mediadev library

Independent Evaluation of the Media Freedom Coalition

Aida Al Kaisy, Daniel Skillings, Ivana Jiménez Barrios

Paris: Aleph Strategies; Media Freedom Coalition (2025), 62 pp.

"The evaluation found that the MFC has made notable contributions to media freedom and journalist safety over the past five years. It has played a role in encouraging some Member States to strengthen their media freedom policies and legislation. The MFC has also influenced state actors through diplo ... matic and advocacy efforts, maintaining high-level political attention on media freedom. Direct interventions, legal guidance, and engagement with embassy networks have contributed to journalist protection efforts at the local level. Furthermore, the MFC has strengthened multi-stakeholder coordination, bringing together governments, civil society, and legal experts. However, the evaluation also identified several areas for improvement. While the MFC provides a platform for dialogue and cooperation, its engagement with members on domestic media freedom policies is voluntary and lacks a structured approach for supporting and tracking commitments. Joint advocacy statements have a greater impact locally than internationally and are often perceived as lacking boldness and clear outcomes. While the MFC has addressed high-profile cases, its focus has sometimes overshadowed broader, systemic media freedom challenges. Engagement with Rights-Holders and organisations working on the ground has been limited, impacting the relevance and sustainability of its strategies. Coordination and collaboration within the MFC are foundational, particularly through diplomatic networks and the development of emergency visa schemes. However, decision-making is often reactive, affecting stakeholder trust. The MFC’s membership is perceived as predominantly Northern-led, and there is potential to leverage its diverse membership more effectively. Knowledge management and information-sharing need strengthening to ensure a deeper understanding of media freedom issues among Member States. The high-level legal expertise of the HLP is underutilised. Clarity around decision-making processes among Member States varies, influencing trust-based collaboration. While engagement at the local level through embassies is effective, it requires more structured guidance and support. Coordination between Member States, the CN, and the HLP remains limited in some areas. In terms of sustainability, the current governance model, particularly the annual rotation of Executive Group co-chairs, can present challenges for knowledge retention and continuity. Funding modalities are complex, leading to perceptions of uneven distribution and impacting trust and coordination. While the MFC has developed working relationships with similar coalitions, more formalised collaboration could maximise resource efficiency. The limited engagement with Rights-Holders influences the visibility and perceived effectiveness of the MFC’s work." (Key findings and conclusions, pages 2-3) more

External Link (15)

Sudanese Media Ecosystem
New

Aida Al-Kaisy, Andariya

Internews (2025), 44 pp.

"Based on qualitative and quantitative research conducted between May and August 2025, including interviews with journalists, media organisations, policymakers, and civil society activists, the report highlights how Sudan’s media environment has transformed into a “parallel battlefield” where ... more

External Link (20)

Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in the Levant region
Quick Overview

Emmanuel-Pierre Guittet, Ghias Al Juni, Aida Ail-Kaisy

Brussels: Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2025), 11 pp.

"Using the OECD Principles for Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment as a lens, the GFMD mapping highlights several pressing issues. 1. The dominance of governmental funding, particularly from the United States, underscores the sector’s heavy reliance on a narrow ... more

Download (1)

A Gender Analysis of the Media Landscape in Yemen

Aida Al-Kaisy

International Media Support (IMS) (2024), 43 pp.

External Link (12)

The Role of Media in Social Cohesion and Conflict Transformation in Ninewa

Aida Al-Kaisy, Pakshan Bibani, Anja Wollenberg et al.

Berlin: Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) (2024), 52 pp.

External Link (20)

Structural Racism in UK Newsrooms

Aida Al-Kaisy

Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) (2023), 35 pp.

External Link (20)

Information Ecosystem Assessment: Jordan

Aida Al-Kaisy

Internews (2023), 63 pp.

