Summer is in full swing at DCS headquarters in Philadelphia—complete with heat waves, water main breaks, and lots of travel to less humid places. But this hasn’t stopped us from presenting at conferences and producing reports, articles, and more.

Nancy Watzman, director of strategic initiatives, has been busy working as engagement editor for the Knight Commission on Trust, Media, and DemocracyHer article summarizing Knight Foundation-commissioned research on why misinformation spreads, and what to do about it, was re-posted by Nieman Lab. Also draft reports for chapters 1-3 from the Commission’s upcoming report “Renewing Trust in America” are live–here’s how to comment. Check in frequently for new posts on the Trust, Media and Democracy Medium site, along with updates on the Commission’s progress working toward its final report and recommendations.

Democracy Fund published a report written by Katie Donnelly, associate director, and Jessica Clark, director: Supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Journalism: Trends in National Grantmaking. The report, which uses data from the Foundation Center’s Foundation Maps for Media Funding to explore how foundations are supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion in journalism, was cited by the American Press Institute in its “Need to Know” column.

Jessica Clark also presented at the Future of Filmmaking virtual conference in late June using the Making a New Reality series as a framework to understand how to engage with emerging media.

Speaking of Making a New Reality, the Ford Foundation recently posted an article by Cara Mertes, director of Ford’s JustFilms initiative, focused on social justice philanthropy for emerging media. The piece was originally published in Making a New Reality, a project from Kamal Sinclair aligned with Immerse, a digital publication focused on emerging non-fiction narratives edited by Jessica Clark.

The latest issue Immerse is out as well. In the feature article, artist Karen Palmer shares how to prepare for the forthcoming surveillance state. Plus, there are a few reflections on immersive pieces featured in two recent festivals:

  • i-Docs research fellow Julia Scott-Stevenson gives a rundown of her visit to the Alternate Realities showcase at Sheffield Doc/Fest, with additional comments from Mandy Rose and Juliet Lennox.
  • Jessica Clark gets lost and found in space as she contemplates exhibitions at Tribeca Immersive.

Want to join the conversation? Please get in touch if you have news, projects or events you would like us to consider: editor@immerse.news