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Poynter Institute

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Poynter Institute
Former names
Modern Media Institute
MottoDemocracy needs journalism. Journalism needs Poynter.
TypeSchool of journalism
EstablishedMay 29, 1975
PresidentNeil Brown[1]
Location
St. Petersburg
,
Florida
,
U.S.
Websitepoynter.org

ThePoynter Institute for Media Studiesis a non-profit journalism school and research organization inSt. Petersburg, Florida,United States. The school is the owner of theTampa Bay Timesnewspaper and the International Fact-Checking Network.[2][3]It also operatesPolitiFact.[4]

History

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Foundation

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The school began on May 29, 1975,[5]whenNelson Poynter,the owner and chairman of theSt. Petersburg Times(now theTampa Bay Times) andTimes Publishing Company,announced that he planned to start a small journalism school called theModern Media Institute.[6]

In 1977, Nelson Poynter willed ownership of the Times Publishing Company to the Institute so that after his death the school would become the owner of theSt. Petersburg Times.[6]

The name of the school was changed to the "Poynter Institute" in 1984.[5]

Expansion and development

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Craig Newmark(founder ofCraigslist) is a board member of the Poynter Foundation and donated $1 million to it in 2015.[7][8]

In 2018, the Poynter Institute began a cooperation with the content recommendation network Revcontent, to stop misinformation and fake news in articles[9][10][11]supplying Revcontent withfact-checkingprovided by their International Fact-Checking Network.[12]January 11, 2018, theCharles Koch Foundation's Director of Free Expression, Sarah Ruger, stated in anAmerican Society of News Editorsnews release that "The foundation supports many grantees committed to press freedom, including The Poynter Institute, theNewseumandTechdirt's free speech initiative. "[13]On February 12, 2018, theTampa Bay Times,the for-profit branch of thenonprofitPoynter institute spun off thePulitzer Prize–winningPolitiFactwebsite to form an independent division within Poynter.[4]

Since 2019,The Washington Posthas been partnering with the Poynter Institute to increase diversity in media, with the goal to expand Poynter's annual Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media training journalists to become founders, top-level executives and innovators.[14][15]Other sponsors areCNN,the Scripps Howard Foundations,Craig NewmarkPhilanthropies, theEthics and Excellence in Journalism Foundationand TEGNA Foundation.[16]

Poynter published a list of over 515 news websites that it labeled "unreliable" in 2019. The author of the piece used variousfake newsdatabases (including those curated by theAnnenberg Public Policy Center,Merrimack College,PolitiFact,andSnopes) to compile the list and called on advertisers to "blacklist"the included sites. The list included conservative news websites such as theWashington Examiner,The Washington Free Beacon,andThe Daily Signalas well as conspiracy outfits includingInfoWars.[17]After backlash from both readers of and contributors to some of the included publications, Poynter retracted the list, citing "weaknesses in the methodology".[18]Poynter issued a statement, saying: "[w]e regret that we failed to ensure that the data was rigorous before publication, and apologize for the confusion and agitation caused by its publication."[19]Reasonpointed out that the author was a freelancer hired by the Institute who typically works for theSouthern Poverty Law Center(SPLC).Reasondrew parallels between the accuracy of the list with SPLC'sown work on hate groups.[17]

Election integrity and COVID-19

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In 2020, after receiving funding fromFacebook,the Poynter Institute expanded the MediaWise program with a national media literacy program called MediaWise Voter project (#MVP). Its goal was to reach 2 million American first-time voter college students, helping them to be better prepared and informed for the2020 elections.[20][non-primary source needed]

The Poynter Institute received $737,400 in federal loans from thePaycheck Protection Programduring theCOVID-19 pandemic.President Neil Brown noted that this was not the first time the institute received government funding, noting past training contracts withVoice of America.[21]

Activities

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International Fact-Checking Network

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Logo of the International Fact-Checking Network

In 2015, the institute launched the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), which sets acode of ethicsforfact-checkingorganizations. The IFCN reviews fact-checkers for compliance with its code, and issues acertificationto publishers who pass the audit. The certification lasts for one year, and fact-checkers must be re-examined annually to retain their certifications.[22]Facebookhas used the IFCN's certification to vet publishers for fact-checking contracts.[23][24]Membership has also been used to identify the reliability of a fact-checking organization.[25]DWcalled it the most prominent fact-checking consortium.[26]

