WASHINGTON, DC – A new, independent global policy research center that seeks to encourage an independent, sustainable news media, maintain an open internet and foster informed public policy conversations — the Center for News, Technology & Innovation (CNTI) — launched today.
CNTI conducts, synthesizes and commissions high-quality research on media and technology policy and convenes global experts across industries for thoughtful conversations about potential solutions to the most pressing challenges of our digital era. CNTI’s reports and policy discussions are intended to be a resource for all involved in debating, covering and shaping policy.
“I am honored to work with CNTI’s founding Board members, advisors, funders and other champions to lead this essential work,” said Amy Mitchell, executive director of CNTI, who previously served as Director of Journalism Research at the Pew Research Center. “I have spent my career researching the changing landscape of news and the impact of new technologies on news habits, and I am excited by this opportunity to help tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing our global society in a way that is grounded in research, is collaborative, deliberative and solutions-oriented.”
CNTI board members are Marty Baron, former executive editor of the Washington Post; Sangu Delle, CEO of CarePoint (formerly Africa Health Holdings); Craig Forman, partner at NextNews Ventures and former President and CEO at McClatchy; Richard Gingras, Vice President of News at Google; Paula Miraglia, CEO and co-founder of Nexo Jornal; Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, co-founder and CEO of Rappler; and Marietje Schaake, international policy director at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center and former member of European Parliament.
“CNTI launches at a critical moment for people around the world,” said Craig Forman, CNTI’s executive chair. “News and journalism are changing as technology evolves and societies are dealing with fundamental questions about the future of news and its convergence with those technologies. I am excited about the world-class CNTI team tackling these opportunities and challenges head-on.”
CNTI’s staff, board and advisors have already been working hard. The group identified 15 priority issues and already developed issue primers for many of them, which serve as resources to those working on these issues and as starting points for CNTI convenings. The remaining briefings will be available in the coming months.
CNTI plans to launch its first convening series this fall on generative artificial intelligence technologies, focusing on several specific challenges within the broader question of how to enable the benefits and manage the harms of AI in journalism.
More than two dozen industry and civil society leaders have also joined CNTI as advisors. CNTI’s financial supporters include Craig Newmark Philanthropies, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Lenfest Institute for Journalism and Google.
About the Center for News, Technology & Innovation:
At CNTI’s foundation is a broad array of independent, multi-disciplinary experts in news, technology, public policy and research, who care deeply about addressing complicated, pressing issues and worry about the consequences if we accept the status quo. We believe independent media and an open internet lead to better informed citizens, and we believe they reinforce the democratic principles of open societies. Where there are challenges, we look to tackle such challenges as an organization, with respect for each other’s expertise, varied perspectives and honest differences. We also believe that media and technology-related policy in one country can have an impact in many others, and as such, CNTI assesses internet policy from a global perspective. For more information, visit www.cntitransfer.wpenginepowered.com.
