mediadev library

What if Scale Breaks Community? Rebooting Audience Engagement when Journalism is Under Fire
Inspiring Practice

Julie Posetti, Felix Simon, Nabeelah Shabbir

Oxford: Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2019), 51 pp.

"This report focuses on how digital-born news media navigate audience engagement in the context of both rapid developments in a digital, mobile, and platform-dominated media environment and significant political pressure, including the ‘weaponisation’ of social media to target and harass indepen ... more

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After the Scoop: How Investigative Journalism Affects Media. Case Studies from Around the World
Inspiring Practice

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2019), 68 pp.

"This publication has featured a great variety of investigative media, each of them with their unique history, spirit and organizational culture. And yet they have a lot in common: constantly being on their feet, exploring and trying out new ways to ensure their media stays viable; adhering to quali ... ty and ethical journalism, thereby building relationships of trust with their audiences; knowing who their audience is and building loyal communities; and integrating new digital technology and processes into their work where possible. This has led to another fundamental viability ingredient: a very strong brand that has made investigative journalism an integral part of their DNA. Analyze markets strategically: The The investigative media in this publication look at what their markets can offer, where the limitations are and how to deal with the biggest threats to their business-in terms of finances, legal threats and qualified staff. Integrate people dedicated to business: Rappler (Philippines), Atlatszo.hu (Hungary) and Tempo (Indonesia) are examples of media that all have staff who spend a large amount of their time, if not all of it, on ensuring their outlet stays financially afloat. Seek collaborations: Tempo has carried out joint investigations with other media in neighboring countries, Rappler has teamed up with a fact-checking agency, Agência Pública (Brazil) cooperates regularly with NGOs or international media and has a dedicated media relations officer. Cooperate with dedicated donors or sponsors that meet their standards: FrontPageAfrica (Liberia) managed to attract the biggest telecom operator in Liberia as an advertiser thanks to their quality reporting, Plaza Pública (Guatemala) is hosted by a university, Premium Times (Nigeria) has created a not-for-profit newsroom to attract funds from international donors. Invest in capacity building: Tempo, Rappler and Mada Masr (Egypt) are training their own staff in investigative reporting and journalism standards. Interact with their audience and experiment with new distribution channels: KRIK (Serbia) is using drawings instead of photos on their website, Mada Masr mixes their investigations with recipes, lifestyle pieces and sharp-tongued comics, and Agência Pública set up an interactive website to highlight the plight of those families that lost their home during the construction of the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Make tech an integral part of their work: Whether this is about research techniques or distribution methods. Rappler has been investigating online trolling, Mada Masr continues to distribute their reports via Facebook and VPN despite being blocked by the authorities. Interact with their audience and build a community that helps to investigate by providing information, protests when the media gets threatened, pays for its products or contributes financially through crowdfunding, such as is the case at Atlatszo.hu." (Synopsis, page 68) more

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More Than Money: Rethinking Media Viability in the Digital Age

Peter Deselaers, Kyle James, Roula Mikhael, Laura Schneider

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2019), 11 pp.

"Media viability challenges will not be solved at the individual outlet level. Rather, it is necessary to bring different stakeholders together to look at the bigger picture and assess the health of a country or a region’s media ecosystem. Then, partners can strategically plan projects that contri ... more

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The Plight of the Private Press During the Zimbabwe Crisis (2010–18)

Pedzisai Ruhanya

Journal of African Media Studies, volume 10, issue 2 (2018), pp. 201-214

"This study critically examines how the private press in Zimbabwe survived during periods of economic and political crises. In year 2010, the Zimbabwe media fraternity saw the re-opening of Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ) after closure in 2003 and the emergence of the NewsDay, published by t ... more

Media Policy for Small Emerging Democracies: Distinctiveness, Vulnerabilities, and Development
Top Insights

Cao Yuanyuan

Nanyang Technological University, Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Doctoral Thesis (2018), xiv, 239 pp.

"Media in small emerging democracies face multiple obstacles caused by “smallness” and the state of “late democratization.” “Smallness” raises the question of how to develop financial independence in these countries. “Late democratization” gives rise to the challenge of maintaining p ... more

An Unfavorable Business: Running Local Media in Myanmar's Ethnic States and Regions

New York: Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) (2018), 66 pp.

