Tow-Knight

What Tow-Knight does

The Tow-Knight Center for Journalism Futures is an academic research center based at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York in New York. Founded in 2010, it operates as a non-commercial initiative focused on helping the journalism industry adapt to the AI information age through research, prototyping, education, and industry convening.

The center's product portfolio includes The Lab (hands-on 20-30 minute interactive lessons teaching AI concepts to journalists with no coding required), The Library (a curated directory of AI training programs, tools, guides, and case studies for journalism professionals), The Survey (a conversational chatbot research instrument capturing qualitative insights on newsroom AI adoption), Programs (events, convenings, workshops, and trainings), and (Re)Structured News (a weekly Substack publication sharing research findings). Its underlying technology centers on conversational AI survey tooling and an AI education platform, with text-based AI modalities and exploration of generative AI's impact on journalistic workflows.

The center does not operate a commercial revenue model; it is funded through institutional support from CUNY and likely donor/foundation contributions (including the Tow-Knight Foundation). Resources, tools, and research are distributed free of charge to its three primary user segments: journalists and newsroom professionals (primary), technologists, and journalism researchers and academics. Distribution is global via the website, Substack newsletter, LinkedIn, and GitHub, with co-founders Jeff Jarvis (Director & Founder) and Jeremy Caplan (Founder) leading the organization.

Name

Tow-Knight

Legal name

Tow-Knight Center for Journalism Futures

Website

https://towknight.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Tow-Knight Center for Journalism Futures is an academic research center at CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism that researches, educates, and convenes the journalism industry on AI transformation through training tools, original research, a conversational survey chatbot, and weekly publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Education and Research

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Simulation & Scenario-Based Learning Authoring (EDAFAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research, Capstone & Extended Essay Mentoring (IB EE, independent research) (EDANAKAH)

Keywords

• Journalism education
• AI newsroom training
• Journalism research
• Media innovation programs
• Newsroom AI adoption

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Academic/Institutional Funding: As a center at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, Tow-Knight operates as an academic research center funded through institutional support rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tow-Knight Center for Journalism Futures runs educational programs, conducts research, and develops prototypes that help journalism professionals understand and adopt AI. It operates a Lab of interactive AI lessons, a curated Library of training resources, a conversational Survey chatbot researching newsroom AI use, and Programs (events, workshops, convenings) that bring together journalists, technologists, and researchers. The center publishes weekly insights via the (Re)Structured News Substack.

Product overview

Tow-Knight Center for Journalism Futures operates as a research and education initiative focused on helping journalism professionals navigate the AI information age. The center offers a portfolio of products: The Lab provides interactive AI lessons and demos for journalists; The Library curates AI training resources, tools, and case studies; The Survey is a conversational chatbot research tool exploring AI adoption in newsrooms; (Re)Structured News is their weekly Substack publication for sharing research findings; and Programs encompasses events and workshops convening industry stakeholders. These offerings work together to research, educate, and convening the journalism industry around AI transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Lab Hands-on lessons and interactive demos that teach AI concepts to journalists, covering how to think about AI changing their workflow and how to explore AI in an auditable way. Each module takes 20-30 minutes and requires no coding.
• The Library A curated directory of AI training programs, tools, guides, and case studies for journalists, selected for relevance to journalism professionals.
• The Survey A conversational survey chatbot designed to understand how newsrooms are actually using AI. The 10-minute conversational format captures how journalism professionals experience and feel about AI adoption.
• Programs Events, convenings, workshops, and trainings that bring together journalists, technologists, and researchers to work on the hardest questions about AI and public information.
• (Re)Structured News A weekly Substack publication where the center writes about research findings, experiments, and big-picture thoughts about the rapidly evolving information landscape and the future of journalism.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NewsroomscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnerships with newsrooms to explore frontiers of journalistic innovation. Working together to understand how AI is changing journalism and developing practical applications.
• TechnologistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with technology professionals to build prototypes and develop tools for journalism. Joint exploration of how technology can address information ecosystem challenges.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia: Columbia University's research center studying the intersection of digital technology and journalism. Most directly comparable to Tow-Knight as a university-based journalism futures research center examining how technology is reshaping the industry.
• Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard: Harvard-based center conducting research on media, journalism, and technology. Comparable as a university-affiliated research center studying the future of journalism and the media industry's adaptation to technological change.
• Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard: Harvard-based foundation that funds journalism education, fellowships, and reporting. Comparable to Tow-Knight in providing journalism training and convening programs with strong academic pedigree and audience development.
• Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford: Oxford-based institute conducting research on global journalism trends and providing training resources for newsroom professionals. Comparable to Tow-Knight as an academic center publishing research on the future of journalism.
• Poynter Institute: Nonprofit journalism education organization providing training, news literacy resources, and industry convening. Directly comparable to Tow-Knight's Lab and Programs offerings for journalism skill development and AI literacy training.
• International Center for Journalists (ICFJ): Global nonprofit that trains journalists worldwide and supports journalism innovation. Comparable to Tow-Knight in providing educational tools, training programs, and convening services for journalists navigating industry change.
• Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Columbia: Columbia's journalism innovation lab building prototypes and new tools for journalism. Comparable to Tow-Knight's Lab approach of building hands-on interactive AI tools and prototypes rather than only producing theoretical research.
• American Press Institute: Nonprofit that conducts research and provides training resources for newsroom leaders. Comparable to Tow-Knight as a journalism education and research organization serving newsroom professionals.
• Information Futures Lab (formerly First Draft): Brown University-based center focused on journalism, verification, and trust in information ecosystems. Comparable to Tow-Knight as an academic center training journalists on emerging information challenges and conducting applied research.

Broad incumbents

• Knight Foundation: Major foundation funding journalism, media innovation, and the arts. Comparable as an influential funder backing journalism transformation initiatives, though operates as a funder rather than a deliverer of training like Tow-Knight.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• GitHubgithub.com/Center-for-Journalism-Futures
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tow-knight-center-for-entrepreneurial-journalism
• Xx.com/tkcuny
• Facebookfacebook.com/towknightcenter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tow-Knight