WNYC Secures $1M Pledge for Digital Journalism
The Charles H. Revson Foundation, based in New York City, has pledged $1,000,000 over two years to WNYC Radio for the station’s new digital journalism initiative. The initiative is focused on using radio, digital and broadband technologies to build capacity for the coverage and discussion of issues affecting residents of the greater New York metropolitan area.
The grant will go toward a $6 million project through which WNYC will:
- Invest in and expand on-air and online coverage of local issues including politics, business and culture.
- Foster public conversation around these issues.
- Create editorial partnerships and open-source applications that will serve as models for collaboration across the public media system.
- Expand its newsroom by one-third (approximately 35 people).
The Foundation maintains an Urban Affairs program area focused on improving New York and the lives of the people who live and work there. Julie Sandorf, Revson Foundation president, was quoted in the Wall Street Journal saying, "The pressing issues and challenges facing New York today demand we maintain a platform for rigorous, authoritative public-affairs reporting. In order for a democracy to succeed, robust reporting is essential to supporting and sustaining an informed and active citizenry."
