The Associated Press announced today that Rachel White has been named the inaugural executive director of The Associated Press Foundation for Journalism.
White will be responsible for leading and securing funds for the nonprofit AP sister organization, whose primary aim is to address growing news deserts in the U.S. and support local and state journalism across the news ecosystem. She will report to The Associated Press Foundation for Journalism’s board of directors.
The Associated Press Foundation for Journalism will focus on deepening coverage of issues of public interest, extending the reach of fact-based, nonpartisan journalism to more communities across the U.S., and providing services that strengthen the capacity of state and local outlets to produce their own journalism.
White will also oversee AP’s philanthropic development team, which has raised over $70 million dollars to support fact-based, nonpartisan news across key coverage areas, such as health, democracy, climate, religion, artificial intelligence and more.
“Rachel has a proven track record of working with philanthropies to support journalism and improve public access to trusted news,” said Daisy Veerasingham, APFJ chair and AP president and CEO. “We are excited to have her on board at a time when expanding the reach of factual, nonpartisan reporting has never been more urgent.”
White joins The Associated Press Foundation for Journalism from the Guardian, where she established philanthropy as a durable component of the Guardian’s business model. She was with the Guardian since 2014 where she has served as executive vice president responsible for the global philanthropy program. In 2016, she also became president of theguardian.org, a nonprofit organization founded by White to support quality independent journalism.
“Throughout my career, I have seen first-hand the power of trusted, fact-based journalism and its role in critically informing the public,” said White. “Philanthropic funding plays such an essential role in ensuring the future of accessible and comprehensive news coverage. I’m honored to join the APFJ and help advance its charitable mission.”
About AP:
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day. Online: www.ap.org
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