Take, for example, the Project for Excellence in Journalism, an affiliate program of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism that is funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts. The statement examined the evolution of journalists, the organizations they work for, and, the public they serve. We have been slow to change habits in the presentation of news that may have lost their relevance. Change is necessary. In the years since, the CCJ has attracted journalists who are worried about the future of the craft.
Membership is free and has grown.
Twenty-one forums have been held examining a broad spectrum of relevant issues. And the Project for Excellence in Journalism has been created. In the Project's 1999 report, there were a variety of findings for journalists and their corporate bosses to chew on. For example, a study of 59 local news stations in 19 U.S. cities found that the stations that scored best on quality content were more than twice as likely to succeed commercially than stations that aired lesser quality material. The project could prove that stations at the lowest end of the quality scale were also twice as likely to lose money as register a profit.