"Myanmar’s local media outlets face a variety of internal and external obstacles hampering their prospects for sustainability. Key among these today, and the focus of this report, are the business realities that every media outlet must tackle." (Introduction)

Strengthening the Financial Independence of Independent Media Organisations

Zenobia Ismail

Burmingham: University of Birmingham (2018), 17 pp.

"Sustainability is a serious threat to independent media in the developing world. Consumers of independent media in developing countries are generally reluctant to pay for access. The main findings with regard to business models for independent media models are: The sales model of revenue generation ... more

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Newsmaking Cultures in Africa: Normative Trends in the Dynamics of Socio-Political and Economic Struggles
Top Insights

Hayes Mawindi Mabweazara (ed.)

London: Palgrave Macmillan (2018), xxv, 396 pp.

"The volume digs beneath the standardised and universalised veneer of professionalism to unpack routine practices and normative trends shaped by local factors, including the structural conditions of deprivation, entrenched political instability (and interference), pervasive neo-patrimonial governanc ... more

Measuring News Media Sustainability: Towards a Global Barometer

François Nel, Coral Milburn-Curtis et al.

Evesham, UK: Innovation Research Group;Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) (2018), 23 pp.

"This document reports on the construction and operationalisation of a proposed annual Media Sustainability Barometer (MSB). The MSB is a quantitative index offered as a tool to both measure and monitor the media ecosystem, in terms of its sustainability across key contributing forces - and much mor ... more

Paying the Piper: The Sustainability of the News Industry and Journalism in South Africa in a Time of Digital Transformation and Political Uncertainty

Rhodes University, School of Journalism and Media Studies (2018), 108 pp.

"This report explores the recent trajectory of South African news with a specific focus on the economic sustainability of news media. Digital news consumption on mobile phone, and especially via Social Media on Smart Phones (SMSP) is fracturing audiences and reducing traditional sources of revenue. ... more

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Raking Muck and Raising Funds: Capacity Development Strategies for the Future of Investigative Journalism in the Global South

Nadine Jurrat, Jan Lublinski, Attila Mong

Global Investigative Journalism Conference 2017, Research Paper presented at the Academic Track (2018)

"The authors present regional trends from Sub-Saharan Africa, the Americas, and Eastern Europe in light of global developments in investigative reporting, taking into consideration different muckraking cultures, and share examples of successful strategies of investigative media outlets. They suggest ... more

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What is Sustainable Journalism? Integrating the Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges of Journalism
Top Insights

Peter Berglez, Ulrika Olausson, Mart Ots (eds.)

New York et al.: Peter Lang (2018), xxxiii, 374 pp.

WorldCat (9)

A Global Media Resource Model: Understanding News Media Viability Under Varying Environmental Conditions

C. Ann Hollifield, Laura Schneider

In: What is Sustainable Journalism? Integrating the Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges of Journalism

Peter Berglez; Ulrika Olausson; Mart Ots (eds.)

New York et al.: Peter Lang (2018), pp. 221-242

"[The authors] introduce a conceptual model for organizations and other stakeholders wishing to monitor and evaluate sustainable journalism. Their chapter provides a theoretical foundation for the argument that journalistic media competes for a wide range of resources that determine their success an ... more

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Monitoring Media Sustainability: Economic and Business Revisions to Development Indicators

Robert G. Picard

In: What is Sustainable Journalism? Integrating the Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges of Journalism

Peter Berglez; Ulrika Olausson; Mart Ots (eds.)

New York et al.: Peter Lang (2018), pp. 243-256

"Robert G. Picard describes the evolvement of UNESCO's media development indicators. The chapter describes a growing focus on economic, financial and managerial dimensions, since, it argues, they pave the fundament to any sustainable, commercial or non-commercial journalistic venture. What Picard cr ... more

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Managing for Sustainable Journalism Under Authoritarianism: Innovative Business Models Aimed at Good Practice

Naomi Sakr

In: What is Sustainable Journalism? Integrating the Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges of Journalism

Peter Berglez; Ulrika Olausson; Mart Ots (eds.)

