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Greening Africa’s News Deserts: The Search for Sustainable Local Media in Sub-Saharan Africa

Johannesburg: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) (2022), 38 pp.

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"Among principles that should underpin policy choices are: a focus on systemic impact; particular attention on the areas where information poverty is greatest; platform-neutrality, while preferring platforms used most commonly; ongoing monitoring of developments in and around media at local levels to deal with problems that may arise. Taking these principles into account, areas of possible support for local and community media include: 1. The development of an enabling environment, including legal and regulatory measures and the provision of back-end support in areas such as research, training and others. 2. Strengthening funding mechanisms, including a. indirect subsidy such as tax relief and the zero-rating of news websites; b. direct public funding, as exists for media in several countries; c. the fair use of government advertising, often a major factor in media economies in the Global South; d. commercial income and ways to support the access of local and community media to advertising markets; e. responding to the power of digital platforms, who need to make a fair contribution to local information ecosystems; f. improved co-ordination among international donor agencies in order to deliver greater impact, including support for the new International Fund for Public Interest Media; and g. the development of new business models that draw on diverse sources of income, with particular focus on direct audience support." (Summary)
Introduction, 5
Understanding and valuing local media, 8
Local media landscapes in Africa, 12
What can be done? 15
An enabling environment -- Indirect subsidy -- Direct public funding -- Government advertising -- General commercial income -- Digital power and revenue -- Donors -- Business models
In conclusion, 30