Nieman Lab has launched a series of essays examining the relationship between journalism and…non-governmental organizations. “NGOs and the News: Exploring a Changing Communication Landscape,” a partnership between the Lab and U-Penn’s Center for Global Communication Studies, will examine the increasing role of NGOs, financially and otherwise, in journalism—and the consequences of that role.

What happens when news making and journalistic functions are increasingly outsourced or claimed by other actors with no original training in this field and its editorial standards? How central are new media to the alterations and growing distortions of the traditional journalistic sphere and how, if at all, can they be harnessed?

They speak directly to a community of practice consisting of NGO experts, journalists, and academics involved in this field of inquiry. They list and share best practices, suggestions, and warnings. And they map a new landscape of communication processes, which holds conceptual and methodological challenges for academic inquiry and research. The series is intended to inspire and encourage ongoing discussion among practitioners and researchers.