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Media Issues
GFEM is an advocate to our grantmaker colleagues, encouraging them to fund innovative media arts and public interest media—through support of content, infrastructure, and policy—as a vital form of cultural expression and essential component of our democracy. Whether providing support for documentary or narrative films, or efforts to close the national or international “digital divide,” or supporting advocacy and educational organizations to keep the Internet unrestricted, or highlighting media advancements being made in developing countries, or the evolving media policies in developed nations-GFEM’s aim is to provide small and large funders alike with information to assist them in making decisions about supporting the interconnected areas of media content, infrastructure and policy.
Content
A television program or film puts a face on an issue. A radio news feature or documentary brings a tangible reality to recited facts. Video streamed on a website underscores issues presented in plain text and can move people to action. Whether the content is targeted to public or commercial media outlets, funders need a working understanding of the entire media landscape in order to be most effective in their grantmaking.
Infrastructure
A high-speed, unfettered Internet, community-based media arts organizations, PBS, NPR, Public/Educational/Government (PEG) public access stations, or mobile phones are all a part of our media infrastructure—GFEM provides funders with information to help them in supporting media infrastructure, whether local, national, or international.
Policy
Restrictive media policies can curtail access to the content we do have through the infrastructure we currently have in place. There are clear roles for funders to play in helping to address media policy issues and GFEM works to keep funders abreast of the constantly shifting media policy environment.
NKDPS Announces Grants Totaling $210,000 for Seven Media and Communications Projects
The Necessary Knowledge for a Democratic Public Sphere program (NKDPS) of the Social Science Research Council is pleased to announce the seven recipients of $30,000 grants for collaborative media and communications research projects. The research topics range from “Hate Speech in the Media” to “Global Best Practices for Community Wireless Networks”.
Orphaned Works: What & Why Funders Need to Know
There has been a lot of discourse in the media arts field over new legislation concerning copyright. Introduced on April 24, 2008 in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, the legislation addresses so-called "orphan works" - copyrighted works (original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form of expression) in which a copyright holder is difficult to locate or identify and may still benefit from copyright protection.
New Toolkit on Messaging for Media Policy Change
Whose Media? Our Media! is an excellent new workbook for advocates and community members that provides the tools of strategic communications – planning, framing, messaging, storytelling and creative campaign tactics -- to shape public opinion in favor of a democratic media system.
Top Tech Issues of the Presidential Race
"When the dust settles in November, the next president will have his hands full with the usual issues. But the tech industry will also be watching with great interest to see if a McCain or Obama presidency will tackle key issues like Net neutrality, patent protection and piracy, broadband availability, privacy, and the availability of H1B visas."
New Copyright Legislation Update, Op-Ed
Americans for the Arts is doing an outstanding job tracking new Congressional legislation concerning copyright on so-called "orphan works" - copyrighted works in which a copyright holder is difficult to locate or identify and may still benefit from copyright protection. Many works of music, literature and film fall into this category.
Will Community Foundations Fund Local Journalism?
Leonard Witt of Public Journalism Network (PJNet.org) spoke with Knight Foundation Journalism Program VP Eric Newton and asked him about the role community foundations could play in supporting local journalists.
In this video Eric Newton, Vice President for the Journalism Program at the Knight Foundation, says only 25 percent of community foundations fund journalism, but then talks about why he thinks that number is poised to grow.