The Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute engages media professionals, scholars and other citizens in programs aimed at strengthening journalism in the service of democracy. RJI generates and tests new techniques and new thinking that promise to improve journalism.” Source: RJI

RJI  was launched in 2004 with a $31-million grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.  The goal was to provide a place which would engage media professionals, scholars and others to help them develop programs to strengthen journalism and, in the process, strengthen democracy. …

Now, fresh with a permanent endowment of another [$30.1] million from the same foundation, RJI is assured of being able to continue its mission.  And that’s good for RJI and for our business.

Not long ago, I sat down in our Washington office with Randy Picht, the Institute’s Executive Director, to learn more about RJI and how those of us in the electronic media might make better use of the resources it offers — resources that have largely been utilized by our print media colleagues in the past.

Randy told me of projects they have ongoing where, for example, they are developing new types of public affairs programming for local stations — using KECT-TV, St. Louis, as a laboratory.  Or doing research (using RJI fellows) to determine audience trends in social media and how to develop effective business models for ‘pay walling’ content on news websites. And there are other projects going on that look at the evolving usage of tablets and mobile screens for news delivery.

He hopes that more local broadcasters and web producers will explore RJI and what it has to offer — even to the point of proposing individual projects for their own news organizations.  Because it’s often those kinds of projects that can provide lessons others might learn from, as well.” Source: Mike Cavender, RTDNA