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68th meeting of the Bureau of the Intergovernmental Council of IPDC 20 - 21 June 2024. Item 4 of the provisional agenda: Results-based report on projects approved by the 66th meeting of the IPDC Bureau (June 2022) and Rapid-response mechanism projects implemented in 2022-2023, part II

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2024), 190 pp

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Results-based report on IPDC projects implemented in 2022-2023

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2024), 47 pp.

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Safeguarding independent journalism in Latin America

Francisca Skoknic

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2024), 37 pp.

"In a region plagued by poverty, inequality, and attacks on press freedom, Latin American journalists have ventured into non-profit journalism to uphold democracy. Outlets producing award-winning and highly impactful journalism in the region include El Salvador’s El Faro, founded in 1998, Chile’ ... s Ciper (2007), IDL-Reporteros in Peru and La Silla Vacía in Colombia (2009), Animal Político in Mexico (2010), Agência Pública in Brazil and Plaza Pública in Guatemala (2011) – to name a few. But finding a sustainable financing model has eluded most outlets. There is limited advertising revenue for such controversial topics, and lower income audiences are hard-pressed to pay for news. This has led to an over-reliance on foreign funding to finance their work. Research by SembraMedia found that grants are the primary source of non-profit income, accounting for 63% of their revenue on average. To assess for myself how acutely reliant independent media in Latin America are on foreign donors, I set about analysing 40 independent outlets based in 16 countries. I focused on outlets that produce public interest journalism, play a significant role in their countries, and receive institutional foreign funding. [...] Between 2016 and 2022 those 40 outlets received more than $27 million from OSF and Ford Foundation. While Ford Foundation granted roughly half the number of grants as the Soros organisation, their grants were significantly larger, meaning the total amount donated was almost on par. OSF has been key in giving establishing grants to new outlets and then fostering their growth, while Ford tends to back outlets with a track record. Ana Joaquina Ruiz, Program Associate for Mexico, and Central America at Ford Foundation, told me: “OSF has the capacity to fund more innovative projects. Ford is a bit more conservative and works with projects that can be a contribution in the long term.” A third important player to consider in this ecosystem is Luminate, created by the founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar. Publicly available data shows it has only distributed 11 grants between 2016 and 2022 among the 40 outlets I analysed. The average size of each grant was $360,000 – far more than the average Ford Foundation grants ($240,000) or OSF grants ($135,000). It is worth noting, however, that no consistent data could be found about the length of time each grant was intended to cover. An analysis of average amount granted per year might paint a different picture." (https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk) more

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Chinese Media Engagement with Africa and the Role of African Agency: The Cases of Kenya and Ethiopia

Hangwei Li

Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP); German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS); IfW Kiel Institute for the World Economy (2024), 8 pp.

"This policy brief reveals the complexity of Chinese media engagement with African countries, highlighting involvement from both state and private actors through a variety of forms. At its core, China aims to champion its development paradigm as a viable alternative to Western models, augment its so ... more

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

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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What Can We Learn From the Short History of Independent Media in Serbia? Radio B92, George Soros, and New Models of Media Development

Janet Steele

International Journal of Press/Politics, volume 29, issue 3 (2024), pp. 646-666

"Radio B92 was an iconic independent media institution in Serbia. Founded in 1989, B92 provided Belgrade listeners with subversive rock music, high-quality journalism, and independent perspectives on politics in the former Yugoslavia. An early adapter to the internet, B92 has been credited with spar ... more

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Flight and Fight: Supporting Exiled Media to Survive and Sustain

Isabelle Schläpfer, Rosie Parkyn

London: Internews (2024), 63 pp.

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Local media: Surviving and thriving in a news desert Lessons learned from Local Media for Democracy
Deep Insights

Iryna Vidanava, Clare Cook

Copenhagen: International Media Support (IMS); Local Media for Democracy (LM4D) (2024), 59 pp.

"The Local Media for Democracy (LM4D) programme was conceived and designed to achieve exactly that: to recognise and strengthen local media operating in news deserts and to provide local communities with the timely, accurate, and relevant information they need to make informed decisions about what m ... more

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Mapping ODA to media and information environment integrity
Deep Insights

Laure-Hélène Piron

Paris: OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (2024), 105 pp.

