for 15 minutes past 2 p.m. to take questions.
Bio
Kevin Loker is Senior Director of Program Operations and Partnerships at the American Press Institute, where he has spent more than a decade helping local news organizations improve their journalism and business. His research experience in journalism includes contributing to more than a dozen studies of U.S. news consumers through the Media Insight Project API’s collaboration with the Associated Press – NORC Center for Public Affairs Research; contributing to a major study of philanthropic funding ethics in news, as well as surveys of journalists; and serving as the research assistant for the fourth edition of “The Elements of Journalism: What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect,” a widely used journalism textbook.