Editor’s note: This is the first blog post where we are specifically highlighting an innovative project from another funding organization; let us know what you think in the comments. This post is from Gary Kebbel, Director of the Knight Journalism program.

More and more individuals and non-profit organizations are experimenting with new ways to bring important information to the public, using new digital tools or processes. One example is an experiment in getting the public to micro-fund investigative journalism, called Spot.us. Another new investigative reporting site, Pro Publica is relying on a large charitable contribution to fund top-notch professional investigative journalists to write stories that many daily newspapers no longer can afford to do. And now, the Kaiser Family Foundation has created Kaiser Health News, a new, nonprofit health policy news organization that will provide free health policy news content to for-profit and non-profit news organizations.

Kaiser Health News joins Spot.us and Pro Publica as experiments in how to fund serious journalism. Kaiser Health News is an experiment in niche journalism funded by an interested party, a foundation whose mission is to focus research and grants on the major health care issues facing the U.S. According to the foundation’s web site, KHN will be an “independent news service, to report on the nation’s complex health care system and the increasingly urgent political and policy debates surrounding it.” To achieve that goal, journalists Laurie McGinley, formerly of the Wall Street Journal, and Peggy Girshman, now at Congressional Quarterly and formerly of NPR, have joined KHN.

What do you think about the Kaiser Health News experiment in niche journalism?

So, we’re trying to go out in the community, somewhat BarCamp style, and do more hands-on sessions with people interested in applying to the Knight News Challenge this year. We have a set of sessions planned around the country, and we’re running them al in a similar way–Talking about the program, explaining the guidelines and key criteria (like having a geographic focus and being innovative), showing a couple of little seesmic videos.

Last week we did two sessions in New York, one at Coumbia Journalism School for faculty and students, and another, that evening, at CUNY (thank you, Professor Jarvis!) for the public and the school. We had about 40 people at each session, many of whom took part on the extensive and detailed Q&A after the brief talk (and that cute David Cohn seesmic video).

Questions ranged from “Can a project make money and be commercial?” (Yes), to “Will you fund something that might just exist for a year or two as an experiment?” (Yes) to “If it’s something that will help all local communities, so I don’t want to limit myself to one, will that fit your guidelines?”
(Probably not.) At the end of each session, I felt like many of the people in the room might apply.

We did another session a few days latter at the much revitalized ONA conference in DC. There Gary Kebbel, Kristen Taylor and myself shared program plans and detailed with about 75 conference attendees, including some past winners. he audience was focused and engaged, again with lots of questions and comments. I left that meeting feeling like perhaps half of the audience would apply,

If you’re interested in a meet up for your area, check the schedule we’re posting; if you need connection, come to the News Challenge garage and post and comment, just as you wish others would do for you.

If you’re debating applying for the Knight News Challenge this year, but haven’t done anything yet AND you live in the Chicago area, you might want to come to the meet up on Thursday of this week. We’ll have two KNC team members and a local winner there to share info about the program, the mentoring program and peer review in the Garage and what kinds of projects KNC08 supports.
Check out the Facebook event invite for KNC’s Chicago meetup!

Thursday, September 25th, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
Columbia College, Room 219
33 E. Congress, Chicago, IL

Here’s what the notice says:

The Knight News Challenge is in the third year of a program that gives away $5MM a year to digital innovations. Do you have a big idea for informing and inspiring a geographic community using social media, Web 2.0 tools or OpenID? How about exchanging information via video, photos or text messaging? A way to integrate game theory with web browsing to support local community engagement? Come on, push the edge - we’re seeking true innovation!

Come to this meet up to find out how to apply, share ideas, and get a chance to talk to KNC evangelists to find out how to apply and improve your chances of winning funding for your great open source idea.

Check out www.newschallenge.org for more information or http://garage.newschallenge.org to start your application now.

Note: You need to RSVP to be able to attend, via Facebook, phone (847-942-6732) or email (miller@knightfdn.org).

This is a truly innovative program to push the edge of what digital democracy and discourse can look like and I hope to see online journalists, media folks, technologists, activists, educators and others I’m not naming here all apply.

(Cross posted to Susan Mernit’ Blog)

Tonight at the Newseum, Sir Tim Berners-Lee announced the creation of the World Wide Web Foundation.

The new foundation’s mission as articulated by Berners-Lee:

-to advance One Web that is free and open,
-to expand the Web’s capability and robustness,
-to extend the Web’s benefits to all people on the planet.

The Knight Foundation is funding a $5 million seed grant over five years. Sir Tim Berners-Lee:

Knight CEO and president Alberto Ibargüen announcing the $5 million seed grant to the World Wide Web Foundation:

More details in the press release, tonight’s speech and on the World Wide Web Foundation site.