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The John L. and James S. Knight Foundation has announced the winners of its first Community Information Challenge .

Twenty-one innovative ideas aimed at helping US citizens to lead more informed lives, including several news initiatives, have received $5 million in total.

Among the winners is the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven and its plans to provide a 'vital online news report' for five ethically different towns in the region, which have recently lost their local newspaper and radio station.

The CommonWealth , an award-winning print magazine published by the Boston Foundation, will receive $400,000 to install a new interactive homepage and help the site to expand its reporting on the public sector.

Other winners include a Florida institution that raises digital literacy among senior citizens and a Michigan project to set up four news bureaux dedicated to neighbourhood-level news coverage. For more recipients see the full winners' list .

Explaining the jury's decision in a press release , Alberto Ibargüen, Knight Foundation president and CEO, said: "[I]nformation is a core community need. (…) You cannot effectively manage the affairs of a community in a democracy without the free flow of information."

The Knight Foundation currently runs six initiatives to support information and digital media projects, including the Knight News Challenge .

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Written by
Alexander de Vivie

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