McCormick Foundation Invests More Than $5 Million to Promote News Literacy and the Protection of First Amendment Rights
New Foundation Program Addresses Upheaval in Media Landscape
CHICAGO, October 14, 2009
The McCormick Foundation has approved more than $5 million in grants to organizations targeting news literacy, investigative journalism and defense of First Amendment rights. These new grants signal an important shift in direction for the Foundation’s core journalism program, responding to the dramatic changes in news and consumer media.
“The news media world as we know it has been blown to bits, and consumers are showered with thousands of news and information sources,” said Foundation President and CEO David Hiller. “In this vast new world, a growing sector of the U.S. population does not distinguish or appreciate the differences among journalists, information spinners and citizen voices. It is important for us all to be savvy consumers of news and more informed decision makers. What stays the same is that nothing is more critical to the vitality of a democracy than a free press and an engaged citizenry.”
At the core of the Foundation’s journalism program is “news literacy,” an emerging movement focusing on encouraging and developing critical thinking skills in citizens of all ages so that they can judge the reliability and credibility of information received through various media sources. A closely related initiative will encourage and protect the area of investigative journalism, which has been threatened by the weakened financial position of many news organizations.
“We believe there must be new solutions for the challenges faced by the media, by journalists and, most of all, by the citizens who make decisions based on the availability of sound, professional reporting and unbiased news sources. Non-profits and foundations must take a strong lead on these issues, which affect the very fabric of our society,” said Hiller.
In line with its new direction, the McCormick Foundation granted $100,000 to the
Center for News Literacy at the
Stony Brook Foundation. This one-year grant will create a news literacy curriculum and distribution system for high schools and colleges. In addition, the
Poynter Institute received a $75,000 grant to support their News Literacy Project. This one-year grant will expand the Project’s journalism curriculum into five Chicago middle schools and develop classroom news literacy programs and after-school programs focusing on news and current events. The Foundation also granted $120,000 to
Street Level Youth Media’s (SLYM) Sounding Point radio initiative. This two-year grant will allow SLYM to offer an 8-12 week radio production workshop to more than 45 students ages 8-18. Participants will produce audio programming that features interviews, spoken words, fictional stories, documentaries and music content. The top ten projects will be distributed nationally. Other grants can be found on the Foundation’s Web site at McCormickFoundation.org.
About the McCormick Foundation
The McCormick Foundation is committed to strengthening our free, democratic society by investing in children, communities and country. Through its grantmaking programs, Cantigny Park and Golf, museums, and civic outreach programs, the Foundation helps build a more active and engaged citizenry. It was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. The McCormick Foundation is one of the nation’s largest charities, with more than $1 billion in assets. For more information, please visit
www.McCormickFoundation.org.