The IFCN and theAmerican Press Institutejointly publishFactually,anewsletteron fact-checking and journalism ethics.[22][27]The IFCN also organizes Global Fact, a yearly conference on fact checking.[28]

News University

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News University (NewsU) is a project of the Poynter Institute that offers journalism training through methods including e-learning courses, webinars, and learning games. NewsU is funded by theJohn S. and James L. Knight Foundation.[29]

Awards

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In 2023, theNews Leaders Associationtransferred stewardship of the NLA Awards to the Poynter Institute, who will administer the contest from 2024 onward, and the awards were renamed to The Poynter Journalism Prizes.[30][31][32]That same year, Poynter announced the creation of a new prize in honor ofRoy Peter Clarkcalled The Roy Peter Clark Award for Excellence in Short Writing.[33][34]

Poynter Medal

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Since 2015, the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism has been awarded by the Poynter Institute. Winners include:

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Neil Brown".Poynter.
  2. ^"Company Overview of The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Inc".Bloomberg. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018.RetrievedNovember 16,2018.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^"Short film celebrates Pulitzer Prize centennial".Tampa Bay Times.April 12, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on February 22, 2018.RetrievedApril 13,2016.The Poynter Institute, which owns the Tampa Bay Times, hosted one such event on March 31.
  4. ^ab"PolitiFact Becomes Its Own Division within Nonprofit Poynter Institute".Nonprofit Quarterly. February 13, 2018.RetrievedAugust 9,2021.
  5. ^abShedden, David (May 26, 2005)."Institute History: 30 Years Ago".Poynter.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2019.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  6. ^abHooker, Robert W. (July 16, 2009)."By giving away the St. Petersburg Times, Nelson Poynter may have ensured its survival".Tampa Bay Times.Archived fromthe originalon June 16, 2016.RetrievedJune 26,2016.
  7. ^Gold, Hadas (December 12, 2016)."Craigslist founder gives Poynter Institute $1 million to support 'journalism ethics'".Politico.Archivedfrom the original on November 17, 2018.RetrievedNovember 16,2018.
  8. ^O'Shea, Chris (December 12, 2018)."Craig Newmark Donates $1 Million to Poynter Institute".Adweek.Archivedfrom the original on August 15, 2017.RetrievedNovember 16,2018.
  9. ^Guaglione, Sara (August 16, 2018)."Revcontent, Poynter Partner to Demonetize Fake News".MediaPost.RetrievedDecember 10,2020.
  10. ^Naresh, Nitin (August 14, 2018)."Revcontent is trying to get rid of misinformation with help from the Poynter Institute".Inventiva.RetrievedDecember 10,2020.
  11. ^Ha, Anthony (August 14, 2018)."Revcontent is trying to get rid of misinformation with help from the Poynter Institute".TechCrunch.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  12. ^"Revcontent is trying to get rid of misinformation with help from the Poynter Institute".TechCrunch.August 14, 2018.RetrievedAugust 3,2021.
  13. ^Cook, Christopher D. (January 11, 2018)."Koch Foundation grants to ASNE, Poynter ignite criticism".Columbia Journalism Review.RetrievedAugust 6,2021.
  14. ^"The Washington Post partners with Poynter for the Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media".The Washington Post.April 17, 2019.RetrievedDecember 10,2020.
  15. ^"The Washington Post and Poynter name members of the 2019 Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media".The Washington Post.September 9, 2019.RetrievedDecember 10,2020.
  16. ^"Matthew Ong named to the Poynter, Washington Post Leadership Academy for Diversity in Digital Media".The Cancer Letter.August 6, 2020.RetrievedDecember 11,2020.
  17. ^abSoave, Robby (June 5, 2019)."Poynter Institute's Retracted List of Fake News Sites Was Written by SPLC Podcast Producer".Reason Foundation.RetrievedAugust 14,2021.
  18. ^Concha, Joe (May 3, 2019)."Poynter pulls blacklist of 'unreliable' news websites after backlash".The Hill.Archivedfrom the original on July 30, 2019.RetrievedMay 3,2019.
