mediadev library

The Role of Media Festivals in Strengthening Independent Media. Media Festival Briefing

Sameer Padania

International Media Support (IMS) (2023), 25 pp.

"Festivals taking place across the Global South are attracting increasingly global attendees. This brief discussion paper looks at four diverse examples of such festivals – Media Party in Argentina, Festival 3i in Brazil, Splice Beta in Thailand, and the Africa Media Festival in Kenya – and seek ... more

Download (1)

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

Download (1)

Media Wealth Building: The Report of the Local News Plans Project

Jonathan Heawood, Sameer Padania

Public Interest News Foundation; NewsNow (2023), 43 pp.

"Between September 2022 and January 2023, the Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) worked with local communities in Bangor, Bristol, Folkestone, Glasgow, Manchester and Newry, to create ‘Local News Plans’ for their areas. We facilitated discussions between local stakeholders, including news pr ... more

External Link (11)

How to Fund Investigative Journalism: Insights from the Field and its Key Donors
Top Insights

Sameer Padania

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2019), 40 pp.

"Our findings show that there is a viable future for investigative journalism (IJ) at all levels, local to international, if systematic, predictable, stable funding for networks, centers, journalists, technologies and collaborations can be found. Funders acknowledge that most manifestations of IJ ar ... more

Download (1)

An Introduction to Funding Journalism and Media
Key Guidance

Sameer Padania

Ariadne European Funders for Social Change and Human Rights (2018), 43 pp.

"Section 1 summarises the background to and rationale for philanthropic funding of the media, including from a social justice and human rights perspective. This should help Ariadne grantmakers who are not sure if and why they should support media directly to make an informed decision, or to help mak ... more

Download (0)

Cameras Everywhere: Current Challenges and Opportunities at the Intersection of Human Rights, Video and Technology

Sameer Padania, Sam Gregory, Yvette Alberdingk-Thijm, Bryan Nunez

New York City: Witness (2011), 35 pp.

The Role of Media Festivals in Strengthening Independent Media. Media Festival Briefing

National journalism funds: A GFMD impact policy paper

Media Wealth Building: The Report of the Local News Plans Project

How to Fund Investigative Journalism: Insights from the Field and its Key Donors Top Insights

An Introduction to Funding Journalism and Media Key Guidance

Cameras Everywhere: Current Challenges and Opportunities at the Intersection of Human Rights, Video and Technology

How to Fund Investigative Journalism: Insights from the Field and its Key Donors
Top Insights

An Introduction to Funding Journalism and Media
Key Guidance