About
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As stated in a letter from Executive Director Claire Wardle on June 14, 2022, First Draft’s mission is moving to the Information Futures Lab at Brown University. The materials on this website will remain in the short term as we finalize plans for the resources collected here. Thanks, and please join us at IFL!

About

History

First Draft formed as a nonprofit coalition with nine founding partners in June 2015, providing practical and ethical guidance in how to find, verify, and publish content sourced from the social web. In September 2016, our original coalition expanded to become an international Partner Network of newsrooms, universities, platforms and civil society organizations.

In October 2017, First Draft was invited to join the Shorenstein Center for Media, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School. During this time, we inspired and coordinated the development of the Information Disorder Lab and expanded the scope of our research to explore the spread and threat of information disorder on closed messaging apps.

In 2019, First Draft became an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit, operating exclusively for charitable and educational purposes and raising its own funding.

In the same year, First Draft opened a Sydney bureau to serve the needs of the APAC region, affiliated with the University of Technology Sydney’s Centre for Media Transition.

In June 2022, First Draft announced it was closing its doors, with its mission continuing at the Information Futures Lab, an initiative from the Brown University School of Public Health.

 

Founding Organizations

Impact reports

2021

2020

Acknowledgements

First Draft achieved extraordinary impact and growth over its existence. This is due to the invaluable efforts and contributions from a long list of respected friends and colleagues, to whom we extend sincere thanks and credit. In particular, we thank the individuals who formed or worked for our original coalition:

Mohammed Adel
Fergus Bell
Ed Bice
Pete Brown
Malachy Browne
Kim Bui		 Andy Carvin
Matt Cooke
Nic Dias
Sam Dubberley
Steve Grove
Eliot Higgins		 Mandy Jenkins
Aine Kerr
Mark Little
Olivia Ma
An Xiao Mina
Alastair Reid		 Craig Silverman
Josh Stearns
Eoghan Sweeney
Aric Toler
Tom Trewinnard

Board

Anusha Alikhan, Vice President of Communications, Wikimedia Foundation

Anusha Alikhan is a strategic communications professional with a diverse background in the nonprofit sector, as well as journalism and law.  Prior to joining the Wikimedia Foundation, she was communications director for Knight Foundation, where she worked across the foundation’s focus areas – journalism, communities, arts, learning – as a thought partner and strategy developer. 

Anusha serves on the board of The Communications Network and Awesome Foundation Miami and is a member of the Communications Network working group for diversity, equity and inclusion. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University, a law degree from Queen’s University in Ontario and an honors bachelor of arts from the University of Toronto. 

Daniel Bramatti, Editor, Estadão Verifica

Daniel Bramatti is a former president of the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji). In 2018, he helped First Draft to create Comprova, a collaborative journalism project that fights misinformation in Brazil. Currently, he serves as editor of Estadão Verifica, the fact-checking unit of O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper.

Arnold Brown, Shareholder, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC

Arnold Brown is a global technology industry governance specialist and practicing attorney with Schwabe Williamson & Wyatt, representing dozens of international technology standards initiatives, open source organizations and tech startups. He is a former licensing executive and in-house general counsel for semiconductor companies and former Chairman of the HDMI Forum. He has served on the board of the literary magazine, Zyzzyva, and currently serves on the advisory board of the Universal Hip Hop Museum. He holds degrees from Harvard University and Berkeley Law.

Paul Cheung, CEO, The Center for Public Integrity

Paul Cheung leads The Center for Public Integrity as CEO to reverse the effects of inequalities with investigative journalism. Previously, he managed a multimillion-dollar investment portfolio at the Knight Foundation to scale the use of artificial intelligence, improve business sustainability solutions, and combat misinformation. Cheung has 20 years of experience in leading digital transformation and led cross-functional teams of journalists, technologists, data scientists and designers at media outlets including NBC News Digital, The Associated Press, the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal.

Angela Matusik, Head of Corporate Brand, Content and Creative, HP

Angela Matusik is HP’s head of corporate brand, content and creative with over 25 years of experience creating stories for global audiences. At HP, she oversees the tech leader’s corporate brand voice, identity, and master narrative. She leads a team of brand journalists that works with media and agency partners to bring stories of technology, innovation, impact, and creativity to life in digital, print, and films.

Prior to joining the tech industry at HP, Matusik developed brand content for entertainment, media, and fashion companies big and small, including Focus Features, Global Brand Group, Olivela, and more. She brings over two decades of media experience to the table, after working as an editor, writer, and digital leader at brands like People, InStyle and NBCUniversal. Matusik has a BS from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, and has taught digital media at New York University. She serves on the advisory board of Brand Storytelling, and at HP’s nonprofit foundation, HP Life.

Lynn Scheid, Producer and Journalist

Lynn Scheid is a former journalist and news producer who has extensive experience producing breaking news coverage across multiple countries. He has covered war, global politics and entertainment, working on some of the most iconic television shows in American history, including “Larry King Live,” “60 Minutes” and “America’s Most Wanted.”

He has amassed decades of experience in the NGO sector, where he has managed global projects for some of the world’s leading nonprofits. He has worked with USAID, the Carnegie Foundation and the Ford Foundation, among others. He is a fierce advocate for journalistic integrity and eradicating misinformation.