Media Impact

"It is a treat seeing the product of legislation we wrote in the 80s," said Rep. Henry Waxman at an Independent Television Service award ceremony for him. "The rich and powerful often get their way in D.C., but the poor and marginalized don't get their story told."

Waxman, who is widely beloved for his pragmatic and conscientious struggle to leverage government for the good of many, whether in health care, the environment or the media, was remembering the 1988 legislation he shepherded, which created ITVS. Read more...

Edward Snowden made a surprise appearance at the "News Organizations & Digital Security" convening. His message: Use encryption and be as safe as you can be, but don’t settle for playing defense. Demand policy that doesn’t turn journalism into a guerrilla activity, and that increases government accountability. Read more...

At the "News Organizations and Digital Security" convening, journalists and technologists faced sometimes grisly realities about the challenges individuals and news organizations face to safely secure communication.

The event, co-hosted by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Freedom of the Press Foundation, and the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute, also showcased current tools (and their limitations) for encryption. Read more...

In a post-Snowden reality, journalists are paying special attention to security and encryption. Standards are still pretty much across the board from philsophies on security via obscurity, hiding in plain site, mobile encryption apps and secure EVERYTHING.

But journalists have started to organize background info and resources that provide a foundation for much needed conversation on the need for encryption, the extent of that encryption and the available tools. Read more...

On October 30, creative minds came together in New York City to explore “more clarity on what would be an optimal resource for interactive creators.” Ingrid Kopp, director of Interactive at the Tribeca Film Institute, convened creators and thinkers for a day long discussion on understanding impact through interactive media (in partnership with the MIT Open Documentary Lab and supported by the Fledgling Fund). Read more...