New York et al.: Peter Lang (2018), pp. 295-313

"Entrepreneurship and innovation are currently high on the media industry agenda, but focus has so far been mostly on the economic sustainability of new ventures. Considering the repressive political climate in Egypt, Naomi Sakr explores the tension between economic growth and the ethical, democrati ... more

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Mapping the World's Digital Media Ecosystem: The Quest for Sustainability

James Breiner

In: What is Sustainable Journalism? Integrating the Environmental, Social, and Economic Challenges of Journalism

Peter Berglez; Ulrika Olausson; Mart Ots (eds.)

New York et al.: Peter Lang (2018), pp. 257-276

"Over the past years, a range of different databases have been constructed, and research efforts have been made to find the key to making digital news ventures successful. Many of them have searched for best practices, or a secret recipe for a business model that would make the news business economi ... more

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Inflection Point: Impact, Threats, and Sustainability. A Study of Latin American Digital Media Entrepreneurs
Inspiring Practice

Janine Warner, Mijal Lastrebner, Dulce Ramos, Jordy Meléndez, Ernesto Aroche, Mauricio Jaramillo, Sérgio Lüdtke, María Eugenia Álvarez et al.

SembraMedia;Omidyar Network (2017), 68 pp.

"The main finding of this study is that digital media entrepreneurs are deeply transforming the way that journalism is conducted and consumed in Latin America. They are not just producing news — they are generators of change, promoting better laws, defending human rights, exposing corruption, and ... fighting abuses of power. They are driven to produce independent news in countries that are highly politically polarized — and some of them are paying a high price for it [...] Nearly half the journalists interviewed for this study reported threats and physical attacks in response to their coverage. More than 20% of the founders and directors we interviewed admitted that they avoided covering certain topics, people, and institutions because of threats and intimidation. Others face punitive lawsuits, cyber-attacks, never-ending audits, and the loss of advertising revenues in retaliation for their coverage. Digital natives in Latin America have an even more important role to play than their counterparts in the over-saturated media markets of the developed world. News ownership is highly concentrated in these countries, and government advertising is frequently used to reward compliant media outlets. Even in the face of these legal, financial, and physical threats, entrepreneurial journalists are building sustainable businesses around quality journalism. The advent of social media and easy-to-use web design tools has made it possible to launch a digital media venture almost entirely on sweat equity. More than 70% of the ventures in this study started with less than $10,000, and more than 10% of those now bring in at least a half million dollars a year in revenues. After analyzing data on traffic, finances, revenue sources, staffing, and years in business, we identified four distinct tiers of business development. Diversified revenue was key to success, especially in the mid tiers, and we found more than 15 distinct revenue sources, including events, training, membership, crowdfunding, and native advertising. More than 65% reported they were earning revenue in at least three ways. In the top tier, where audiences reach more than 20 million visits per month, advertising is the top revenue source, but not the only one. In the mid ranges, there is no dominant business model and diversified revenue sources that combine advertising with audience-driven sources, such as events and crowdfunding, are crucial for sustainability. When we analyzed the lower tiers, we found lots of opportunities for improvement. Despite their dedication to quality journalism, more than 30% brought in less than $10,000 in total revenues in 2016. Broadly speaking, we found two paths to growing these businesses: building audience to drive traffic and advertising, or leveraging the loyalty of the audience to inspire micro-donations and the 15 other ways they are making money." (Executive summary, pages 6-8) more

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Punto de inflexión: Impacto, amenazas y sustentabilidad. Estudio de emprendedores de medios digitales latinoamericanos
Top Insights

SembraMedia;Omidyar Network (2017), 68 pp.

"Este estudio es el primer estudio exhaustivo sobre el impacto que tienen emprendedores de medios digitales, los riesgos a los que se enfrentan, y si ha surgido un modelo de negocio viable para el periodismo digital independiente y de calidad. Para llevar a cabo esta investigación, SembraMedia, con ... more

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Google Scholar (7)

Building Successful and Sustainable Film and Television Businesses: A Cross-National Perspective

Eva Bakoy, Roel Puijk, Andrew Spicer

Bristol: intellect (2017), 300 pp.

"This edited collection focuses on successful small and medium-sized film and television companies in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Using original interviews with company founders and other employees, contributors explore case studies of businesses that have made successfu ... more

Google Scholar (7)