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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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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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Building Trusted Media in a Fragile Setting: An Evaluation of Radio Ndeke Luka in Central African Republic

Jeffrey Conroy-Krutz

Michigan State University (2024), 8 pp.

"Can the impact of a news radio station on a highly vulnerable population in a crisis-affected country be measured? The installation of new FM transmitters for Radio Ndeke Luka in Beloko, Birao, and Obo in the Central African Republic offered an opportunity to carry out a field study measuring the i ... mpact of our radio station before and after its introduction in these remote regions of the country. The results of this study reveal a tangible impact and a shift in listeners’ perceptions, particularly regarding misinformation. The Central African Republic, marked by a weak central state, widespread poverty, and recurring intercommunal conflicts, is particularly vulnerable to misinformation. Radio Ndeke Luka, a project of Fondation Hirondelle in CAR, plays a crucial role by broadcasting reliable news 24/7 in both French and Sango across the country. Thanks to funding from the European Union, new FM transmitters for RNL were installed between December 2021 and April 2022 in remote areas of the Central African Republic, specifically in Beloko, Birao, and Obo. This provided an opportunity to assess the radio’s impact on local populations before and after the installation. Investigators from the local network of IMMAR Research & Consultancy followed a protocol developed by Dr. Jeff Conroy Krutz, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Michigan State University. This protocol ensured a random selection of adult participants and gender balance. In total, over 1,700 people were interviewed before the transmitters were installed, and more than 1,800 afterwards, within the same communities across the three localities. Measured Impacts Increase in Audience: RNL became the most listened-to radio station in the targeted areas within months of the new transmitters going live. Relevance and Impartiality: 52% of listeners considered RNL’s programs essential to their daily lives. Trust and impartiality scores also improved between the pre- and post-launch periods. Trust in RNL far exceeded that of other locally accessible radio stations. Combating Misinformation: Residents of the three areas reported significantly greater confidence in their ability to distinguish fact from fiction after the installation of the transmitters, which facilitated access to RNL programs." (https://www.hirondelle.org) more

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Breaking newsrooms: Are Myanmar’s exiled journalists getting a fair deal?

Ye Mon, Ben Dunant

Frontier Myanmar, September 9 (2024)

"Journalists are allegedly suffering exploitation and abuse at exiled news outlets, but there’s debate over whether the responsibility to respond falls on donors or a media industry that is taking gradual steps to self-regulate." (Introduction)

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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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Evaluation of the BMAP-Forward Activity

Sarah Eissler, Micheal Buehler, Brenda Pearson, Miodrag Bogdanovic, Anida Soko, Arben Qirezi

Washington, DC: USAID; Integra Government Services International (2024), 165 pp.

"Activity Description: The Balkan Media Assistance Program to Foster Organizational Readiness While Advancing Resilient Development (BMAP-FORWARD) is a $13 million regional Activity (2022-2028) that aims to strengthen the independence and resilience of media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo ... , Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. Evaluation Purpose: USAID/Europe and Eurasia Bureau requested a mid-term performance evaluation of BMAP-FORWARD to understand which approaches, tools, and interventions are successfully contributing to planned outcomes according to the Activity’s three key objectives: 1) Increase strategic business practices of key media partners to operate as viable enterprises and better understand their markets and audiences; 2) Reinforce the ability of content producers to produce data-driven content, engage wider audiences, improve digital security efforts, and expand reach across the region; and 3) Foster stronger partnerships between media outlets and the technology, commercial, and entrepreneurial sectors to advance solutions on common challenges in the information space. Evaluation Design: Mixed methods and non-experimental evaluation design approaches, including Expert Consultations and Outcome Harvesting, were employed to collect and analyze primary and secondary data, including reviewing 140 documents, conducting 51 key informant interviews with experts, 47 in-depth interviews with recipients of assistance, an online Expert Survey (n=63), and conducting 13 interviews and an online validation survey (n=48) to substantiate outcome stories. All data were triangulated to inform the evidence base to develop each finding and conclusion. Key Findings: BMAP-FORWARD’s tailored and localized approach is a key strength of its ability to provide effective, useful, and timely assistance, which has strengthened Key Media Partners’ (KMPs’) shift towards strategic planning, ability to pursue diversified revenue sources, improve content production and technology use to engage wider audiences, produce data-driven content using new software, and engage in cross-border collaborations. BMAP-FORWARD assistance has strengthened KMPs’ digital security practices and protocols, although with room for improvement to sustain this support. While BMAPFORWARD has made inroads to foster partnerships between media and non-traditional actors, key factors inhibit progress towards this Activity Objective (Objective 3). Key Recommendations: BMAP-FORWARD should: 1) continue to employ the highly tailored approach to learn KMPs’ needs, co-create solutions and action plans, identify resources to implement solutions, and present new ideas; 2) consider providing more opportunities for intentional engagement for peer-to-peer learning for newsroom staff from different outlets, including non-KMPs and different media across the region; 3) consider investing in strengthening in-house expertise capacity or identify long-term solutions for each KMP to navigate the evolving digital security challenges; and 4) consider designing and marketing sessions at forums geared towards facilitating potential partnerships between private sector actors and KMPs, which can be followed by ongoing assistance to support KMPs in navigating how to structure partnerships." (Abstract) more

