Center for Media Change, Inc.
A 501(c)3 non-profit organization
Palo Alto, California

“The Center for Media Change, Inc. is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that enriches
our culture and strengthens our democracy by facilitating the creation, development and
use of new Internet-based business models to preserve the economic and professional
viability of journalism.”

Current projects:

“Spot Us,” which was created by David Cohn, allows an individual or group to take control of news by sharing
the cost (crowdfunding) to commission freelance journalists. Spot Us is made possible by the John S. and James
L. Knight Foundation, the Full Circle Fund, and the Charles Schwab Chartiable Trust. Read more.

Oakland Local was founded by Susan Mernit.

Oakland Local is a nonpartisan, nonprofit media and capacity-building organization that promotes civic engagement and discourse on local issues that matter. We are both a go-to  media resource for diverse voices in the East Bay of California and a capacity-building tool to help low-income and under-served communities make their voices heard online through the hands-on media training we provide. We are particularly focused on serving Oakland’s low-income communities of color. Our vision is to both bridge the digital divide and support local community economic development through media, at the same time that we build a vibrant news hub for Northern California’s East Bay.

Hacks/Hackers was founded by Burt Herman

Technologists and journalists are coming together as reporting goes digital and Internet companies become media empires. Journalists sometimes call themselves “hacks,” a tongue-in-cheek term for someone who can churn out words in any situation. Hackers use the digital equivalent of duct tape to whip out code. Hacks/Hackers tries to bridge those two worlds. It’s for hackers exploring technologies to filter, visualize and distribute information, and for hacks who use technology to find and tell stories. Hacks/Hackers is a digital community of people who seek to inspire each other, share information (and code) and collaborate to invent the future of media and journalism.

Past projects:

ReelChanges.org, which was created by Hal Plotkin, pioneers online public funding of quality-screened
documentary films and is made possible by grants from Google, Inc., the Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s
Public Media Innovation Fund, The Public Broadcasting System’s Major Markets Group, and people just like you.
Read More. ReelChanges.org has been closed down.

“Our mission is to make sure that journalism survives the death
of so many of its institutions,” — Spot.us founder David Cohn.

“With your support, we can help the American people find their
voice and develop a more authentic and representative media,”
– ReelChanges founder Hal Plotkin

Board Members

Contact Information:

Center for Media Change, Inc

David Cohn                                               Hal Plotkin
President and CEO                                  Chairman of the Board
                                         

Our most recent 990 form can be found here.

Other activities:

The Center for Media Change, Inc. also conducts policy and economic research and produces print and online
publications and services that foster the preservation of a free, independent and adequately-financed news and
information media.