  19. ^Allen, Barbara (May 2, 2019)."Letter from the Editor".Poynter Institute.Archivedfrom the original on August 26, 2019.RetrievedMay 3,2019.
  20. ^"The Poynter Institute announces investment from Facebook to expand MediaWise digital information literacy program to first-time voters".PR Newswire.January 22, 2020.RetrievedAugust 13,2021.
  21. ^Farhi, Paul (April 29, 2020)."Axios returns coronavirus bailout loan as news organizations grapple with the ethics of taking government funds".The Washington Post.RetrievedMarch 10,2021.
  22. ^abLerner-Rubin, D. (October 23, 2019)."Fact-checking fact-checkers".The Jerusalem Post.Archivedfrom the original on February 5, 2020.RetrievedDecember 12,2019.
  23. ^Owen, Laura Hazard (August 15, 2019)."Finally, Instagram is getting fact-checked (in a limited way and just in the U.S., for now)".Nieman Journalism Lab.Nieman Foundation for Journalism.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2019.RetrievedAugust 15,2019.
  24. ^"Facebook's War on Bullshit Is Not Going Well—We Talked to the Fact Checkers on the Front Lines".Gizmodo.August 27, 2018.RetrievedDecember 11,2020.
  25. ^Ruggeri, Amanda (May 10, 2024)."The 'Sift' strategy: A four-step method for spotting misinformation".BBC.RetrievedJuly 16,2024.
  26. ^"Fact-checking: A curated guide to resources and ideas".DW.COM.October 8, 2020.RetrievedJuly 18,2024.
  27. ^Granger, Jacob (April 24, 2019)."10 essential newsletters every journalist should read".Journalism.co.uk.Archivedfrom the original on May 2, 2019.RetrievedDecember 12,2019.
  28. ^Oyedeji, Niyi (April 14, 2022)."Fact-checkers head to Oslo for ninth edition of Global Fact conference".FactCheckHub.RetrievedJuly 8,2023.
  29. ^"Poynter Institute to grow 'News University' platform with Knight Foundation funding".Tampa Bay Times.June 28, 2016.Archivedfrom the original on May 3, 2019.RetrievedMay 3,2019.
  30. ^Orsi, Jennifer (November 30, 2023)."Poynter Institute to run respected 45-year-old journalism contest, now renamed The Poynter Journalism Prizes".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  31. ^"NLA board approves membership's vote to dissolve by June 2024".Editor & Publisher.December 12, 2023.RetrievedJuly 16,2024.
  32. ^"The Post receives multiple honors in the Poynter Journalism Prizes".Washington Post.April 24, 2024.ISSN0190-8286.RetrievedJuly 16,2024.
  33. ^Orsi, Jennifer (December 12, 2023)."The Poynter Journalism Prizes establishes new award honoring writing coach Roy Peter Clark".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  34. ^Banaszynski, Jacqui (December 14, 2023)."Writing award named for Roy Peter Clark".Nieman Storyboard.RetrievedJuly 16,2024.
  35. ^Hare, Kristen (June 23, 2015)."Poynter to honor Bob Schieffer with lifetime achievement award".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  36. ^Mullin, Benjamin (March 31, 2016)."Poynter to honor Tom Brokaw with lifetime achievement award".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  37. ^Mullin, Benjamin (April 13, 2017)."Poynter to honor Judy Woodruff with lifetime achievement award".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  38. ^Dyakon, Tina (July 16, 2018)."Lester Holt to receive Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  39. ^Grau, Mel (July 10, 2019)."Poynter to honor Katie Couric and Norman Pearlstine at its Bowtie Ball on Nov. 2".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  40. ^Dyakon, Tina (September 23, 2020)."Poynter to honor Chris Wallace at its fundraising gala".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  41. ^Dyakon, Tina (September 13, 2021)."Poynter to honor Lesley Stahl during its annual fundraising gala".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  42. ^Bealor, Sara (August 29, 2022)."Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to be honored with the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement".Poynter.RetrievedDecember 14,2023.
  43. ^"Anderson Cooper receives lifetime achievement award at the 2023 Bowtie Ball".Tampa Bay Times.RetrievedSeptember 3,2024.
  44. ^Streissguth, Adele (August 7, 2024)."Robin Roberts of ABC's 'Good Morning America' to receive Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism".Poynter.RetrievedAugust 7,2024.
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