Shaded terms for chapter five

Grant: Usually, funds disbursed by a grant-maker to a recipient who intends to accomplish something. Academic grants could fund tuition, special projects or often research. Such gifts frequently go to schools, nonprofits and government, but they also can go to businesses and individuals.

Media Diet: The information a person consumes through media.

Body Politic: People joined by a political entity, such as a city, state or nation.

Truth: A representation of reality based on an interpretation of facts and experiences known at the time. There are many forms of truth: objective, subjective, absolute or relative. Journalists say truth is something one seeks but rarely finds because new facts and interpretations keep emerging.

Story impact: In journalism, whether a story or opinion piece changes what people think or do about the issues it raises. Media impact is broader than story impact, as it involves all messages and interactions with media.

Civics literacy: The basic knowledge and skills one needs to effectively participate or lead in society. Examples: Knowing how a bill becomes a law or understanding when public input can change the outcome of a public policy debate.

Philanthropy: Literally means "love of humanity" in Greek. As opposed to charity, which seeks to help people in immediate need, philanthropy hopes to solve a problem’s underlying cause and create greater impact on the future. As in the ancient Chinese proverb: “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

For-profit organization: Businesses and other organizations that make money and pay taxes. They may provide community benefits, but the organizations are structured to create profit.

Nonprofit organization: An organization created to benefit the public that is not structured to make profits and usually does not pay taxes. Often, nonprofit organizations are formed for identified religious, charitable or educational purposes.

Some of the shaded terms are in the text; others are in the Learning Layer; still others are in the source material linked to from the book. This list helps define them, wherever they are found.