"Interviews with 25 officials from development ministries and agencies and media experts, and a review of over 100 documents, confirmed that development partners are aware of the pressures faced by traditional and new media, and how the information environment can influence their wider democracy and ... more

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

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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A moment of truth: Securing the survival of independent journalism

Paris: International Fund for Public Interest Media (2024), 57 pp.

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Enabling a Sustainable News Environment: A Framework for Media Finance Legislation
Deep Insights

Conny Moon Sehat, Amy Mitchell, Samuel Jens

Center for News, Technology & Innovation (CNTI) (2024), 46 pp.

"This study examines 23 recently enacted or proposed legislative efforts from 2018 through 2024 aimed at providing revenue streams for journalism. We hope it offers a fulsome method for analyzing possible paths forward. There are two main parts of the report: Part One groups this legislation into se ... more

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Principes pour un soutien pertinent et efficace aux médias et à l’espace de l’information dans le cadre de la coopération pour le développement
Key Guides

Paris: OCDE (2024), 15 pp.

"Les principes ci-après ont pour but de redynamiser le soutien international aux médias et à l’espace de l’information. Ils visent à encourager les fournisseurs de coopération pour le développement actuels à accroître leurs niveaux d’assistance (notamment financière) et à améliorer ... la pertinence et l’efficacité de leur soutien existant dans le but de préserver, protéger et promouvoir les médias d’intérêt public et l’intégrité de l’information. L’APD peut être déterminante pour relever les grands défis auxquels est confronté l’espace de l’information mondial. Les principes présentés ici peuvent aider les fournisseurs de coopération pour le développement à trouver des solutions aux difficultés exposées dans l’introduction. Chaque principe s’accompagne d’une liste indicative non exhaustive de modalités de mise en oeuvre pratiques et concrètes. Le premier principe, qui consiste à ne pas porter préjudice aux médias d’intérêt public, est considéré comme un minimum que tous les fournisseurs de coopération pour le développement sont censés respecter. Les autres principes, plus ambitieux, ont vocation à servir de guide et d’inspiration aux fournisseurs précités en vue d’accroître la pertinence et l’efficacité de leur soutien. 1. Veiller à ce que l’aide ne porte pas préjudice aux médias d’intérêt public. [...] 2. Accroître le soutien, notamment financier, en faveur des médias d’intérêt public et de l’espace de l’information afin de renforcer la résilience démocratique [...] 3. Adopter une perspective systémique globale du soutien aux médias et à l’espace de l’information afin que celui-ci soit plus pertinent, plus efficace et plus durable. Considérer les médias et l’espace de l’information comme un secteur du développement à proprement parler, un élément essentiel des efforts visant à promouvoir et protéger la démocratie, les droits humains, l’égalité des genres et le développement, ainsi qu’un secteur qui peut aider à la mise en oeuvre d’autres objectifs de développement [...] 4. Renforcer le leadership et l’appropriation au niveau local, en donnant aux partenaires des médias ainsi qu’aux autres acteurs de l’espace de l’information (comme les organisations de la société civile et les créateurs de contenus en ligne) les moyens de participer de manière constructive aux politiques et aux programmes [...] 5. Améliorer la coordination du soutien aux médias et à l’espace de l’information, à la fois entre les organismes donneurs et entre les initiatives de développement et les efforts diplomatiques visant à promouvoir la liberté des médias, en particulier dans les contextes de crises [...] 6. Investir dans la connaissance, la recherche et l’apprentissage." (Page 8-11) more

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

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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Le journalisme par projets: Ce que l’aide internationale fait aux médias (Jordanie, Tunisie)

Simon Mangon

Revue Internationale de Politique Comparée, volume 31, issue 1 (2024), pp. 127-151

"Cet article propose d’observer les transformations contemporaines du journalisme à partir d’un objet original, l’aide internationale aux médias. Il s’agit à la fois de comprendre ce que ce phénomène dit de la profession journalistique et ce qu’il fait au métier. L’hypothèse princ ... more

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Une presse libre en contexte autoritaire ? Aide internationale et « démocratisation » par les médias en Jordanie

Simon Mangon

Critique Internationale, issue 104 (2024), pp. 37-58

"L’hypothèse centrale de cet article porte sur les appropriations stratégiques par le pouvoir politique jordanien de l’aide internationale destinée aux médias locaux. L’enquête me permet de montrer que des dispositifs de « démocratisation », visant à soutenir le pluralisme et la liber ... more

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Central Asia Media Program: Final Report

Dmitri Surnin, Dylan Gray

USAID; Internews (2024), 158 pp.

