The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation approved 28 grants totaling $17 million to organizations that support journalism.

The grants are allocated for journalism education, mid-career training, broadcast journalism, diversity, First Amendment issues, and outreach for young people.

Topping the list of recipients is the Western Knight Center for Specialized Journalism at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School. The center, operated by USC and the University of California-Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, will help mid-career journalists better understand issues they cover.

Knight also awarded $1.5 million each to develop two new chairs in journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. The chair at Syracuse will specialize in political reporting, the one at Northwestern will concentrate on broadcast journalism.

A $2.3 million grant was given to the Reporters Committee, a volunteer association of reporters and editors with the mission of protecting the First Amendment.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will receive $2.2 million for additional endowment to increase the number of stipends for Knight Science Journalism Fellows. Yale University will get $1.5 for five years to support the Yale Law for Journalists program.

The American Press Association will receive $1.1 million to for its program that investigates crimes against journalists in Latin America.

The Knight Foundation was established in 1950. It makes arts, cultural, education and journalism grants and also supports organizations in 27 communities where Knight-Ridder Inc. publishes newspapers.

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