Journalism groups ask Press Forward to distribute funding equitably

By Samantha Sunne

Sep 21, 2023

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The Press Forward fund, a $500 million investment over five years, aims to bolster the structure of local news in the US. The coalition is led by the MacArthur Foundation and includes nearly two dozen other funders, including the Lenfest Institute and the Knight Foundation.

A group of journalism organizations, including the National Association of Black Journalists, the Online News Association, and OpenNews, issued an open letter to Press Forward, asking the coalition to prioritize equitable distribution of the fund to underrepresented voices.

“If philanthropy is not intentional about addressing historical funding inequities and the processes by which they persist, it is complicit in the harm they inflict,” the letter reads. “At a time when we are seeing intentional and structural attacks on marginalized communities gain momentum in our society, this would be unacceptable.”

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