The Craig Newmark Center for Journalism Ethics and Security aims to lead the conversation on ethical reporting practices at a critical time for democracy
It also explores issues of cyber-security for news organizations, and shines a light on the physical safety of journalists in an increasingly dangerous environment. The Center, which began in 2022, is made possible by a $10 million endowment gift from Craig Newmark Philanthropies.
Building on the School's tradition, the endowed Center strengthens the rigorous curriculum required for all Master of Science students. It equips these burgeoning journalists with tools to address ethical and security dilemmas that are faced in modern newsrooms.
More and more media companies are signing content-sharing deals with artificial intelligence companies, raising ethics questions around copyright, ownership, and the monetization of media. Meanwhile, a growing number of newsrooms are incorporating generative AI tech and large language models into their workflows. Read below for analyses of how newsrooms should approach artificial intelligence and content-sharing deals.
"If we've learned anything in this business in the last ten years, it's that we have to be aggressive about owning our own technology and about what's changing." - Kimberly Lau, vice president of consumer media and president of Scientific American, during "AI and the Newsroom: Navigating What's Next"
Related reading from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism and CJR:
Journalist safety is paramount. Taking precautions for their physical safety when they are reporting and protecting their digital security is a priority for the Newmark Center. Students receive resources, attend security lectures and participate in workshops – all directly from top experts.
"Similar to planning in the context of physical safety where you're planning on going on a trip, planning on going to a protest or planning to take on a high-risk assignment, that type of planning also comes in when it comes to digital security." - Runa Sandvik, former Senior Director of Information Security for The New York Times and founder of digital security start up Granitt, during "Leaks, Hacks and Lessons Learned" at the J-School.
Related reading:
There is less public trust in the news media than ever before. The Newmark Center looks to address this challenge and provide solutions for journalists. We also want to encourage conversation around how objectivity is interpreted and employed in newsrooms.
"We should not seek to be trusted but rather to be trustworthy, meaning we have to wake up every single day and earn trust over and over again. Having a public editor is one way we can evaluate how well we are doing in that role." - Katherine Maher, NPR
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With democracy being threatened all around the world, pro-democracy journalism is more important than ever before.
Event highlights:
"Our focus is making sure that people aren't just writing about campaigns, that they're not just writing about the horse race but that they're talking to city and county election clerks." - Jessica Huseman, editorial director for Votebeat.
"There are a lot of states that have passed or AI-generated misinformation. But if you look at the history of laws like that, they are most often weaponized against dissidents and journalists. Laws against the veracity of information tend to have an adverse effect." - Julie Angwin, Proof News
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New resources will enable advanced instruction in digital and physical security, algorithmic bias, image manipulation and source protection in an era of high surveillance. Through convenings and published research, the Center will also educate working journalists in digitally safe practices, and help them to better navigate today’s media environment.
Newmark hopes his gifts help the Center to develop "the industry’s go-to resources for the challenges journalists face in a data-driven world.”
“It’s critical that we continue to modernize ethical standards in newsrooms and strengthen journalism ethics education so that the industry keeps pace with the ever-changing digital landscape. This mission is at the heart of creating trustworthy journalism at a pivotal time in our nation’s history."
Highlights from Newmark: Watch David Enrich Discuss His Latest Book
Newmark Center Executive Director Margaret Sullivan
Margaret Sullivan, weekly columnist for the Guardian US, became the executive director for the Center on Jan. 1, 2024. She is returning to Columbia Journalism School, where she previously taught audience and engagement courses.
“We’re tremendously excited to welcome Margaret Sullivan back to Columbia in this new capacity as executive director of the Newmark Center,” said Jelani Cobb, dean and Henry R. Luce Professor of Journalism. “There’s no one better equipped to lead a center concerned with the thorny questions of ethics, security, journalism and democracy. We’re eager to start working with her.”
Get a glimpse of her ethics course in the spotlight below:
About Craig Newmark
Craig Alexander Newmark is an American internet pioneer and philanthropist best known as the founder of the classifieds website craigslist. Prior to founding craigslist in 1996, he worked as a computer programmer for IBM, Bank of America and Charles Schwab. Newmark served as chief executive officer of craigslist from its founding until 2000. He founded in 2015 Craig Newmark Philanthropies, which has since pledged more than $500 million to programs focused on trustworthy journalism, support for military veterans and families, and cybersecurity.
Between 2016 and 2020, Newmark donated $170 million to support journalism, combating harassment of journalists and improving cybersecurity and election integrity, including $1 million each to ProPublica and the Poynter Institute in 2017. Newmark established a $20 million endowment at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, which was subsequently renamed the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, and in 2024 added a $10 million gift with the aim of making the school tuition-free for all of its students.