Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is launching the Knight Center for the Future of News, thanks to a significant $10.5 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and an additional $4 million investment from ASU. This center will serve as a national hub, tackling crucial challenges facing journalism today.
These challenges include rebuilding public trust, bolstering the sustainability of local media, and pioneering new storytelling techniques. This represents the largest single donation in the Cronkite School’s history, part of the university’s Changing Futures campaign. ASU President Michael Crow highlighted the center’s importance to journalism's democratic role, stating, “Collaborating with Knight Foundation to advance a new era of exceptional journalism is imperative.”
Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, Knight Foundation president and CEO, acknowledged the dynamic changes in the local news landscape. She praised ASU’s leading role in journalism research and collaboration, saying, “Local news is rapidly evolving, with innovative business models emerging across the country. ASU and the Cronkite School have long been leaders in research and collaboration in this space, making them an ideal partner to help shape the future of the industry and to host this hub for information, connection and shared insight.”
The Knight Center will comprise three labs and an innovation hub. Located at the Arizona Center in downtown Phoenix, it will open on July 1. Julia Wallace, the Frank Russell Chair in the Business of Journalism, will serve as the launch director, with a national search underway for a permanent executive director. Cronkite School Dean Battinto Batts stressed the center’s significance in supporting evolving journalistic forms, including individual creators building their own audiences. The Knight Foundation’s support for the Cronkite School spans over 30 years.
Lindsay Walker, an executive director of development at the ASU Foundation, noted, “Knight Foundation’s transformational commitment to establish the Knight Center for the Future of News is a testament to their belief in the fundamental role journalism plays in ensuring engaged communities and a vibrant democracy. Knight has demonstrated unwavering support of the Cronkite School for more than three decades. Their latest gift will amplify the impact and reach of top-tier journalism education and training at a pivotal moment in time for the nation’s media landscape.”