This story takes readers inside the evolving partnership between the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, showing how one of the nation’s most influential journalism philanthropies is helping shape the future of media education. Through interviews with foundation leaders, faculty, and administrators, the piece explores how Knight’s investments go far beyond funding — supporting research centers, innovative classrooms, and faculty positions that directly respond to the challenges facing journalism today, from the collapse of local news to the rise of artificial intelligence and changing audience habits.
At the center of the story are the people and programs bringing that mission to life. Readers are introduced to Knight Chairs Marisa Porto and Shaun Anderson, whose work spans local news sustainability and the intersection of sports, race, and media, as well as Dean Raul Reis, who highlights how these investments translate into real opportunities for students. The article ultimately shows that what’s happening at UNC is part of a much bigger picture: a coordinated effort to rebuild and rethink journalism at the local, state, and national levels — giving readers a clear sense that the impact of this partnership extends well beyond Chapel Hill.
Audio Piece by Avery Bales
Print Piece By Lauren Schutter
With a journalism landscape that changes day by day, the Knight Foundation is investing in education, research, and opportunities nationwide to help journalists adapt to these differences.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is a national organization that has long invested in journalism, local news sustainability, audience growth, technology, and First Amendment protections. Today, its journalism work is focused on strengthening the systems that allow news organizations to better serve the public, with particular emphasis on sustainable business models, audience engagement, product innovation, and journalist safety.
Charles Thomas, a program director for the Knight Foundation based in Charlotte, described North Carolina as a key part of the foundation’s national strategy — one where local impact and national priorities intersect.
“North Carolina is primarily funneled through our work at UNC and Duke, and the work we’re doing in Charlotte,” Thomas said.
He pointed to initiatives like Press Forward Charlotte and Press Forward North Carolina, which aim to organize philanthropic investment in local news and rebuild infrastructure across the state.
“We have an initiative called Press Forward… organizing funders in philanthropy to invest in local news and media,” he said.
For Thomas, the goal is not just funding, but connection.
“I love the fact that we are on the ground connected to the community,” he said. “That our philanthropy is responsive… and that it has not only local impact, but national impact.”
From the foundation’s vantage point, the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media is also part of a larger network working to rethink how journalism functions at every level.
At Hussman, the impact of the Knight Foundation isn’t tucked away in an annual report or hidden behind institutional language. It is visible in the classrooms students learn in, in the centers doing forward-looking research, and in the professors helping shape the future of journalism.
For a school centered on preparing the next generation of media professionals, that kind of support matters.
One of the clearest signs of that relationship is something that makes UNC stand out nationally: the school has not one, but two Knight Chairs. Marisa Porto serves as the Knight Chair in Local News and Sustainability, while Shaun Anderson serves as the Knight Chair in Sports, Race, and Media. According to Hussman Dean Raul Reis, that is incredibly rare.
“We are one of the very few journalism and media programs around the country that have more than one,” Reis said, describing the pair of endowed positions as one of the strongest examples of how the Knight Foundation has supported the school.
That matters because a Knight Chair isn’t just an honorary title; it is an investment in expertise. It gives a school the ability to bring in scholars and professionals whose work directly addresses some of journalism’s biggest current questions.
For Porto, those questions center on local news — how it survives, how it evolves, and how it adapts to an industry being reshaped in real time.
“My specialty is within local news and sustainability,” she said. “So I spend my time not just on the journalism, but predominantly on the business side… what makes a good news organization, and how to organize operations and product development.”
That focus is especially relevant now, as local news organizations across the country face closures, shrinking staffs, and declining revenue streams.
At Hussman, that work takes shape through the Center for Innovation and Sustainability in Local Media (CISLM), a research hub dedicated to building “a more equitable and sustainable future for local news.” Porto, who joined the school in 2023, emphasized that the center’s work is not theoretical — it is applied, evolving, and deeply tied to the realities of the industry.
“Right now, I’m spending a lot of time on AI use in news organizations and how that changes the operations and the business of local news,” she said.
She also pointed to the center’s origins, tracing them back to 2015 when early research into the local news crisis led to its creation.
“The Knight Foundation funded the center and brought that center to life,” Porto said.
That funding continues to show up in ways that students can feel directly. Porto described bringing in an international professor from Ukraine to speak with her class, as well as supporting programming tied to First Amendment Day and research panels on emerging issues like artificial intelligence.
“I couldn’t do what I do today without the endowment,” she said. “Not at the center, and not with my professorship.”
