How can philanthropy help create viable public-value journalism?

Elio Donauer

Elio Donauer is the co-CEO of the local online magazine Tsüri.ch in Zurich, where he has built its Civic Media program since 2018. By organizing public debates on issues like housing and urban development, he bridges the gap between local journalism and active citizenship. An expert in audience development, Elio recently co-founded the sister publication winti.ch and the national newsletter 6iBrief. He holds a Master’s in Political Science from the University of Zurich.

Kathy Im

Kathy Im is the Director of Journalism and Media at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation where she manages a $30 million annual portfolio that invests in the creation, dissemination, and amplification of accurate, just, and inclusive news and narratives across three areas of media -- Professional Nonprofit Reporting, Nonfiction Multimedia Storytelling, and Participatory Civic Media. She was instrumental in the creation and launch of Press Forward, and serves on the Advisory Board of the Media Forward Fund for the DACH countries. Kathy is also Chair of the Advisory Board for the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and previously, she was a board member of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Media Impact Funders, and the Center for Asian American Media, and a former juror for the Peabody Awards.

Martin Kotynek

Martin Kotynek is a journalist and the Founding Director of the Media Forward Fund which funds media diversity in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The goal is to contribute to more quality journalism with viable business models that publish strong, trustworthy content and are sustainably financed in the long term. Martin previously served as editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Der Standard in Vienna, deputy editor-in-chief of Zeit Online in Berlin, investigative editor at Die Zeit, and political editor at Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich. As a Knight Journalism Fellow at Stanford University, Martin focused on innovation, leadership, and entrepreneurship in journalism. He studied neurobiology and was born in Vienna.

Lucy Kueng

Lucy Kueng is Senior Research Associate at the Reuters Institute, Oxford University, Jury Member of the Media Forward Fund, Trustee of the Bonn Institute, and Non-Executive Board Member of the NZZ Media Group, and formerly of SRG and VIZRT. She is an expert on strategy, innovation and leadership and focuses on successful responses to tech transitions. As a strategic advisor, Lucy works with leading companies worldwide including the BBC, CNN, SVT, Schibsted, NRK, Google and Meta. She keynotes frequently at international conferences and is the author of numerous books including Hearts and Minds: Harnessing Leadership, Culture and Talent to Really Go Digital, Going Digital, Innovators in Digital News, Strategic Management in the Media, and Inside the BBC and CNN. She holds a PhD and Habilitation from the University of St Gallen and an MBA from City Business School/Ashridge.

Silvia Rivera

Silvia Rivera is the new Director for Local News at the MacArthur Foundation. She will lead this new portfolio and represent MacArthur in Press Forward. Previously, she worked for Listening Post Collective and Chicago Public Media. Silvia is an accomplished and innovative leader with over two decades of experience leading and building programs and organizations that serve people of color. She has spent most of her career advocating for BIPOC media representation and philanthropic investments in civic media and the arts.

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