Cambridge Not-for-profits Scoop $500k in Media Innovation Competition

Two Cambridge social enterprises have picked up funding of $250k each at a global media innovation competition backed by Google. FrontlineSMS and Open Knowledge Foundation were among the 16 winners of the Knight News Challenge, announced at the 2011 MIT - Knight Civic Media Conference yesterday.

FrontlineSMS, based in Willingham will be developing tools to help give remote communities around the world a voice in the global media, while Open Knowledge Foundation will develop a platform that gives context and clarity to news reporting about public finances.

The funding pool for the competition was $4.7m with $1m of it coming from Google. It is the last year the five year old contest - organised and funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation - will run, at least in its current format.

FrontlineSMS says it will use the cash to develop two products for news organisations and broadcasters, “one to facilitate participatory journalism, interaction and collaboration from community members and audiences, and one to enable journalists to use their simple mobile phones as powerful reporting tools.”