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Mapping and analysis of ODA to media and the information environment
Deep Insights

Laure-Hélène Piron

Paris: OECD; OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (2024), 101 pp.

"Laure-Hélène Piron (The Policy Practice Director) undertook an analysis of official development assistance to media and the information environment for the Governance Network of the OECD Development Assistance Committee which was published in June 2024. The report shows that the rhetoric of gover ... more

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Mapping of media assistance and journalism support programmes in the Western Balkans region

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2024), 7 pp.

"A third of the programmes identified - 19 out of 58 - are regional programmes (that is, covering more than one country). Several regional programmes include activities implemented in Western Balkan countries and other countries outside of the region (such as Turkey and Moldova). We mapped 39 single ... -country programmes: 10 programmes implemented in Albania, 9 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 7 in Serbia, 5 in Kosovo and the Republic of North Macedonia and 3 in Montenegro. [...] Nearly 28% of the listed projects are implemented under the broad definition of democracy, human rights and freedom of expression. Several factors contribute to the large number of programmes in this category, namely: some donors use this broad general description to classify their support for media in their official databases; EU donors use this type of description to indicate that the programmes are situated within the EU accession agenda under the overall objective of freedom of expression. The second largest group consists of programmes aimed at building trust and focusing on disinformation, media literacy and fact-checking initiatives. In the third group are programmes addressing media sustainability, capacity and resilience building, investments in media, and innovation, which, in many cases, include an emphasis on digital tools. Five mapped programmes support investigative journalism and anti-corruption reporting. The same number of programmes (5) are designed to fund media reporting on other development issues, such as the environment, culture, energy and human trafficking. [...] Out of the 58 mapped programmes, we identified the total budgets awarded for 33 of them. By converting the amounts to USD and summing them, we calculated a total of $57,516,590, with an average annual amount of approximately $13.38 million. This figure does not include amounts awarded via sub-granting, funding provided by NED and EED and from other sources not identified in this mapping. If we added NED and EED budgets based on estimates and projections using the data available, the total amount for the 2020-2024 period would be close to $90 million with an annual average of $20.1 million. When cross-referencing the data collected in this mapping with information from other sources, including d-portal. org, the estimates aligned closely with the total mounts. By selecting relevant categories on d-portal.org, such as Free Flow of Information, Media and Free Flow of Information, and Radio/ Television/ Print/ Media, for the period 2020–2024, the funding amounted to a total of $ 77.3 million. USAID was identified as the largest donor in the region, contributing over $52 million (approximately 70% of the total support), followed by Sweden with close to $10 million, the EU with $8.1 million, and other countries collectively contributing up to $5 million." (Pages 4-6) more

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Mapping out cross-regional expert exchange: A practical orientation to global peer collaboration and growth

Rune Meissel, Rose Kimani

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2024), 15 pp.

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In-Between Journalism and Media Development: Negotiating Journalist Safety within Decolonising African Contexts

Viola Candice Milton, Winston Mano

In: Decolonising Journalism Education in South Africa: Critical Perspectives

Ylva Rodny-Gumede, Colin Chasi, Zubeida Jaffer, Mvuso Ponono (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2023), pp. 163-186

"Media development has long been a staple in Africa and literature about its conceptualisations, practices and impact abound. One defining characteristic of this literature is that it focuses primarily on media development’s impact on the media’s ability to resist penetration by the state. This ... more

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Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists: Annual Report, 2022

Paris: UNESCO (2023), 261 pp.

"Over the last year, the Theory of Change (ToC) has guided the MDP’s activities and actions. The Programme has followed a dual approach, reinforcing the capacities of duty-bearers and empowering rights-holders, with a focus on local media stakeholders. The aim of this approach is to create a safe ... more

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Global Media Defence Fund

Paris: UNESCO (2023), 11 pp.