"MediaCAMP built media capacity to provide balanced, informed and unbiased reporting by addressing several aspects important not just to media organizations but individuals in the media field, the wider media environment, and the content and social issues media addresses in all three countries. The ... more

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L’aide française aux médias étrangers: Une analyse de la diplomatie publique par ses acteurs, ses réseaux et ses luttes

Simon Mangon

Questions de Communication, volume 44 (2024), pp. 29-44

"Dans cet article, je propose d’analyser l’aide française aux médias étrangers comme une forme de diplomatie publique. À partir d’une enquête portant sur l’histoire, la structuration et les acteurs de cette aide, je montre que sa fabrique fait l’objet de luttes et de négociations. La ... more

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The state of media development: Global evidence on relevant and effective media support
Deep Insights

Ines Drefs, Rose Kimani, Dennis Reineck, Vera Freitag, Nick Benequista

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2023), 81 pp.

"OECD Principle 1: Do no harm to public interest media– The media development sector is well-equipped when it comes to risk management: more than half of the surveyed organizations have effective risk mitigation strategies and over 40 percent have well-suited risk monitoring tools.– However, ro ... om remains for improvement: a lack of awareness amongst international organizations of cer tain local risks is one specific issue. Another is the risk of donors jeopardizing the editorial independence of media outlets by pursuing an unduly political agenda. Media assistance must be cautious when it comes to navigating geopolitical interests.– Interviewees also highlighted the risk of foreign funding being used to label recipient organizations as foreign agents. Another issue is brain drain to the detriment of media outlets if higher salaries are paid elsewhere, not least in the international development sphere.– When it comes to discrimination, the results suggest that media development organizations have a strong focus on gender-sensitivity and diversity in projects and beyond. However, only 23 percent of organizations have project guidelines for disability mainstreaming. OECD Principle 2: Increase financial and other forms of support– This study underlines how worried media development organizations are about the persistently small share of overall official develop ment assistance (ODA) invested in strengthening media systems and independent media. This is considered especially concerning in light of current democratic challenges and shrinking spaces for independent reporting worldwide.– In wider development co-operation, media are still often seen as tools for strategic communication rather than as a key pillar for democratic development. Such views tend to hinder the media development sector’s integration in other development fields. There is a need for awareness-raising and greater exchange with other development actors.– 23 percent of international media development organizations’ funding is allocated to core funding of public interest media. Acknowledgement of media as a public good and the associated need for core funding is considered key for effective support. OECD Principle 3: Take a whole system perspective– This principle demands a holistic and systemic approach to supporting public interest media. This study finds that the media development sector is quite well-positioned when it comes to underlying analyses of media and information environments.– However, there is a mismatch between the assessments conducted and donor decision-making. Interviewees also criticized funding cycles of one year or less as unsustainable. The average funding cycle of the media development organizations surveyed was 22 months.– A broad range of themes are supported by media development organizations across both traditional and newer media actors. There is nevertheless a need to consider further integration of newer actors into media development support. OECD Principle 4: Strengthen local leadership and ownership– This study finds that, according to international media development organizations’ budget estimates, an average of 40 percent of their funding reaches local and regional actors directly.– 75 percent of local and regional organizations agree that they are meaningfully involved in project implementation. However, only half feel that they are sufficiently involved in priority setting, hinting at room for improvement in this regard. – International organizations in most cases still take the lead role in applications for ODA funding. In some regions, however, local and regional partners have built up sufficient expertise and experience to be lead applicants for ODA funding, and this is working well.– The phenomenon of “parachuting in” external experts into partner countries rather than making use of local expertise is much less prevalent than it used to be but still exists. The results show that organizations focus on skills brought to the table rather than on the origin of the expert. OECD Principle 5: Improve coordination of support– Over 55 percent of respondents from all types of media development organizations agree that they are meaningfully involved in sector coordination. However, representatives from international media development organizations tend to see the degree of co-ordination in a more positive light than respondents from organizations based outside the Global North.– Only 30 percent of local and regional organizations agree that there is swift coordination of support by international media development actors during times of crisis. This is linked to a seeming failure to learn from previous crises. Instead, local and regional organizations in various parts of the world are taking the lead in crisis response in their regions and actively collaborating to ramp up crisis preparedness.– On a day-to-day basis, there is less collaboration than desired among donors, which can skew the market because particular segments are over- or underfunded. Media development organizations are doing a better job of coordinating with each other, even though this is sometimes hindered by competition or by the fact that some key decisions are made at donor level.– As regards administrative requirements, 33 percent of all surveyed media development organizations think that donors or organizations they partner with offer efficient pro cesses for managing funds. There is an urgent need to harmonize reporting requirements as well as to offer more flexibility in requirements depending on context. OECD Principle 6: Invest in knowledge, research and learning– This study finds that almost 60 percent of organizations have access to sector best practices and lessons learned, and precisely 50 percent have internal mechanisms to share their own lessons learned with others.– However, there is also wide consensus in the sector that producing and sharing evidence is not a donor priority, with slightly more than 30 percent of organizations indicating that they have sufficient funding for these types of activities.– There is considerable demand for annual reports from organiza tions such as Reporters Without Borders or Freedom House, but also for more actionable research on approaches that work. A mix between face-to-face conferences, newsletters and more in-depth webinar-type dives into specific topics emerged as the optimal way of keeping the sector informed." (Key findings, pages 8-9) more

