Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, Inc.
Project Title
For support of the development of a new financing model for PBS NewsHour
Date
Mar. 05, 2026
Duration
12 months
Description
PBS NewsHour, produced by WETA, is a trusted source of independent, fact-based journalism. With the recent elimination of federal funding and the effective closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, NewsHour has experienced a significant loss of systemwide support. At the same time, the need for trusted public media continues. With Corporation support, NewsHour will build a sustainable digital membership program that converts its large online audience into long-term supporters, ensuring itsability to continue delivering quality journalism to the public.
Website
Project Title
As a final grant for the “Judy Woodruff Presents: America at a Crossroads” production
Date
Jun. 05, 2025
Duration
12 months
Description
Founded in 1961, the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association (WETA) is the flagship public broadcasting station in Washington, DC. WETA produces PBS NewsHour, a nightly broadcast and digital platform known for its commitment to rigorous journalism. In 2022, NewsHour launched Judy Woodruff Presents: America at a Crossroads, a special series examining the roots of political and cultural polarization in the United States. With renewed Corporation funding, the new phase of this initiative, The Way Forward, will shift focus to spotlight efforts across the country that are attempting to bridge divides and find constructive solutions to polarization. Building on the success of the first phase—which included forty-two broadcast segments and nearly 14 million video views—Woodruff and her team will continue producing biweekly segments for PBS NewsHour, along with complementary digital content and lesson plans for educators.
Website
Project Title
For core support of the PBS NewsHour
Date
Dec. 12, 2024
Duration
24 months
Description
Despite political polarization and widespread distrust of the media among the American public, the PBS NewsHour remains a much-valued news source for millions of Americans. This includes a large and diverse audience of general viewers, as well as significant numbers of opinion leaders and influencers. According to the 2023 Erdos & Morgan Opinion Leaders Survey (a syndicated study of influential figures in business, government, public policy, education, media, and science), the NewsHour ranked as the most objective and credible news source for this audience. With renewed Corporation support, the NewsHour will continue its incisive and balanced coverage of issues related to education, democracy, and international peace and security. It also will continue to explore how best to leverage ever-evolving broadcast and digital platforms to reach new audiences.
Website
Project Title
For the “Judy Woodruff Reports: America at a Crossroads” production
Date
Sep. 14, 2023
Duration
24 months
Description
Increasing distrust and polarization in communities across the country continue to threaten the pillars of democracy and the ability to work together to solve problems. For the PBS NewsHour project, “Judy Woodruff Reports: America at a Crossroads,” the award-winning journalist will present thirty-six to forty-eight in-depth segments that explore the divisions plaguing America, how they grew, and what steps may be taken to begin the healing process. The project will engage historians, political scientists, sociologists, politicians, psychologists, scientists, and many more people who have an insight into the state of the American democracy. With Corporation support, the reports aim to resonate with audiences through informed storytelling, real life scenarios, and thoughtful analysis.
Website
Project Title
For core support of the PBS NewsHour
Date
Dec. 08, 2022
Duration
24 months
Description
Despite widespread mistrust of the media among the American public, the PBS NewsHour remains a trusted news source for millions of Americans. According to the 2021 Erdos and Morgan Opinion Leaders Survey (a syndicated study of influential figures in business, government, public policy, education, media, and science), the NewsHour ranked the most objective and most credible news source, ahead of NBC Nightly News, the BBC, theNew York Times, and theWashington Post. The evaluation was based on the NewsHour’s steadfastness in countering false narratives, elevating civil discourse, and implementing strict fact checking processes. With renewed Corporation support, the NewsHour will continue its coverage of international affairs, voting rights, immigration, and K-16 education, among other issues. It will maintain public trust through its high journalistic standards and work to navigate ever-evolving broadcast and digital platforms to reach new audiences.
Website
Project Title
As a final grant for Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Season 8
Date
Mar. 10, 2022
Duration
12 months
Description
WETA (Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, Inc.) is one of 354 television stations that make up the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It uses the power of media to educate, inform, entertain, and inspire. Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has become a major figure in America’s cultural landscape, and his show Finding Your Roots is currently one of the highest-rated series on PBS. The show is a humanistic endeavor that finds a new way to communicate the complexities of American history through personal stories that trace the family trees of well-known Americans.A Carnegie Corporation grant will support the research, development, and production phases of Season 8 of Finding Your Roots. The series will continue to explore how the interaction of different racial, religious, and ethnic groups has produced our diverse society and how family genealogies can both confirm and explode many of our national myths.
