ST. PETERSBURG, Florida (Jan. 21, 2025) – The nonprofit Poynter Institute, which works to strengthen journalism in service to truth and democracy, has launched a new membership program for those allied with Poynter’s mission.
The program offers annual, tax-deductible membership levels that support Poynter’s journalism training, ethics programs, media literacy, fact-checking, convenings and coverage of the news media industry. It launches this month, as Poynter embarks on a yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary in 2025.
Poynter members will enjoy special opportunities to hear from experts on important issues facing the news industry, as well as receive exclusive communications, discounts, preferred access to Poynter events and more.
“Across five decades, Poynter has been a leader in elevating the quality and importance of journalism and supporting those who care deeply about a free press and free expression and who work towards it every day,” said Poynter president Neil Brown. “With this membership program we are excited to connect with our extended family of Poynter alums and those who value the work of journalists to chart the future of the business for the next 50 years.”
“Support from alumni, journalism professionals and citizens concerned about truth and democracy is vital to Poynter’s work, and this program makes it easier to support that work in an ongoing, consistent way,” said Deborah Read, executive director of the Poynter Foundation.
The membership program can be accessed here. All donors to Poynter will be recognized as members of Poynter’s First Amendment Society.
- Donors between $50 and $249 per year receive an exclusive monthly member newsletter and early access to Poynter events, including Poynter’s annual Bowtie Ball.
- Donors from $250 to $999 receive the above benefits plus 20 percent off select online courses and quarterly virtual meet-and-greets with Poynter experts on current media topics.
- Donors at $1,000 and above receive those perks, a Poynter sweatshirt and will be recognized annually on Poynter’s digital donor wall and in the annual impact report.
- Donors of $25,000 or more will be invited to an appreciation dinner with Poynter’s president.
Poynter, founded in 1975 by then-St. Petersburg Times owner Nelson Poynter to preserve local ownership of his newspaper (now the Tampa Bay Times), is celebrating 50 years in 2025. Over that time, Poynter has added to its original mission as the Times’ owner and a school to help journalists improve their craft and ethics, to become a global leader in journalism, fact-checking and media literacy.
Poynter also is home to the PolitiFact, the largest and most comprehensive source of fact-checked news in the U.S. MediaWise, a digital media literacy program that partners with YouTube, TikTok and others to empower citizens to sort fact from fiction online; the International Fact-Checking Network, which provides training and advocacy for fact-checkers around the world, and the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, which helps newsrooms with ethics and standards and is at the forefront of ethics around the use of AI in journalism.
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