The Media Project Joins Institute for Nonprofit News (INN)
The Media Project and its non-profit news outlet, ReligionUnplugged.com, recently became a member of Institute for Nonprofit News (INN). INN supports an extensive network of more than 400 nonprofit news organizations.
As part of the growing sector of news organizations supported by philanthropy, The Media Project and ReligionUnplugged.com leaders believe their participation in INN will help TMP accomplish its mission of providing training, education and professional development to international journalists, particularly journalism that focuses on the role of religion in public life and in peoples’ lives. TMP draws from its international network to produce and publish quality journalism at TMP’s award-winning, non-profit news outlet, ReligionUnplugged.com .
“INN members are helping to fill the information gap as many for-profit news outlets around the country are suffering economic decline,” says Paul Glader, executive director of The Media Project. “TMP and ReligionUnplugged.com are working on this front as well - bringing new ideas, energy and content to the religion beat - which makes our participation with INN very much aligned.”
INN provides numerous resources to the growing sector of nonprofit news outlets in areas such as fundraising, human resources, news innovation technologies and distribution channels.
In 2021 alone, INN members produced over 400,000 original stories. INN also launched the Rural News Network to better represent rural American life in the press. In addition, the INN also published a massive data index, which is consulted by organizations such as E Pluribis Unum, the Google News Initiative, the Dow Jones News Hub, and the American Journalism Project.
Between June 13-15, The Media Project attended the INN Days conference. INN Days is a three-day long virtual conference hosted to highlight the achievements of various INN members & partners. The conference also serves as a platform to connect like-minded people in public service journalism. TMP attended several of the conference’s many compelling events, including “Community-centric models for delivering the news” and “INN Index: The sustained success of nonprofit news.”
“This is an exciting time for TMP.” Says co-founder Melissa Harrison. “Our journalists around the world work hard and often take great risks to report on issues important in their home countries,” said Melissa Harrison, senior programs manager of The Media Project. “We are excited that our INN membership now connects them to a larger community of journalists who are committed to telling stories that matter in all parts of the globe.”
The Institute for Nonprofit News strengthens and supports a new kind of news network: nonprofit, nonpartisan and dedicated to public service. From local news to in-depth reporting on pressing global issues, INN’s members tell stories that otherwise would go untold – connecting communities, holding the powerful accountable and strengthening democracy. INN programs help these news organizations develop revenue and business models to support strong reporting, collaborate on editorial and business innovation, share services and advance the diverse leaders who are forging a new future for news.
The Media Project is a 501(c)3 journalism nonprofit. We empower journalists to provide accurate, thorough, excellent journalism on religion and its significance in public life. TMP regularly hosts programs in multiple nations in partnership with several NGOs and universities.
Follow our work on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook @themediaprojectorg and on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/the-media-project)