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Partnership Approaches for Press Freedom: Best Practices for ‘Localisation’ and ‘In-Country Ownership’
Inspiring Practice

Amsterdam: Free Press Unlimited (2024), 41 pp.

"We summarise here the most important recommendations for ‘localisation’ in partnership approaches and developing in-country ownership: - The power dynamics of funding streams: Partners in fragile countries struggling for (economic) survival sometimes feel compelled to agree to projects designs ... that do not match their needs. Funding streams from international implementers of projects and donor requirements by country donors and private foundations create power imbalances that need to be constantly reviewed and mitigated against. In an era of shrinking civic space, international organisations often become focused on the competition for donor funding too much. Accepting donor's views and its language can be a spoiler of trust between international organisations and in-country organisations if it does not match local needs. Saying ‘no’ can be healthy to contest ill-conceived funding. Power dynamics are not always about money, but also about (un)healthy relationships, shared knowledge and genuine interest in each other’s skills, capacity and knowledge. We need to stay sensitive regarding cultural norms and views on the role of journalists in fragile countries. Within programmes there is space for sharing responsibility more. Co-design and co-ownership requires constant attention. - Words matter in relationships with partners, be sensitive and self-reflective: This is exemplified by the frequent use of words as ‘local’, ‘southern’, ‘poor countries’ which are perceived by in-country organisations as belittling and discriminatory. Even the word 'localisation' itself is contested but we use it here as the international discussion frames it in the current discussions about Aid Infrastructure. Toxic and/or colonial vocabulary is mentioned repeatedly by partners and colleagues as a risk for an equal relationship. By contrast Free Press Unlimited should be conscious of such mechanisms, and continuously develop a glossary which radiates equity and equality and keep discussing it as language evolves. - Long term investment is needed for leadership and in-country ownership: Local ownership and autonomy requires investment in in-country organisations and its key staff. But ‘localisation’ is not an end in itself. It is a means to make credible trusted information available in various contexts as delivered by professional in-country media actors. Sometimes a local set-up is required to facilitate growth of country organisations and fostering local leadership. In the discussion about ‘localisation’ there is a trend visible where international organisations are setting up local offices to follow the ‘money going south’. This is not a positive trend and also not a solution to empower in-country organisations, and Free Press Unlimited tries to stay away from copying it. - Address global issues within the partnerships, it has added value for partners: In-country organisations in conflict prone and repressive societies are busy with survival. International organisations such as Free Press Unlimited can bring in expertise and perspectives from other regions and countries to overcome such divisional aspects of various in-country contexts. Free Press Unlimited is able to convene, help bridge divides and build coalitions, by bringing in counterparts in the same situation. But it is not just about learning and project design but also about the reflective nature of advocacy rooted in in-country contexts. Free Press Unlimited’s advocacy strategy sources its legitimacy in partners and their context and entertains a do-no-harm policy towards her partners. - Use the relationships with donors to ensure better value for partners: Free Press Unlimited’s positive experiences with seed money and finding donors for it, is an important contribution to partners and allies. It is often more challenging for in-country organisations to find a seat at the table of donors, and they often lack the multifaceted access to donors. Money is important, but belief in a free press and free access to information is more critical in reaching the goals of FPU. FPU must never replace "propagating" its ethos with looking for money for partners. - Articulate your powers better and do not shy away from using them for public good: International press freedom organisations have power and they should use it for the benefit of the global press- and media freedom community. Relinquishing that power in the face of shrinking space, also towards donors can help Free Press Unlimited to remain bold, ambitious and table the discussion about the positive power for good that international organisations have and can put to use for the benefit of all." (Executive summary, pp. 6-7) more

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The Media Viability Manifesto: A Common Framework for Joint Action
Key Guidance

Laura Moore, Elena Köhler, Clare Cook

Bonn et al.: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie; Media Viability Manifesto Initiative (2024), 33 pp.

"The Media Viability Manifesto (MVM) provides an urgently needed common framework for joint action from the global media development community. Its aim is three-pronged: To foster conceptual clarity, to strengthen strategic collaboration between multiple stakeholders, and to align practical implemen ... more

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Manifiesto sobre la Viabilidad de los Medios de comunicación: Un marco común para la acción conjunta
Key Guidance

Laura Moore, Elena Köhler, Clare Cook

Bonn et al.: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie; Media Viability Manifesto Initiative; UNESCO IPDC (2024), 37 pp.

"El Manifiesto sobre la Viabilidad de los Medios de comunicación (MVM, por sus siglas en inglés) proporciona un marco común, urgentemente necesario, para la acción conjunta de la comunidad mundial de desarrollo de los medios. Su objetivo es triple: fomentar la claridad conceptual, reforzar la co ... more

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Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias: Un cadre commun pour une action conjointe
Key Guidance

Laura Moore, Elena Köhler, Clare Cook

Bonn et al.: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie; Media Viability Manifesto Initiative; UNESCO IPDC (2024), 37 pp.

"Le Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias (MVM) établit un cadre commun, dont le besoin est urgent, pour une action conjointe de la part de la communauté mondiale du développement des médias. Son objectif est triple : Promouvoir une vision claire, renforcer la collaboration stratégique entre ... more

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Transforming Media Development: Recommendations for Effective Funding and Collaboration
Top Insights

Brussels: Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2023), 12 pp.

"This report draws on the feedback of media development actors to present a set of recommendations for both donors and implementing agencies. These include proposed improvements to the development and roll-out of funding programmes as well as measures that can be taken by both parties to introduce m ... more

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IMS Partnership Survey

International Media Support (IMS) (2022), 19 pp.

