Inventing the Future of Journalism

We are pleased to announce a new residency program that brings an artist-led approach to R&D for the future of journalism, supported by a grant from the Craig Newmark Philanthropic Fund and implemented in partnership with the The Brown Institute at Columbia Journalism School. This pilot program will initially offer 3-4 residencies for emerging technologists and engineers that are focused on research and tool development in online journalism. For one year, residents will receive financial support and access to Eyebeam’s space and equipment, as well as promotional and production assistance. Feedback, critique and professional development will balance the experience within a space for creative freedom. “In a world where a sitting president can call a journalism organization 'fake news' on television for partisan reasons, the problem of trust is no longer a technical issue of journalism ethics - it’s a national debate of the highest priority,” said Eyebeam director Roderick Schrock. “This new program will be guided by questions that can help move that debate forward: How can technology combat the spread of unsubstantiated information that confirms existing biases? Can we create non-partisan tools to help news sources across the political spectrum? And can the provision of open-source datasets help all sides solve this problem?" “A trustworthy press is the immune system of democracy. As a consumer of news, I want news we can trust,” said Craig Newmark. “I’ve worked with a number of foundations and organizations to stand up for trustworthy news media and find ways to spot clickbait and deceptive news, and I’m excited to see how Eyebeam’s unique artist-led approach to the problem will generate results." This program continues our work over the past 20 years of collaborative experimentation with art and technology. For more information, please contact: Joanna Gould, Outreach and Development Manager, joanna.gould@eyebeam.org