“Humanize the World.” Cultivating Empathy is a Key Goal for This Journalism Funder

Motortion Films/shutterstock

Motortion Films/shutterstock

The Heising-Simons Foundation awards its $100,000 American Mosaic Journalism Prize to freelancers who spend time on deep reporting and narrative stories that foster greater understanding of underrepresented or misrepresented groups in the present American landscape.

The foundation recently announced its 2020 prize winners: Rebecca Nagle, whose work includes the podcast “This Land,” which examines Native American rights, and Darcy Courteau, whose June 2019 feature in The Atlantic, “Mireya’s Third Crossing,” explores an undocumented immigrant’s harrowing journeys across the U.S.-Mexico border.

The foundation—which focuses on education, science, human rights, climate, and clean energy—created the prize in 2018, and funds approximately 15 journalism organizations per year. Grantees include ProPublica, Frontline, the Center for Investigative Reporting, Futuro Media (Latino USA), Truth Be Told (on KQED), Brief But Spectacular (on PBS Newshour), and the Foundation for Minority Interests in Media/Emma Bowen Foundation.

“Democratic societies require an active press as a means of ensuring accountability. And yet, we find ourselves in a time in which journalism is especially vulnerable,” foundation Director of Communications Brian Eule told me, channeling the concerns of other civic-minded funders who ramped up giving in the aftermath of the charged 2016 presidential election.

Journalists have been called “the opposition,” and have been targeted to “sow mistrust among the public, and there is a trend among audiences to seek news that reaffirms their own beliefs,” Eule said. “Meanwhile, all of this occurs at a time in which journalism institutions have increasingly limited resources to spend.”

Understanding and Empathy

The foundation was established in 2013 by Mark Heising, a computer chip designer who holds several U.S. patents, and Liz Simons, a Spanish-bilingual teacher who founded an early childhood education program. (Liz is the daughter of mathematician, hedge fund manager and philanthropist Jim Simons, whose net worth stands at over $20 billion.)

In 2016, CEO and President Deanna Gomby spoke to Inside Philanthropy’s Tate Williams about how the then-nascent foundation approached its grantmaking. “In the science program, it’s fundamental research, it’s basic research. But in the education program, it’s a lot of applied research,” she said. “And in the environmental work, there also is an appreciation for understanding what the science says, and then crafting… pragmatic policies that are built on science.”

Two years later, the foundation rolled out a new journalism prize. Why? “Great journalism has the power to expose us to new perspectives, and hopefully, bring about greater understanding,” Eule told me. “It can break down isolation and lead to increased empathy among all of us. It can humanize the world. That’s deeply meaningful and valuable, now and always.”

It may sound strange to hear such comments from a spokesperson whose employer dabbles in edgy fields like astronomy, cosmology and physics until you realize that this sentiment closely aligns with the current funding zeitgeist. All across the philanthrosphere, we’re seeing funders like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch, T. Denny Sanford, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and George Yancopoulos dig deep to offset the destructive effects of unfettered social media, a global loneliness epidemic, and an ever-growing empathy deficit.

Exceptional journalism, Eule argues, can help in this struggle, as it “has the ability to bring about empathy of people often overlooked or misunderstood by society, and plays a critical role in helping us understand and respect all people.”

“Vulnerable and Valuable”

By awarding a generous $100,000 to winners, the American Mosaic Journalism Prize also addresses a sadly familiar reality confronting funders: It’s hard being a freelance journalist, and thanks to the flagging fortunes of many established outlets, it’s only getting harder.

“Freelancers are both vulnerable and valuable,” Eule said. “They are working without the support or security of an institution behind them, and they’re often doing it with limited financial resources—for their work expenses, their time, their health insurance, or for any retirement funds. And yet, they often are the ones with the freedom to commit long periods of time to their subjects and topics. Some of the best journalism comes from these individuals.”

Philanthropy, of course, can provide freelance journalists with financial support to ensure they won’t have to worry about getting paid. But Eule noted that funders can also “call attention to great journalists to hopefully lead to more professional opportunities and make them feel they have the support of people who believe in their work. The prize is intended to do precisely that: to call attention to these journalists, and give them the freedom to continue their work.”

Eule also acknowledged that funders tend to support journalism organizations rather than freelancers. He attributes this to the fact that it’s easier for funders to do their due diligence around established nonprofit organizations—“looking at financial statements, organizational documents, meeting with leadership”—than methodically gauging the merits of dozens, if not hundreds, of individual freelancers.

Bottom line? Freelance journalists need help. “It’s critical that philanthropy thinks of creative ways to do this, and with no strings attached, so as to provide support for talent, but not influence the specific work they are doing,” Eule said.

Here’s How it Works

I asked Elue how the foundation defines individuals who are “underrepresented or misrepresented” in the media. He said that the foundation left the term “intentionally broad to allow for a wide range of subjects as surfaced by the nominators’ submissions. We do not designate specific demographics.”

At the beginning of the nomination process, the foundation shares these guidelines with more than 150 journalism leaders across the country, including a wide range of editors of publications and outlets from print, television, audio and digital journalism, as well as representatives from journalism associations and academic institutions.

Since launching the prize in 2018, the foundation has increased the number of confidential nominators to ensure that the process represents a diversity of backgrounds, regions, mediums and outlets from across the country.

Each nominator is then asked to submit a confidential nomination, not alerting the candidate. After receiving nominations, a group of journalists reviews all eligible entries. A panel of 10 journalism leaders makes the final selections. The 2020 panel included journalists from the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, NPR, VICE News, the Oxford American, Columbia University, Arizona State University, and freelance journalism.

Click here to learn more about this year’s winners, Rebecca Nagle and Darcy Courteau.