Reis echoed that idea from an administrative perspective, noting that Knight support often becomes most clear when you look at the physical and academic spaces it helps create.
One example is the Knight Learning Lab, a redesigned classroom inside Carroll Hall that reflects a shift in how journalism is taught.
“We put in a proposal, they funded it, and we were able to transform it into this kind of state-of-the-art classroom,” Reis said.
Instead of a traditional lecture hall, the space is built for collaboration — with grouped seating, integrated technology, and flexibility that mirrors modern newsroom environments.
“The space really favors interaction,” he said. “It favors a more modern style of teaching.”
Students notice the difference.
“I always ask them if they like the room — and they love it,” Reis added.
But the relationship extends far beyond a single classroom. Reis pointed to additional Knight-supported initiatives, including the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life, which funds research, publications and programming around the intersection of media, technology and society. He also highlighted collaborative efforts, such as local news research workshops with Duke University, that position UNC within a broader academic network studying the future of journalism.
That look into the future makes the pairing of Porto and Anderson significant.
While Porto’s work tackles the structural challenges of local news sustainability, Anderson’s focus brings attention to the cultural and societal power of media — particularly through sport.
Anderson joined UNC in 2024 with a vision that extends well beyond the classroom.
“For me, the Knight Foundation is sort of this organization looking at the ways journalism is being affected by politics — or just underfunding — while supporting the ways in which free speech and fact-checking go out into the world,” he said.
His role as Knight Chair is not just about teaching courses, but about building an ecosystem around sports communication at Hussman — one that connects students to industry, research, and global opportunities.
“My goal is to build out our sports communication space,” Anderson said, describing efforts to expand coursework, create new pathways, and strengthen connections with the sports media industry.
That includes everything from networking opportunities and career exposure to national and international experiences.
“We had our first sports communications career trip to Portland, where a lot of students got to tour Columbia, Nike, and see ad agencies — and that’s just the beginning.”
Anderson noted the next milestone as one that can make major waves in the Chapel Hill athletic structure.
“The goal is to build out a center for researching and consulting to be the central hub of sport and global change for any organization, whether it’s a team, sports equipment, or physical repair company, the local government, all the way up to global. Whoever is wanting to use sport — we want them to be central to Chapel Hill.”
At the core of that vision is the idea that sport is more than entertainment — it is a powerful lens for understanding society.
“Sports impact society, aspects of race, and discrimination,” Anderson said.
That perspective shapes how he approaches teaching. In his classes, students are asked to think critically about sport not just as content, but as influence — examining how it intersects with issues like identity, power, and global change.
Students engage with real-world problems, from international sporting events to broader initiatives tied to sustainability and social impact, and are challenged to develop ideas that connect sport to meaningful outcomes.
But like Porto, Anderson made clear that much of this work depends on the Knight Foundation’s support.
“The Knight Foundation sets aside a budget for you to be able to take the time to build those things out,” he said. “Not only just teach, but provide those opportunities for the students.”
That support translates into tangible experiences — including bringing industry professionals to campus and creating hands-on learning opportunities that extend beyond traditional coursework.
“I would say in large part that wouldn’t have happened if we did not have the support of the Knight Foundation,” he said.
He described the foundation’s approach as one that encourages experimentation and ambition.
“They’re always very open to whatever idea that you have… to be innovative, be thought leaders.”
Marisa Porto and Shaun Anderson illustrate changes in journalism education. In addition to teaching reporting and writing skills, programs now include instruction on business sustainability, technological developments, audience behavior, and the cultural factors influencing media.
At Hussman, the Knight Foundation has helped create space for that kind of education to take shape.
Reis said he hopes that the relationship continues to grow, pointing to future possibilities like expanding partnerships with local news organizations across North Carolina. One vision includes placing recent graduates in newsrooms around the state, with funding support that allows them to contribute while gaining experience — an idea that aligns closely with the foundation’s broader mission.
“I try to really have kind of an open channel,” Reis said. “It is kind of a two-way relationship.”
That may be the biggest takeaway.
The Knight Foundation’s contributions at UNC Hussman support expanded resources and program development, enabling the school to adapt to changes in the media industry. These contributions provide funding, partnerships, and infrastructure that support academic initiatives and student opportunities. For students, this includes increased access to professional networks, experiential learning, and career development resources. At the state level, these efforts position the school as an active participant in ongoing developments within the media landscape.