Website
Project Title
For core support of the PBS NewsHour
Date
Sep. 10, 2020
Duration
24 months
Description
Public support for the news media is at its lowest levels in decades. Despite widespread mistrust of the media, the PBS NewsHour remains a trusted news source for millions of Americans. The 2019 Erdos and Morgan Opinion Leaders Survey rated the NewsHour as the most objective among all media and also the most credible TV news program. In this era of political polarization and “fake news,” supporting trusted sources of news is of critical importance. With renewed Corporation support, the NewsHour will continue its coverage of international affairs, states at risk, voting and voting rights, and K-12 education.
Website
Project Title
For support of the PBS NewsHour's programming on the COVID-19 pandemic
Date
Sep. 10, 2020
Duration
12 months
Description
As COVID-19 continues to disrupt and reshape societies around the world, new discoveries about the virus seem to emerge every day. The public’s demand for accurate information and government transparency is high, as leaders try to reopen economies in spite of the scientific and medical communities warning of a potential surge in new infections. PBS NewsHour, a production of the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, is one of the most trusted news programs on television and, increasingly, online. The NewsHour’s award-winning producers and correspondents have deep experience covering pressing societal issues, including global health crises. With Corporation support, the NewsHour will continue to produce credible reporting on the status of the pandemic and how it is changing the world.
Website
Project Title
For Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Season 7
Date
Jun. 04, 2020
Duration
12 months
Description
WETA (Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, Inc.) uses the power of media to educate, inform, entertain and inspire, and by doing it seeks to strengthen the nation. Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. has become a major figure in America’s cultural landscape, and his show Finding Your Roots is currently one of the highest-rated series on PBS. The show is a humanistic endeavor that finds a new way to communicate the complexities of American history through personal stories that trace the family trees of well-known Americans.With Carnegie Corporation support, Dr. Gates will host and write Season 7 of Finding Your Roots, producing compelling television, filled with emotional moments that enrich our national discussion on race, ethnicity, and identity.
Website
Project Title
For support of a public engagement campaign for a documentary on the impact of Asian immigration to the history and culture of the United States
Date
Mar. 07, 2019
Duration
15 months
Description
Although Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial group in the United States, the demographic has long been regarded as statistically insignificant and marginal to major events in American history. However, from the Chinese Exclusion Acts, to the internment of Japanese Americans and viral fears of Asian communist insurgents post-World War II, Asian American history has been consequential to the development of modern American identity. Founded in 1961, the Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association (WETA) is one of the leading producing stations in the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) system and is the flagship broadcaster in the nation’s capital. With Corporation support, WETA and its partners will deploy a wide-reaching series of public education and outreach activities around The Asian Americans, a documentary film series chronicling an era of American culture and politics through the eyes of prominent Asian American figures.
Website
Project Title
For core support of the PBS NewsHour
Date
Dec. 06, 2018
Duration
24 months
Description
Public perception of the news media is the lowest it has been in decades. According to a 2017 Gallup and Knight Foundation poll on trust, media, and democracy in the United states, sixty-two percent of respondents said the news they see on television, hear on the radio, or read in newspapers is biased. Despite this widespread mistrust of the media, the PBS NewsHour remains a trusted news source for millions of Americans. The 2017 Erdos and Morgan Opinion Leaders Survey rated the NewsHour as the most objective among all media and the most credible TV news program. Also, in a 2017 Politico Poll, the NewsHour was ranked as the most trusted major news outlet, ahead of the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, ABC, CBS, and others. In this era of political polarization and “fake news,” supporting trusted sources of news is of critical importance. With renewed support from the Corporation, the NewsHour will continue its coverage of international affairs, states at risk, and science and technology and devote extra focus to the immigration and education policy changes.
Website
Project Title
For general support
Date
Jun. 01, 2017
Duration
12 months
Description
From news to arts to children’s programming, public television and radio play a key role in educating and entertaining American audiences. For decades, viewers and listeners have looked to public television and radio programs ranging from PBS NewsHour to National Public Radio’s Morning Edition as trusted, objective sources of in-depth journalism, while television’s most successful educational children’s shows, such as the enormously popular Sesame Street, were born from public television and public support. The Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association (WETA) is among the best and best-known producers of public television and radio in the nation. Corporation support will help ensure that WETA has the resources to meet its challenges successfully, including the cost of increased reporting since the new administration came into office.
