Knight Foundation Supports PBS Citizen's Channel, The Reporters Committee The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation awarded a three-year, $2.5 million challenge grant to support PBS's on-air, online digital service dedicated to nonfiction programming and the promotion of public engagement. In addition to the grant, Knight also provided PBS with $500,000 to fund a pilot for the series GLOBAL WATCH, which will air as part of a programming block called Public Square. The 24/7 service is scheduled to debut in fall 2006 as part of the multicast options from PBS stations broadcasting in digital television. "We are extremely pleased to help PBS take the next step into the digital future and launch this exciting 'citizen's channel,' " said foundation president and CEO Alberto Ibarguen. "Communities need information from trusted sources in order to thrive. And an essential facet of news in the future is interactivity. Public Square will be both interactive and from the most trusted source of news and public affairs programming. We are proud to partner with them." The foundation also awarded the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press a $2.5 million challenge grant. The Reporters Committee is a nonprofit association that provides legal defense and advocacy services to journalists working in the U.S. It hosts a 24-hour legal hotline for journalists, provides journalists with references to pro bono lawyers in all 50 states, publishes numerous reports, magazines, newsletters and websites, and manages a fellowship and internship program for young journalists and lawyers. Under the terms of the grant, the Reporters Committee is required to match $2 million over the next five years. "We're delighted that the Knight Foundation has recognized the valuable contributions the Reporters Committee has made to the public's right to know," said executive director Lucy A. Dalglish. "Reporters all over the country will benefit from the continuation and expansion of the programs this grant will support." > More headlines

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