WTF-PAYBACK-First Look Media will give $550,000 to support press freedoms | Poynter.

by Kristen HarePublishedMay 20, 201412:24 pmUpdatedMay 20, 201412:49 pm

First Look Media

First Look Media announced Tuesday that it will give $550,000 to support three organizations “at the forefront of integrating freedom of the press with technology,” according to the press release.

Those organizations are:

– Freedom of the Press Foundation, with a grant of up to $350,000.

FPF started as a crowdsourcing site for journalism outlets, but now also provides newsroom software that allows people to submit anonymous whistleblower tips electronically.

– Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, with a grant of $100,000.

As one of the country’s premier non-profits devoted to the legal rights of journalists, Reporters Committee has taken the lead in supporting First Amendment and press rights cases, as well as Freedom of Information Act efforts.

– Electronic Frontier Foundation with a grant of $100,000.

Upcoming projects include instructional resources covering communication technologies, secure communication principles and privacy for professional journalists, citizen media, and activists, as well as planning for an “Encryption Usability Prize” to incent developers and design professionals to create accessible encryption software.

According to the press release, “the funding is part of First Look’s broader strategy to strengthen freedom of the press while introducing new technologies to the journalism industry.”

“The grants represent First Look’s strong commitment to finding new tools that will support the First Amendment,” said Lynn Oberlander, First Look’s general counsel, media operations. “Growing the capacity for other organizations to do this work is fundamental to First Look’s mission.”

In January, Poynter wrote about First Look Media, founded by Pierre Omidyar, and Omidyar’s plans for the future. Journalists Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras, Jeremy Scahill and many others all work for First Look’s The Intercept, which debuted in February.

Tags: First Look Media

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