"This publication is a directory of the member organisaztions of the German Forum Media and Development (fome) and some of their working areas as of March 2024." (commbox)
"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’
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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)
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"Two years in the making, this report unfolds regional perspectives of new forms of funding, financing and investment for public interest media. It provides a multistakeholder reflection in four regions of the world on how public interest media can best be supported over the next decade. Through con
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textualised research, it offers insights into the funding landscape including opportunities, needs, challenges, gaps and recommendations. The question is not whether interventions are needed to tackle the economic crisis facing journalism, but how this support should be structured. The report sheds new light on what it will take to deliver sustainable and independent media that truly deliver journalism that is a public good." (Summary)
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"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
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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)
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[...] Based on decades of evolving research, testing, and learning, USAID has expanded its understanding of the multiple intersecting threats media practitioners face - legal, physical, economic, and digital - and how necessary it is to work from many sides to build and reinforce media sectors that
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are as resilient as possible against the forces that would seek to shut them down.
A major demonstration of this approach comes through USAID's Summit for Democracy commitments, a series of initiatives to address these threats and advance free and independent media. The first one is the Media Viability Accelerator (MVA), which was announced at the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021. The goal of the MVA is to preserve fact-based news and information media by providing access to the data they need to build strategies to survive, thrive, adapt, and grow as businesses. Through a public-private partnership with USAID, Microsoft, and Internews, MVA is a unique data platform using artificial intelligence and other digital tools to enable media outlets to better understand markets, audiences, and strategies that will maximize their odds of profitability.
Second, USAID's $20 million contribution to the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) is helping to boost global support through grants to develop and sustain a wide range of independent news organizations. To date, IFPIM has committed nearly $9 million through 32 grants across 16 countries to media outlets in urgent need of financial assistance and to strengthen their long-term sustainability. USAID's initial seed funding has leveraged an additional $30 million from 15 governments, philanthropies, and corporate entities.
The third initiative is Reporters Shield, an innovative program that helps protect investigative media outlets and civil society organizations from strategic litigation against public participation lawsuits, or other legal threats meant to silence their reporting. Prior to the launch of Reporters Shield, such help was inconsistent, ad hoc, reactive, and, often, expensive. USAID Administrator Samantha Power launched the next phase of USAID's Reporters Shield, at the United Nations Headquarters last World Press Freedom Day on May 3. Reporters Shield is now providing legal support services and capacity development for 12 media outlets and civil society organizations doing investigative reporting, with more than 100 applications still under review during the launch phase alone." (Pages 4-6)
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"Amid the decline of commercial local news in the United States, another model has emerged as a growing alternative: philanthropy-supported journalism. Although foundation-funded journalism is not a particularly new model, the field has seen an influx of charitable funds in recent years—since 2009
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, it has been estimated that foundations have invested more than $11 billion in media and journalism projects worldwide. Despite this, there has been limited scholarly research on the impact of foundation-funded journalism. This literature review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the current scholarship on journalism philanthropy, synthesizing interdisciplinary literature from sociology, journalism studies, and the political economy of communication. In doing so, this review considers both the potential opportunities and limitations of this funding model for journalism, and concludes by offering suggestions for further research on the topic." (Abstract)
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"At an aggregate level, public allocations dedicated to public service media have increased only modestly in recent years. However, there are substantial variations in allocations (absolute and per capita) across countries. Some Member States have recently increased funding, others have cut back. As
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regards funding models, a key development is the shift in models from the traditional licence fee to funding via the general state budget. For private media, the study shows a highly diverse landscape of priorities, approaches, and funding scales across EU Member States. Altogether, support mechanisms are focusing mainly on newspapers and periodicals. Discussions about subsidy options for news media have been revived in many countries. In some Member States, private news media have enjoyed increased public support in recent years. The study identifies a number of areas for attention, including the need for evidence-based financing practices and reviews of schemes, considerations as regards support for regional and local media, and transparency in the allocation of funds, in particular for state advertising. Against this backdrop, the study explores a series of case studies of national financing practices showcasing, among other, how Member States support media plurality, innovation, arm’s length in public allocations, fairness, and transparency." (Abstract)
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"By preserving independence, Syrian media is trusted to promote dialogue, providing a platform for diverse voices and fosters a culture of critical thinking and public debate, the media acts as a catalyst for inclusive recovery and sustainable development. It lays the groundwork for a resilient, dem
