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    Knight Prototype Fund Winners Look to Data-Driven Storytelling, Transparency

    by Desiree Everts
    February 11, 2015
    FollowTheMoney.org aims to help journalists and the public see connections between political donors and elected officials.

    Just a little over a week after announcing the winners of its News Challenge on libraries, the Knight Foundation has revealed the latest recipients of its Prototype Fund. Ten media projects will receive $35,000 in funding to help push them from early stage ideas to a formal launch.

    Knight launched the Prototype Fund in 2012 in an effort to support experimentation and innovation in journalism. Winners of the fund go through a six-month design training period to build out their ideas and will present their prototypes at the end during a demo day. “Grantees get the benefit of sharing lessons as they build out their ideas, while helping us understand how to advance and learn from early stage media and information projects,” Chris Barr, Knight director for media innovation, explained in a statement.

    "Grantees get the benefit of sharing lessons as they build out their ideas, while helping us understand how to advance and learn from early stage media and information projects." -Chris Barr

    Many of the projects in this round of winners have to do with data — from improving the ease of data storytelling (Flatsheet) to helping journalists interpret satellite imagery (Columbia University’s Conflict Analysis Toolbox). Others follow a theme of transparency — like FollowTheMoney.org, which looks to reveal election campaign financing — and the Center for Technology and Civic Life’s Online Learning Toolbox, which lets local election administrators share information with citizens.

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    Applications for the next round of the Prototype Fund are due February 16. You can apply here.

    Meanwhile, here’s a rundown on the current class of grant winners. You’ll be able to read more about some of their projects here on Idea Lab as they progress.

    meet the winners

    Laura Kurgan

    Laura Kurgan

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    CAT (Conflict Analysis Toolbox) by Trustees of Columbia University
    Project lead: Laura Kurgan
    Project description: Creating a toolbox to simplify satellite data collection and interpretation, allowing journalists, humanitarian agencies and others to glean valuable information from satellite imagery during social conflicts or natural disasters.

    __________

    Edward Benson

    Edward Benson

    Cloudstitch by Cloudstich Inc.
    Project lead: Edward Benson
    Project description: Developing a Web platform to help journalists easily create interactive, data-driven content without help from programmers.

    __________

    Seth Vincent

    Seth Vincent

    Flatsheet
    Project lead: Seth Vincent
    Project description: Developing an open source tool to help reporters curate data as a team to make it easier for journalists to pursue rich, data-driven storytelling.

    __________

    Bender2014FollowTheMoney.org by National Institute on Money in State Politics
    Project lead: Edwin Bender
    Project description: Establishing a database of election campaign finance and lobbying information to help journalists and the public see connections between political donors and elected officials.

    __________

    Dan Archer

    Dan Archer

    Ketla
    Project leads: Dan Archer, Erin Polgreen, and Hasit Shah
    Project description: Developing a mobile app to help content creators make news accessible to many different languages and literacy levels through visual tools that merge comic books, journalism and user-friendly delivery strategies.

    __________

    Tiana Epps-Johnson

    Tiana Epps-Johnson

    Online Learning Toolbox by Center for Technology and Civic Life
    Project lead: Tiana Epps-Johnson
    Project description: Creating an online-learning toolbox for local election administrators, to complement a previously created website template, allowing them to more easily share information with citizens and improve transparency.

    __________

    R.J. Steinert III

    R.J. Steinert III

    Open Pipe Kit
    Project lead: Robert J. Steinert
    Project description: Creating a tool that will help data journalists and civic hackers collect data without a programmer’s assistance or proprietary software.

    __________

    Aaron Sharockman

    Aaron Sharockman

    PolitiFact Plug-In by Poynter Institute
    Project lead: Aaron Sharockman
    Project description: Designing a fact-checking plug-in for Web browsers that will allow people to request a fact-check of Internet content from PolitiFact staff; users will be able to vote on fact-check requests and make comments on flagged content.

    __________

    Xavier Damman

    Xavier Damman

    Tipbox
    Project lead: Xavier Damman
    Project description: Establishing a unique and private Web address that journalists can share with potential sources to receive anonymous tips securely and privately through encrypted emails.

    __________

    Andrew Lih

    Andrew Lih

    Wikipedia Space
    Project lead: Andrew Lih
    Project description: Establishing a visitor and discovery center at the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., where the public can learn about Wikipedia and a free information culture.

    __________

    Desiree Everts is the associate editor for Idea Lab and PBS MediaShift. She’s dabbled in digital media for the past decade including stints at CNET News and Wired magazine.

    Tagged: data journalism funding grants knight foundation prototype fund storytelling transparency winners

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