Advisory Boards - Independent Journalism Atlas

The Independent Journalism Atlas is committed to building infrastructure that serves creators and strengthens journalism's role in democracy. Our advisory boards ensure that the people most affected by our work—creators themselves, and experts in journalistic trust and ethics—have real input into how we develop standards, partnerships, and tools.

Creator Advisory Board

Micah Gelman

Co-Founder, Local News International

Austin Graff

Founder, Curiosity & Connection

Amber Sherman

Policy Organizer

Lisa Remillard

Co-Founder, BEONDTV; Founder, ProMedia Coaching

Matt Kiser

Founder & Editor, WTF Just Happened Today

The Creator Advisory Board brings together independent journalism creators from diverse backgrounds, platforms, and beats to guide our work. These are the journalists building sustainable models outside traditional institutions—their lived experience is essential to ensuring Atlas serves their needs.

Purpose:

Shape standards and frameworks that are creator-informed from the ground up
Provide guidance on developing partnerships and funding opportunities
Ensure our infrastructure protects creator independence and editorial integrity
Offer practical wisdom about what actually serves independent journalism versus what sounds good in theory
Test and refine tools, resources, and partnership models before broader rollout

We're recruiting our inaugural Creator Advisory Board now. Members will be listed on this page as they join. The board will convene periodically to review Atlas work and provide strategic input.

Trust & Standards Advisory Board

Robert K. Elder

President & CEO, Outrider Foundation

Kevin Merida

Independent journalist and media leader

Mollie Muchna

Creator Standards Project Lead, Trusting News

Jason Rezaian

Director of Press Freedom Initiatives, The Washington Post

The Trust & Standards Advisory Board comprises experts who have spent their careers thinking deeply about journalistic ethics, credibility, and public trust. As journalism atomizes and individual creators build direct relationships with audiences, the mechanisms for demonstrating credibility are evolving rapidly. This board helps us navigate these changes thoughtfully.

Purpose:

Guide our standards work, research priorities, and approach to credibility frameworks
Ensure what we build is grounded in journalistic principles while remaining adaptive to creator practice
Advise and coach creator journalists as they confront real-time challenges
Help curate best practices bubbling up across journalism and creator ecosystems
Validate that transparency norms, accountability mechanisms, and ethical guidelines serve both creators and the public

We're assembling the Trust & Standards Advisory Board to begin work in early 2026. Members will be listed here as they join. The board will engage through periodic convenings, collaboration with our Creator Advisory Board, and participation in shared community spaces where they can advise creators directly.

Our Governance Philosophy

The information industry has long privileged containers over creators. We're working to change that. Our advisory boards are not ceremonial—they have real influence over how standards and partnerships evolve.

We're building The Independent Journalism Atlas with an explicit pathway to community/steward ownership. We're building infrastructure that should outlast us—commons for creator journalism, not empire-building.