"This report provides an assessment of the media landscape in Jordan from the perspective of its audiences. Based on audience research, it examines the key issues emerging around media usage, trust, content, and literacy. It is based on data that was collected throughout June and July 2023; the medi ... more

External Link (17)

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

Download (1)

Feeling the Burden: Ethical Challenges and Practices in Open Source Analysis and Journalism

Benjamin Loehrke, Aida Al-Kaisy, Luisa Kenausis, Devon Terrill, Kelly Smits

Ethical Journalism Network (EJN); Stanley Center for Peace and Security (2022), 16 pp.

"Ethical dilemmas with open source analysis are common. Analysts and journalists working with open source information have stories of feeling uneasy about publishing something. They weigh possibly risking harm to themselves, their employer, other individuals, or even international security. After pu ... more

External Link (11)

Shaped by Trauma, History and Hope: Audiences’ Perceptions of Social Cohesion Coverage in Ninewah, Iraq

Aida Kaisy

Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) (2021), 41 pp.

"This research analysis aims to assess perceptions of media coverage of social cohesion in Ninewah and understand how content is consumed and assessed by audiences in the province. What this report has demonstrated is that while there is a distrust of the media at a national level, local media are p ... more

Download (0)

Building Trust in Journalism: Slovakia

Aida Kaisy

Ethical Journalism Network (EJN); Evens Foundation; Fritt Ord Foundation (2021), 22 pp.

"This policy report provides an overview of the challenges and opportunities that the media are facing in Slovakia. Based on a number of interviews that took place with key Slovak media stakeholders, it finds that the Slovak media landscape is currently the freest of the Visegrad countries, despite ... more

External Link (19)

Disinformation in Iraqi Media

Aida Al-Kaisy

London: LSE Middle East Centre; Conflict Research Programme (CRP) (2021), 21 pp.

"This paper examines the key narratives of disinformation that are prevalent in Iraqi media. It provides an analysis of the messages, agents, intentions and impact of the spread of disinformation. Focusing particularly on the period during which planned national elections were postponed, it identifi ... more

External Link (10)

A Gender Analysis of the Media Landscape in Iraq

Aida Kaisy

Washington, DC; London: Internews (2020), 35 pp.

"Corrupt practices, political financing and institutionalised patriarchal systems have seen the media fail to provide equitable coverage of women’s issues or indeed include women as decision-makers organisationally. Both the audience and media stakeholders are acutely aware of the lack of ethical ... more

Download (0)

Building Trust in Journalism: Bulgaria

Aida Kaisy

Ethical Journalism Network (EJN); Evens Foundation; Fritt Ord Foundation (2020), 20 pp.

Download (0)

Building Trust in Journalism: Hungary

Aida Kaisy

Ethical Journalism Network (EJN); Evens Foundation; Fritt Ord Foundation (2020), 18 pp.

Download (0)

Building Trust in Journalism: Poland

Aida Kaisy, Chris Elliott

Ethical Journalism Network (EJN) (2020), 21 pp.

External Link (12)

Healthy Scepticism Across the Board: A Study on Media Perception in Sudan

Aida Kaisy

Berlin: Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) (2020), 18 pp.

"Social media is the most dominant source of news, with television and radio both declining in popularity amongst young audiences. Social media is popular due to its accessibility and speed of reporting events. Countering the commonly high popularity of radio in Africa, radio was seen as outdated an ... more

External Link (10)

A Fragmented Landscape: Barriers to Independent Media in Iraq

Aida Al Kaisy

London: Middle East Centre London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (2019), 15 pp.

"Fundamentally, this paper argues that the lack of political will combined with the failure of state-building processes to develop the frameworks and institutions to support independent media is maintaining a media landscape that reflects the key political challenges of Iraq. The politics of success ... more

Download (1)

What Do Young People in the Arab World Want from Their National Broadcasters?

Aida Al-Kaisy

MedMedia (2017), 18 pp.

"This report captures of the findings of the “Youth on Screen” initiative, which was born out of a growing desire amongst youth civil society groups and broadcasters in the Southern Mediterranean Region to tackle the issue of youth representation on television head on. The report not only looks ... more

Sudanese Media Ecosystem New

Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in the Levant region Quick Overview

Sudanese Media Ecosystem
New

Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in the Levant region
Quick Overview