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ocratic, and prosperous future. Donors, partners and Syrian media must prioritise developing and protecting independent media to ensure its role as a pillar of Syria’s recovery and transformation.This policy paper aims to guide stakeholders in leveraging the independent media's potential to significantly impact Syria's early recovery phase, advocating for a strategic, long-term investment in media infrastructure and capabilities." (Executive summary)
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"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
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sustainable development objectives. Despite this, the sector only receives a very small share of total ODA. While ODA for media and the information environment has increased since 2002, reaching USD 1.5 billion in 2022, this only represented 0.5% of total ODA in that year. When support to media and communications infrastructure is excluded, ODA for media has actually remained stagnant, at around USD 500 million a year since 2008 (representing 0.19% of total ODA in 2022). Only up to 8% of ODA for media and the information environment (representing 0.05% of total ODA over 2016-2022) is directly channelled to media organisations in partner countries, such as journalists, media outlets and civil society organisations. In contrast, 42% is directly delivered to recipient governments, especially for infrastructure programmes funded by the World Bank. A quarter (26%) of ODA for media and the information environment goes to organisations based in donor countries, and this figure excludes funding for international public broadcasters (such as Deutsche Welle and the BBC World Service). ODA can achieve important results. The case studies demonstrate that in worsening political contexts or under war conditions, international co-operation can help media sectors survive and keep citizens as well informed as possible, such as in Myanmar and Tanzania. Long-term and large investments can have a system-wide effect, such as supporting the transformation of Ukraine’s media sector. Thematic programmes can be effective, such as for shining a light on corruption and holding perpetrators to account through investigative journalism networks, as in the Western Balkans. Well-designed capacity development for journalists, media outlets and the wider media enabling environment can ensure larger audiences are reached with better quality and more engaging information." (Key findings, page 8)
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"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
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nments which support freedom of expression and condemn disinformation is not matched by sufficient resources. ODA for media and the information environment has increased since 2002, reaching USD 1.5 billion in 2022, but this only represented 0.5% of total ODA in that year. When infrastructure support is excluded, ODA for media fluctuated around USD 500 million a year since 2008 (representing 0.19% of total ODA in 2022). This is despite the growth of threats facing media, such as the rise of censorship and the dominance of technology platforms.
And not enough aid directly reaches local organisations. Only up to 8% of ODA for media and the information environment (representing only 0.05% of total ODA) is directly channelled to media organisations in partner countries, such as journalists, media outlets or civil society organisations working with media or on access to information. To improve the quality and quantity of ODA for media and the information environment, the report recommends: increasing direct assistance for local public interest media; adopting a broader “information environment” lens; improving coordination between (i) digital transformation and ICT infrastructure and (ii) media and information policies and programmes; improving co-ordination and coherence between development partners (including global initiatives); strengthening the evidence base." (https://thepolicypractice.com)
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"The below principles seek to reinvigorate international support to media and the information environment. They aspire to encourage current development co-operation providers to increase levels of financial and other forms of assistance and to improve the relevance and effectiveness of their existin
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g support to preserve, protect, and promote public interest media and information integrity. Official development assistance (ODA) can be essential to address the major challenges facing the global information environment. The principles presented here may guide development co-operation providers’ endeavours to respond to the challenges laid out in the preamble. The principles are supported by a non-exhaustive, indicative list of practical, concrete ways to operationalise each principle. The first principle on ‘do no harm to public interest media’, is intended as a minimum standard which all development co-operation providers are expected to respect. The other principles are more ambitious, seeking to function as a guide and an inspiration to development co-operation providers to increase the relevance and effectiveness of their support.
1. Ensure that assistance does no harm to public interest media [...]
2. Increase financial and other forms of support to public interest media and the information environment, in order to strengthen democratic resilience [...]
3. Take a whole of system perspective on supporting the media and information environment to make support more relevant, effective and sustainable. Consider the media and information environment as a development sector in itself, a critical part of efforts to promote and protect democracy, human rights, gender equality and development as well as a sector which can support implementation of other development goals [...]
4. Strengthen local leadership and ownership, empowering media partners as well as other actors in the information environment such as civil society organisations and online content creators to meaningfully participate in policies and programmes [...]
5. Improve co-ordination of support to the media and information environment, both among donor agencies and between development and diplomatic efforts to support media freedom, especially in contexts of crisis [...]
6. Invest in knowledge, research, and learning [...]" (Page 8-11)
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