[Wikimedia-l] [Wikimedia Announcements] [PRESS RELEASE] Wikimedia Foundation named Knight News Challenge winner

[Tom Morris]

Does this mean Wikinews might get an app for Android and iOS? ;-)
On Jan 17, 2013 4:41 PM, "Matthew Roth" <mroth at wikimedia.org> wrote:

> (This press release is also available online at:
>
> https://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Press_releases/Wikimedia_Foundation_Knight_News_Challenge_winner
> )
>
> Wikimedia Foundation named winner of Knight News Challenge
>
> $600,000 in Knight Foundation funding supports innovation across
> Wikimedia mobile initiatives
>
> SAN FRANCISCO, CA - January 17, 2013 - The Wikimedia Foundation was
> named a winner in the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Knight
> News Challenge for its efforts to expand and improve Wikimedia's
> mobile projects. The Wikimedia Foundation is enhancing the Wikipedia
> mobile experience and making it easier to access Wikipedia,
> particularly for readers in developing countries.
>
> As mobile technology is increasingly the primary opportunity for
> billions of people around the world to access the Internet, the
> Wikimedia Foundation is working to remove the two biggest hurdles to
> access free knowledge: cost and accessibility. The News Challenge
> grant will be utilized in four areas:
> *Improving the way that users experience our mobile platform on feature
> phones;
> *Expanding Wikipedia Zero, which gives mobile users free access to
> Wikipedia on their phones;
> *Developing features to improve the mobile experience regardless of
> how feature-rich the device is, including new ways to access Wikipedia
> via texting;
> *Increasing the number of languages that can access Wikipedia on mobile.
>
> The Wikimedia Foundation is one of eight mobile projects to receive a
> total of $2.4 million today through the Knight News Challenge, which
> accelerates projects with funding and advice from Knight's network of
> media innovators. A full list is at knightfoundation.org.
>
> "Knight Foundation's funding will support us making the mobile version
> of Wikipedia easier to use, as well as enabling us to expand Wikipedia
> Zero, our project with mobile operators that lets their customers
> access Wikipedia for free," said Sue Gardner, Executive Director of
> the Wikimedia Foundation. "I'm very happy Knight has chosen to support
> us; it's an important affirmation of our mobile work."
>
> Knight Foundation, the nation’s leading funder of journalism and media
> innovation, is committed to promoting democracy by supporting informed
> and engaged communities. Founded by newsmen John S. and James L.
> Knight, the foundation launched the Knight News Challenge in 2007 to
> find the next generation of innovations that help communities get the
> information they need.
>
> "Wikipedia has helped define the way that people collaboratively
> create content. Making the site available to more people across the
> world will help foster and spread that culture," said John Bracken,
> director for journalism and media innovation at Knight Foundation.
>
> The $600,000 News Challenge grant is for two years and follows a
> general support grant of $250,000 that Knight Foundation awarded to
> the Wikimedia Foundation in December 2012.
>
> The Wikimedia Foundation and the other winners of the challenge will
> present their projects via live Web stream at 12:30 p.m. ET/ 10:30
> a.m. MT Friday, January 18 at knightfoundation.org/live, from a
> gathering on the future of mobile at Arizona State University. (Follow
> #newschallenge on Twitter.)
>
> About the Wikimedia Foundation
>
> http://wikimediafoundation.org
> http://blog.wikimedia.org
>
> The Wikimedia Foundation is the non-profit organization that operates
> Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. According to comScore Media Metrix,
> Wikipedia and the other projects operated by the Wikimedia Foundation
> receive more than 483 million unique visitors per month, making them
> the fifth-most popular web property world-wide (comScore, November
> 2012). Available in 285 languages, Wikipedia contains more than 24
> million articles contributed by a global volunteer community of
> roughly 80,000 people. Based in San Francisco, California, the
> Wikimedia Foundation is an audited, 501(c)(3) charity that is funded
> primarily through donations and grants.
>
> Press contact
> Jay Walsh
> Senior Director, Communications
> Wikimedia Foundation
> Tel. +1 415-860-8166
> jwalsh at wikimedia.org
>
> About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
>
> Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality
> journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster
> the arts. The foundation believes that democracy thrives when people
> and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit
> knightfoundation.org or newschallenge.org
>
> Press contact
> Andrew Sherry
> VP for Communications, Knight Foundation
> Tel. 305-908-2677
> sherry at knightfoundation.org
>
> (To unsubscribe from Wikimedia Foundation press releases, reply with
> "unsubscribe" in the subject line.)
>
>
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