Knight Foundation to receive i-3 award at Mirror Awards ceremony
Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications will honor the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation with the i-3 award for impact, innovation and influence at the sixth annual Mirror Awards ceremony June 13. George Stephanopoulos, anchor of ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “This Week,” will present the award. Knight Foundation president and CEO Alberto Ibargüen will accept.
The i-3 award is given to individuals or organizations that have made a profound impact on the media landscape or have captured the public’s imagination about the potential or importance of the media in a unique way. The Knight Foundation was chosen as this year’s recipient for redefining the role philanthropy can play in media innovation. The foundation has invested over $300 million in journalism and media innovation in the last 10 years. Past recipients of the i-3 award include Dennis Crowley ’98 and Naveen Selvadurai, co-founders of Foursquare (2011); Twitter (2010); Obama for America New Media Department/Blue State Digital (2009); and CNN/YouTube (2008).
In addition, seven juried journalism awards, including the John M. Higgins Award, will be presented at the luncheon ceremony. The Newhouse School established the Higgins Award to honor the late Broadcasting & Cable business editor. One of the most well-respected journalists of his time, Higgins died in 2006 at the age of 45. The award is supported by a gift from Discovery Communications and Time Warner Cable Inc. and carries a $5,000 cash prize. Each of the additional juried journalism awards carries a $1,000 cash prize. Award categories include:
- Best Single Article, Traditional/Legacy Media
- Best Single Article, Digital Media
- Best Profile, Traditional/Legacy Media
- Best Profile, Digital Media
- Best Commentary, Traditional/Legacy Media
- Best Commentary, Digital Media
- John M. Higgins Award for Best In-Depth/Enterprise Reporting
A list of finalists in each category is available in the News section of this site.
The Higgins Award will be presented by David Zaslav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications, who is also serving as a luncheon co-chair. David Levy, president of sales, distribution and sports for Turner Broadcasting System; and Melinda Witmer, executive vice president and chief video and content officer for Time Warner Cable, are also co-chairs.
The luncheon will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. CNN’s Anderson Cooper will emcee the event. Follow on Twitter at #Mirrors12. Information about sponsorship opportunities and online registration for the luncheon is available online.
The Mirror Awards, established by the Newhouse School in 2006, honor the reporters, editors and teams of writers who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit.
For more information, contact Jean Brooks at 315.443.5711 or mirror@syr.edu. For press inquiries, contact Wendy Loughlin at 315.443.2785 or wsloughl@syr.edu.