Website
Project Title
For support for Next Generation Journalism: PBS NewsHour News Assistant Program
Date
Sep. 07, 2017
Duration
12 months
Description
In the age of fake news, blurred lines between fact and fiction, unchecked sources, and clickbait headlines, it is crucial that the next generation of journalists are taught tenets of responsible reporting, such as sourcing, fact checking, and clear and factual writing. The PBS NewsHour (NewsHour), a nightly broadcast known for its high-quality, objective, and in-depth reporting, began a Desk Assistant program in 1991 that provides practical broadcast news experience to aspiring journalists. In 2015, with Corporation support, NewsHour rebranded it the “News Assistant” program, substantially increasing participants’ salaries and undertaking an extensive recruitment campaign to find the most qualified candidates. News Assistants work alongside experienced reporters who give them daily feedback and guidance. With further Corporation support, the NewsHour will continue to expand the program, hiring more News Assistants and increasing the length of the internships from six months to one or two years. NewsHour hopes these new reporters will spread journalistic best practices throughout the industry.
Website
Project Title
For support for the PBS NewsHour
Date
Mar. 03, 2016
Duration
24 months
Description
The Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association (WETA) is among the best and best-known producers of public television in the nation. For decades, viewers and listeners have relied on public television for outstanding educational children’s shows, such as the enormously popular Sesame Street, as well as for objective journalism ranging from Morning Edition to PBS NewsHour (NewsHour), one of the most trusted sources of objective, in-depth reporting. Owing to the NewsHour’s exceptional reporting and the need for high-quality public programming in general, we are recommending both renewed support to the NewsHour as well as general support for WETA as a whole. With this support, through its many television and online productions, WETA will continue to provide its audiences with excellent content, coverage, and educational media. The NewsHour will continue its coverage of critical issues, create extra segments focusing on the 2016 Presidential primary and general elections, and, for the first time, put a full-time correspondent overseas.
Website
Project Title
For general support
Date
Mar. 03, 2016
Duration
12 months
Description
The Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association (WETA) is among the best and best-known producers of public television in the nation. For decades, viewers and listeners have relied on public television for outstanding educational children’s shows, such as the enormously popular Sesame Street, as well as for objective journalism ranging from Morning Edition to PBS NewsHour (NewsHour), one of the most trusted sources of objective, in-depth reporting. Owing to the NewsHour’s exceptional reporting and the need for high-quality public programming in general, we are recommending both renewed support to the NewsHour as well as general support for WETA as a whole. With this support, through its many television and online productions, WETA will continue to provide its audiences with excellent content, coverage, and educational media. The NewsHour will continue its coverage of critical issues, create extra segments focusing on the 2016 Presidential primary and general elections, and, for the first time, put a full-time correspondent overseas.
Website
Project Title
For support of the event, "50 Years of American Creativity: In Performance at the White House"
Date
Dec. 10, 2015
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
For support for Next Generation Journalism: PBS NewsHour News Assistant Program
Date
Sep. 17, 2015
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
For support for the PBS NewsHour
Date
Jun. 12, 2014
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
For support for the PBS NewsHour
Date
Jun. 06, 2013
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
For the PBS NewsHour and its 2012 election coverage
Date
Mar. 01, 2012
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
For enhancing the Colorin Colorado website to include Common Core State Standards content applied to English-language learners.
Date
Jun. 09, 2011
Duration
9 months
Website
Project Title
For international news coverage for the PBS Newshour
Date
Mar. 10, 2011
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
One-time funding for the Women's 2.0 Media Project digital oral history archive
Date
Dec. 02, 2010
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
Toward the foreign news reporting of The NewsHour
Date
Mar. 06, 2008
Duration
36 months
Website
Project Title
Toward a comprehensive adolescent literacy website
Date
Sep. 11, 2008
Duration
15 months
Website
Project Title
Toward understanding young people's attitudes toward a wide range of social, economic, and political issues
Date
Sep. 27, 2007
Duration
10 months
Website
Project Title
Toward understanding young people's attitudes toward a wide range of social, economic, and political issues
Date
Jun. 08, 2006
Duration
8 months
Website
Project Title
For a comprehensive adolescent literacy web site
Date
Dec. 07, 2006
Duration
12 months
Website
Project Title
Toward international reporting for The NewsHour
Date
Sep. 28, 2006
Duration
24 months
Website
Project Title
Toward *Do You Speak American?,* a MacNeil/Lehrer Productions' educational outreach documentary program
Date
Jun. 09, 2004
Duration
12 months