Why you should care

Journalism performs a unique and critical function in American society. The First Amendment recognizes and protects the free press as essential to self-government. The job of journalists is to provide information and understanding so that readers, viewers, and listeners can make better, more informed decisions for themselves and participate more fully in the democratic process.

What you can do about it

Those who recognize the importance of improving journalism can now reinforce proven programs that promote excellence and integrity in the news business. By becoming a supporter of The

LEAVE YOUR MARK Become part of Poynter -- literally -- by purchasing a personalized brick to be placed in our courtyard. The cost of each brick is $100, and all donations will be used for scholarship support, special programs and other service to the industry. Leave a lasting mark and support The Poynter Institute by ordering and personalizing your brick here.

Poynter Institute, you contribute to the skill and credibility of the journalists who serve you. You invest in the essential role of responsible journalism in a free society.

Your contributions to Poynter support all that Poynter does for journalists and journalism, including:

• Scholarships for professional journalists to attend Poynter seminars
  
• Writers Camp for 4th-8th graders
• Poynter's High School Journalism program
• Our summer program for recent college graduates interested in journalism
• Ethics Fellows scholarships
• Foster Davis Fellowships for African Journalists
  

Who we are and what we do

The Poynter Institute is a school for journalists, future journalists, and teachers of journalists. Whatever their job title, journalists come to Poynter in search of excellence, and they find it. Our resident and visiting faculty provide concentrated instruction and personal support in that quest. We tailor our programs to serve specific needs, but all share a style of teaching and of learning that creates an experience unavailable anywhere else.

We keep seminars small, which means participants get lots of individual attention. We emphasize a hands-on, interactive approach that reconciles the realities of competition and commerce with the highest standards of journalistic values.

Our faculty includes scholars, distinguished professionals, and master teachers who bring special expertise to every session. Our students leave better prepared to produce quality journalism beginning immediately. At Poynter, they acquire:

• The courage to take risks and to do their best.
• New confidence in their craft, and a workbench full of new tools.
• An understanding of the role diversity plays in the newsroom and in the news.
• A clearer vocabulary to describe what they stand for, what they do, and why.
• A new network of colleagues to support them in their work.
• An understanding of why their work is so valuable and of the difference they can make.