"The Global Media Defence Fund (“the Fund”) is a UNESCO Multi-Partner Trust Fund/Programme developed with the goal of enhancing media protection and improving the access of journalists to specialized and gender-sensitive legal assistance. Administered by UNESCO, the Fund was established thanks t ... more

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Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment

OECD (2023), 13 pp.

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Long-Term Financial Support for Ukrainian Media and Journalists

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2023), 4 pp.

"To ensure that Ukrainian media move from mere survival to long-term vitality, we propose a comprehensive strategy encompassing the following five pillars: 1. Innovative funding mechanisms; 2. Prioritisation of local-level media; 3. Constructive enabling environment; 4. Professional development; 5. ... more

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Strategic Plan 2022-2025: Free Media. Free Expression. Free Societiesauthor(s)

Alexander Matschke (ed.)

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2023), 15 pp.

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SACMID Evaluation: An Evaluation of SACMID’s Activities Within the PRIMED Project

Paco Mens, Akriti Saraswat

Free Press Unlimited (2023), 16 pp. + annexes

"The South Asia Center for Media in Development (SACMID), addresses gender disparity both within the workplace and media content. Its main focus is utilizing the Gender Media Monitoring Tool to tackle these issues. The data collected through media monitoring is subsequently employed for advocacy ini ... more

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An Ambitious Idea Turned into Collective Action: IFPIM’s 2022 Annual Report

International Fund for Public Interest Media (2023), 19 pp.

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National journalism funds: A GFMD impact policy paper

Sameer Padania, Francesca Silvani

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2023), 17 pp.

"As such, a National Fund for Journalism (NFJ) is a dedicated structure that is designed with a strategic sectoral purpose to provide long-term funding and financing to an independent journalism ecosystem in a particular country, region or place (as a Local or City Fund for Journalism, for example). ... It can take different forms, but in essence is designed to redress shortcomings, barriers or imbalances in a particular media market, or to incentivise, catalyse or accelerate new entrants or transformative processes in that market. A National Fund for Journalism (NFJ) can complement and reinforce other policy measures aimed at improving and strengthening the independent media ecosystem. NFJs are ideally nationally- or sometimes regionally-governed funding structures that are independent of the funders - including governments, bilaterals, multi-laterals, foundations, tech platforms and others - that provide them with financial resources. Even if underpinned principally by public money - either from a domestic government or from international government donors or both - their transparency and independence reduces the risk of the funder being seen to be interfering in the media landscape/market or in individual grantees. This can also help to give confidence to other sources of funding, such as philanthropic, tech, corporate or individual donations, where such donors are wary of being seen to fund media directly. Given these primary sources, NFJs need to operate with a high degree of accountability and transparency, and in general, NFJs are designed and administered by independent and professional bodies, with independent governance and transparent structures and processes. NFJs ideally include representation from diverse parts of the media sector, and potentially from citizens. An NFJ may be centrally administered through a single body or may be a mechanism to decentralise funding through diverse bodies or sub-funds to particular regions or communities, to counteract spatial, racial or other inequalities. As a sector-level intervention, an NFJ should have a longer horizon than project or programmatic funding schemes. In many locations, NFJs will need to address the need for long-term stable funding and therefore, if not established in perpetuity, could be designed to last for a minimum of ten years. NFJs should be established to exist beyond electoral or political cycles, emergencies or short-term project cycles. In many cases, for example, where funds are provided through regulatory mechanisms, they may be established in law." (Pages 4-5) more

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Report on the Visibility and Fundraising Strategy for IPDC

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 11 pp.

"The IPDC Bureau at its 64th meeting (June 2020) requested the Secretariat to develop a targeted fundraising strategy in accordance with UNESCO’s overall fundraising strategy. It was first presented to the 32nd session of the Intergovernmental Council of the IPDC in November 2020. The Council then ... more

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Google News Initiative’s Influence on Technological Media Innovation in Africa and the Middle East

Mathias Felipe de Lima Santos, Allen Munoriyarwa, Adeola Abdulateef Elega, Charis Papaevangelou

Media and Communication, volume 11, issue 2 (2023), 14 pp.

"The Google News Initiative (GNI) aims to collaborate closely with the news industry and financially support the creation of quality journalism in the digital age. It also aims to bring technological advancements and innovation into newsrooms for operations. Drawing on journalism innovation and resp ... more

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

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

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

Mapping and analysis of ODA to media and the information environment Deep Insights

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

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

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

Mapping and analysis of ODA to media and the information environment
Deep Insights