ABOUT
MISSION: The core mission of the Center for Journalism and Liberty at the Open Markets Institute is to ensure that the news media of the United States and our democratic allies is fully independent and robustly funded in the 21st century’s digital economy. The Center’s work is guided by the belief that government plays a fundamental role in structuring news media markets and business models to ensure that neither the state nor any one or few private actors control the words or actions of reporters, editors and publishers. The center focuses on policy solutions with regard to privacy, platforms, business models, and content integrity.
WHO: The CJL team engages in reporting and deep research, fosters discussion, prepares op-eds and white papers and creates working groups, among other approaches to developing viable and practical solutions to sustaining reliable news and information ecosystems.
Courtney C. Radsch, Ph.D., serves as director, leverages a plethora of International journalism expertise and is a published author of Cyberactivism and Citizen Journalism in Egypt: Digital Dissidence and Political Change.
CJL Fellow Nik Usher, Ph.D., is an associate professor of journalism at the University of Illinois and author of “Making News at the New York Times” and “Interactive Journalism: Hackers, Data, and Code.“
OMI staff sharing their expertise include Policy Director Phil Longman, senior legal policy analyst Daniel Hanley, and Senior Reporter Karina Montoya, and reporter and researcher Austin Ahlman.
BACKGROUND AND PERSPECTIVE: The Center for Journalism and Liberty focuses specifically on the communications systems, media, and information aspects of the broader anti-monopoly work of the Open Markets Institute. Click here for early examples of OMI’s efforts to shine a light on monopoly power and the ways that it damages democracy. And here to read our report on how to make the news sustainable in the 21st Century.
SUPPORT: The Knight Foundation provided initial support to the Open Markets Institute to create the Center for Journalism and Liberty. The three-year grant is to explore technology policy, particularly the impact of corporate concentration by internet companies on journalism and media. The negative effects of that concentration involve a wide range of overlapping issues including technology, privacy and data, utilities policy, finances and monetization, a trusted news ecosystem and access.
The CJL seeks additional donors to support and expand its work. To explore opportunities to help, please contact Jessica Brown, director of development and foundation relations.
