• Online Journalism Review, Friday, January 23, 2009 9:30 AM

It seems entirely likely that for-profit newspapers and local broadcasters might get philanthropic support from the civic foundations and private donors that are bankrolling news non-profits. With for-profit media watching their news-gathering resources dwindle, some editors say they're open to the idea of seeking help from donors.

Charlotte Hall, president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, says the idea raises multiple questions about how newspapers could solicit philanthropic support and still retain credibility. But it is doable. "A model could emerge for foundations to fund some local reporting at newspapers -- investigative reporting or an important local beat, for example," she says. "A new kind of firewall would be needed to assure independent reporting and unencumbered editing."

The idea that for-profit media might seek subsidies from community foundations came into focus last week, when the Knight Foundation awarded $5 million to 21 civic foundations that pitched plans for expanding news and information in their communities. In essence, local foundations were teaming with Knight to support$17 million worth of new-media journalism that, in many cases, the for-profit media in town would love to be doing.

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