Craig Newmark Philanthropies: Guidelines for the Ethical Supporting of News Organizations

In 2016, the American Press Institute published guidelines for funding nonprofit journalism.

The gist, from my perspective, is to balance transparency with the intent to do good while doing no harm. It also advises to avoid making restricted grants for specific purposes, unless there's a compelling reason for doing otherwise.

My philanthropic work is about finding people and groups who are doing good work well, providing support and then getting out of the way to let them do their jobs. When supporting specific content areas, I believe in making the grant broad and general. And of course, I never attempt to influence coverage.

As a funder of nonprofit journalism, it’s on me to act with integrity, transparency, and trustworthiness. I expect it of the folks I support, so I make sure to personally uphold those values, as well.