"At a general level the partners have been very satisfied with the IMS partnership, with an average rating on 4.53 out of 5. The comments further support the appreciation by the partners of the partnership with IMS: 'We are so proud of our IMS-partnership because the organisation treats us as a true ... more

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How “Insiders and Outsiders” Perceive Media Development Work: Reflections on Their Relationship and Cooperation

Mira Keßler

Global Media Journal - German Edition, volume 12, issue 1 (2022), 18 pp.

"This article tries to show that media development work could be based less on the idea of cooperation, but rather be perceived as a dominance of foreign funding countries and their politics. Taking this view, the donor organisations’ perceived dominance in controlling the entire process and meeti ... more

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Onsite Actors’ Agency Within International Media Development

Ines Drefs

Global Media Journal - German Edition, volume 12, issue 2 (2022), 16 pp.

"International efforts aimed at developing a specific region’s or country’s media sector commonly involve both onsite actors (usually from the Global South) and external actors (usually from the Global North). Dependency theory suggests that onsite actors are (stuck) in a relationship with devel ... more

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Report: Coordinating Media Assistance and Journalism Support Efforts

Michael Randall, Aida Al-Kaisy

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2022), 40 pp.

"All respondents in the interviews—including those who shared a negative experience of coordination—agreed that at a minimum, sharing information and exploring synergies should be fixtures of the media development landscape in any given country. The positive impact of such activities on value fo ... r money, aid effectiveness, and public perceptions of development programmes was recognised across the board and particularly in the context of the fundamental principles of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. Clearly, the scale of coordination work will depend largely on the volume of programming on the ground. However, even in those countries that see low levels of activity or have a single dominant programme, there was perceived value in introducing media development as a separate thematic strand in wider coordination efforts. The format and structure inherent in the selected coordination mechanism will also be shaped by the needs and priorities of local actors, but in general, a scheduled exchange of information combined with a platform for knowledge management was welcomed. The recommended level of involvement of donor organisations is a moot point since few if any coordination mechanisms have succeeded in regularly bringing donors and implementing agencies to the table. In 2016, as part of the MedMedia project, EC officials attempted to organise a roundtable for EU donors and development agencies committed to supporting media in the MENA region. Despite the best efforts of those concerned, the event was attended by representatives from just two member states—Austria and Latvia—neither of which was active in this field. Conversely, the donor coordination process that was set up in Ukraine in 2015 includes only limited representation from implementing agencies and exists in parallel to the coordination group assembled by GFMD in the wake of the Russian invasion. While GFMD invites donors to its meetings and shares information via email and online documents, the donors have yet to reciprocate. Thus, in real terms, there is no silver bullet or single best-practice model. However, based on its findings and conclusions, this report recommends that a strong level of interagency engagement should become the default position for all media development projects." (Recommendations, page 34-35) more

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Engagement Survey & Network Analysis

Adam J. Saffer

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2021), 19 pp.

"Going more specific into members’ engagement with GFMD, the survey found that the top three reasons organisations participate in GFMD were for information and knowledge exchange (n = 10), policy and decision making support (n = 8), and to build networks (n = 7). Members also indicated that the re ... more

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Mapping the Global Forum for Media Development: A Network Analysis of Members

Adam J. Saffer

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2016), 20 pp.

"This report presents the results of the network analysis of GFMD members. This analysis specifically studied the communication channels used and the quality of relationships among members. The quality of relationships was assessed using measures of social capital. The report also provides recommend ... more

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The "Fourth Estate" in Democracy Assistance: Practices and Challenges of German and International Media Development Cooperation. 6th Symposium Forum Media and Development

Christoph Dietz, Julia Steffenfauseweh, Angelika Mendes (eds.)

St. Augustin; Berlin; Aachen: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS); Catholic Media Council (CAMECO) (2011), 69 pp.

"The first part of this publication provides insight into the media development practices and policy frameworks of France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom while the second part deals with different issues and projects, such as the role of media for social transformation in Africa and coordina ... more

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Taking Over the Driver's Seat: Experiences with and Ideas About Ownership in the NIZA Media Sector Plan

Chudi Ukpabi, Inge Ruigrok

Amsterdam: Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa (NIZA) (2003), 32 pp.

"The conclusions of this overview of ideas and experiences on ownership, mainly aim at stimulating the exchange of ideas on new initiatives in the area of capacity building in media development in the Southern Africa region, and Africa in general. As this study shows, ownership is a much talked abou ... more

Partnership Approaches for Press Freedom: Best Practices for ‘Localisation’ and ‘In-Country Ownership’ Inspiring Practice

The Media Viability Manifesto: A Common Framework for Joint Action Key Guidance

Manifiesto sobre la Viabilidad de los Medios de comunicación: Un marco común para la acción conjunta Key Guidance

Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias: Un cadre commun pour une action conjointe Key Guidance

Transforming Media Development: Recommendations for Effective Funding and Collaboration Top Insights

Partnership Approaches for Press Freedom: Best Practices for ‘Localisation’ and ‘In-Country Ownership’
Inspiring Practice

The Media Viability Manifesto: A Common Framework for Joint Action
Key Guidance

Manifiesto sobre la Viabilidad de los Medios de comunicación: Un marco común para la acción conjunta
Key Guidance

Manifeste sur la viabilité des médias: Un cadre commun pour une action conjointe
Key Guidance

Transforming Media Development: Recommendations for Effective Funding and Collaboration
Top Insights