As part of our Exploring Issues of Justice Through Media initiative, the foundation recently made grants to two newspapers: The Los Angeles Times, to expand its coverage of immigration issues and ethnic communities; and to The Washington Post, to strengthen its reporting on government accountability. As newspapers struggle to survive in a rapidly changing landscape for journalism, many outlets are exploring innovative partnerships and sources of funding. These grants represent Ford’s commitment to making sure that complicated issues get the deep, broad and nuanced coverage they deserve.

Jonathan Barzilay, director of the foundation’s work in Education, Creativity and Free Expression, appeared on WNYC’s “On the Media” to discuss the grants. He emphasized that the newspapers receiving the funding have complete editorial control over what they cover. “Our interest is in supporting principled journalistic coverage of complex social issues. How that is done is entirely up to the newsrooms,” Barzilay said. The grants are given in the interest of “sustaining the vital role of serious journalism in our democracy.”

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The Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

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