ST. PETERSBURG, Florida — The Poynter Institute has released a new toolkit to help foundations and other journalism funders navigate conflicts of interest that traditional policies may not address.
Philanthropic support for journalism can create complex relationships. Foundation board members, staff and donors can often have deep ties to organizations that the newsrooms they support report on. These relationships are not inherently problematic, but without clear policies, they can put reputations, editorial independence and public trust at risk.
The free resource, “Navigating Conflicts of Interest for Journalism Funders: A Policy Toolkit,” offers practical guidance, a customizable policy and real-world scenarios to help funders protect the credibility of both their organizations and the newsrooms they support.
Developed by Poynter faculty member Megan Griffith-Greene and Poynter senior vice president Kelly McBride, chair of the Newmark Ethics Center, the toolkit draws on Poynter’s expertise in journalism ethics and conversations with dozens of news funders. It provides a framework built around three core principles:
The toolkit also provides implementation guidance and practical scenarios to help funders train staff and board members, anticipate challenges and make informed decisions when conflicts arise.
“Funders need to know how to manage these kinds of conflicts when they come up, to ensure their process is fair and that they are working to preserve and protect the editorial independence of their grantees,” Griffith-Greene said. “We want to give funders the tools to confidently support journalism. Navigating potential conflicts is one of the barriers that can make funders hesitant to do this kind of work. We wanted to take the guesswork out of it.”
Developed with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and in partnership with Press Forward, the toolkit builds on Poynter’s broader work supporting local journalism funders through training and resources.
“Philanthropy has an increasingly important role in sustaining local journalism, and with that comes a responsibility to protect editorial independence and public trust. As more funders enter this space, clear, practical guidance for navigating potential conflicts of interest is essential. This toolkit gives funders the confidence to support journalism while safeguarding the independence and credibility that make it valuable to the communities it serves,” said Amalie Nash, Vice President of Journalism, Knight Foundation.
“As more and more funders nationwide engage in supporting local news to strengthen their communities, we want to make sure they have the right safeguards in place. This toolkit offers practical support for identifying and managing potential conflicts of interest,” said Caroline Merenda, director of chapter advancement at Press Forward.
In addition to the toolkit, Poynter offers customized consulting and coaching to help foundations adapt the guidelines to their needs, write and implement conflict of interest policies and navigate complex situations. “We had dozens of conversations with funders to better understand the kinds of problems they’ve seen and what they need to be able to address them,” Griffith-Greene said.
Access the free toolkit: Navigating Conflicts of Interest for Journalism Funders
Media Contact:
Jennifer Orsi
Vice President, Publishing and Local News Initiatives
Poynter Institute
jorsi@poynter.org
About the Poynter Institute:
The Poynter Institute is a global nonprofit working to address society’s most pressing issues by teaching journalists and journalism, covering the media and the complexities facing the industry, convening and community building, improving the capacity and sustainability of news organizations and fostering trust and reliability of information. The Institute is the gold standard in journalistic excellence and dedicated to the preservation and advancement of press freedom in democracies worldwide. Through Poynter, journalists, newsrooms, businesses, big tech corporations and citizens convene to find solutions that promote trust and transparency in news and stoke meaningful public discourse. The world’s top journalists and emerging media leaders rely on the Institute to learn new skills, adopt best practices, better serve audiences, scale operations and improve the quality of the universally shared information ecosystem.
The Newmark Ethics Center, the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), MediaWise and PolitiFact are all members of the Poynter organization.
Support for Poynter and our entities upholds the integrity of the free press and the U.S. First Amendment and builds public confidence in journalism and media — an essential for healthy democracies. Learn more at poynter.org.
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