Seeing what Knight was funding, we approached them for $100K to kickstart a project to bring local news to 180M+ cord-cutters and was turned down because our business model didn’t rely on traditional advertising, memberships, subscriptions or donations for funding. Innovation is out there, it just seems those who could help are too invested in propping up old models than considering or supporting new ones.
I think in many respects this is the academic model of journalism flowering into its full putrid form. Something that has happened for music for the past century- people doing the work starving while the commentators make full and heft salaries- has now been applied to much of the culture industry. The fact that i make more money as a critic and technician than as a musician, despite being vastly inferior at those crafts, continues to blow my mind.
Bless you! Bless you for writing something no one else would write because they all want Knight Foundation money...and take a look at this grant from 2015, my absolute favorite:
Perceptoscope (Project lead: Ben Sax; Los Angeles): Helping civic institutions like museums and historical sites present local information through augmented-reality enabled, coin-operated binoculars that provide immersive experiences in public spaces using interactive art, historical recreations and real-time data visualizations.
If Knight bought McClatchy or the LA Times or another troubled media giant, it would be fighting with its creditors and unions to make the exact same cuts as the VCs. They wouldn't be the knight, they'd be the dragon devouring the damsel. So they decided not to play.
About two years ago folks from Knight sent cheery emails asking for a meeting as they wanted to keep up with new developments in news gathering. We agreed to have coffee near the hosue. After some pleasantries one of the Knight rep's phone buzzed and she said, Sorry to cut this sort, our Uber is here." Total elapsed time? Fifteen minutes and not one word was exchanged about news gathering. Obviously we were a check box. At that point my biz partner said, "Fuck Knight. I'll never speak to them again."
Great column. You forgot another Knight darling, Jim Brady, who was paid a good sum to create a ya ebook for local news startups that never materialized. No accountability.
*insert Tyra Banks "I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you! gif here*
But seriously, this is so depressing. In a broad sense, nonprofit should be the default way to set up journalism anyway - there might be some stickiness to work out with competing interests between major donors and reporting thoroughly on people who are rich enough to be major donors. But that's even worse in our current climate of businesses buying up media. Like is the Washington Post really expecting us to trust that they'll take Jeff Besos to task?
But instead of media nonprofits who can afford it helping out the actual industry, there's this. Yay...
If Knight bought the McClatchy or the LA Times or any other troubled media giant, it would be fighting with the giant's creditors and unions to make the exact same cuts as the VCs. It wouldn't be the knight, it would be the dragon devouring the damsel. So it decided not to play. And, for that reason, will never play.
Excited for this series! Going forward will it rotate through staff or will Jack own updates?
I do hope the focus of "Please Fuck Off" won't only be media.
It seems such a target-rich environment.
Seeing what Knight was funding, we approached them for $100K to kickstart a project to bring local news to 180M+ cord-cutters and was turned down because our business model didn’t rely on traditional advertising, memberships, subscriptions or donations for funding. Innovation is out there, it just seems those who could help are too invested in propping up old models than considering or supporting new ones.
Go get 'em Jack
I think in many respects this is the academic model of journalism flowering into its full putrid form. Something that has happened for music for the past century- people doing the work starving while the commentators make full and heft salaries- has now been applied to much of the culture industry. The fact that i make more money as a critic and technician than as a musician, despite being vastly inferior at those crafts, continues to blow my mind.
Bless you! Bless you for writing something no one else would write because they all want Knight Foundation money...and take a look at this grant from 2015, my absolute favorite:
Perceptoscope (Project lead: Ben Sax; Los Angeles): Helping civic institutions like museums and historical sites present local information through augmented-reality enabled, coin-operated binoculars that provide immersive experiences in public spaces using interactive art, historical recreations and real-time data visualizations.
Chotiner led the Simon & Schuster dumbfuck to basically admit she’d publish Trumps post presidency book un-fact checked.
Lol
fuck off dana Canedy
fuck these mother fuckers
If Knight bought McClatchy or the LA Times or another troubled media giant, it would be fighting with its creditors and unions to make the exact same cuts as the VCs. They wouldn't be the knight, they'd be the dragon devouring the damsel. So they decided not to play.
About two years ago folks from Knight sent cheery emails asking for a meeting as they wanted to keep up with new developments in news gathering. We agreed to have coffee near the hosue. After some pleasantries one of the Knight rep's phone buzzed and she said, Sorry to cut this sort, our Uber is here." Total elapsed time? Fifteen minutes and not one word was exchanged about news gathering. Obviously we were a check box. At that point my biz partner said, "Fuck Knight. I'll never speak to them again."
Great column. You forgot another Knight darling, Jim Brady, who was paid a good sum to create a ya ebook for local news startups that never materialized. No accountability.
*insert Tyra Banks "I was rooting for you! We were all rooting for you! gif here*
But seriously, this is so depressing. In a broad sense, nonprofit should be the default way to set up journalism anyway - there might be some stickiness to work out with competing interests between major donors and reporting thoroughly on people who are rich enough to be major donors. But that's even worse in our current climate of businesses buying up media. Like is the Washington Post really expecting us to trust that they'll take Jeff Besos to task?
But instead of media nonprofits who can afford it helping out the actual industry, there's this. Yay...
https://melanietheconstantreader.substack.com/
If Knight bought the McClatchy or the LA Times or any other troubled media giant, it would be fighting with the giant's creditors and unions to make the exact same cuts as the VCs. It wouldn't be the knight, it would be the dragon devouring the damsel. So it decided not to play. And, for that reason, will never play.
good post in a good series
Seems like The Knight Foundation is on a Crusade. God wills it!!!!