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Conflict Sensitive Media Work within the Civil Peace Service (CPS)

Suzanne Gentges, Karin Bridger, Faith Chege et al.

Bonn; Eschborn: Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) (2023), 11 pp.

"The media plays an important role in shaping public discourse on current issues - especially in conflict situations. Depending on the reporting, media can either exacerbate conflicts or contribute to their de-escalation and constructive management. The aim of CPS's work in this field, is to support ... partner organizations that work on conflict-sensitive media content. Training courses for journalists and media professionals raise awareness of the consequences of their reporting and the resulting responsibility. Core principles of conflict-sensitive media work are independence, transparency, no manipulation, identification of problems as well as possible solutions, and consideration of different perspectives. This enables readers, listeners, and viewers to have access to objective information, to form their own opinions and to be oriented towards solutions. Journalists and media professionals have the power to positively influence public discourse, provide an inclusive and safe space for dialogue and exchange, and contribute to nonviolent conflict transformation. Our partners focus on the intersection of media and conflict transformation. Their conflict-sensitive media work is aimed at providing media professionals with concepts, methods, and strategies for analyzing and understanding conflicts and their dynamics. Further, they explore the possibilities of exerting a de-escalating and peace-promoting influence on the presentation of conflicts through informed, differentiated, and sensitive reporting. A variety of approaches are used to strengthen conflict-sensitive media work at the individual, local, community and institutional levels and to bring about societal change. [...] Initiatives and activities of our CPS partners include: Designing training modules on conflict-sensitive media work and non-violent communication; creating a wide range of media products, including radio shows and dramas, photographs, visualized interviews, television, theater performances, articles, features, online media, vlogging, blogging, comic books, murals, or paintings; bringing together diverse groups in conflict to report on divisive issues; creating communities of practice for learning, listening, and sharing; establishing monitoring and evaluation structures to assess the impact of products; organizing peer-to-peer exchanges in labs, conferences, and roundtables. On the following pages, nine countries in which the CPS runs projects provide insights into their respective conflict-sensitive media work." (Page 1) more

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

Local media: Surviving and thriving in a news desert Lessons learned from Local Media for Democracy Deep Insights

Mapping ODA to media and information environment integrity Deep Insights

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

Enabling a Sustainable News Environment: A Framework for Media Finance Legislation Deep Insights

Principes pour un soutien pertinent et efficace aux médias et à l’espace de l’information dans le cadre de la coopération pour le développement Key Guides

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

The state of media development: Global evidence on relevant and effective media support Deep Insights

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

Local media: Surviving and thriving in a news desert Lessons learned from Local Media for Democracy
Deep Insights

Mapping ODA to media and information environment integrity
Deep Insights

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

Enabling a Sustainable News Environment: A Framework for Media Finance Legislation
Deep Insights

Principes pour un soutien pertinent et efficace aux médias et à l’espace de l’information dans le cadre de la coopération pour le développement
Key Guides

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

The state of media development: Global evidence on relevant and effective media support
Deep Insights