With a major grant from Carnegie Corporation, CCLP is exploring the role of government in addressing the crisis facing the news business. The project is documenting current and historic government engagement in the media while assessing new policy proposals, including postal rates, tax policy, antitrust regulation, broadcast and cable regulation, and direct government support.
CCLP also is investigating the investment of foundations and the philanthropic sector as a firewall against the disappearance of critical news and information. With the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, CCLP co-hosted a roundtable discussion in New York on the subject, drawing a cadre of leaders from major news organizations, foundations, nonprofits, publishers and universities. The roundtable addressed such issues as the evolution of nonprofit journalism; attracting additional foundation interest in funding journalism; the related ethical, regulatory and legal issues; educating news organizations on the subject; the creation of news services on specific topics; and other pressing issues on the future of news organizations, reporting and distribution.