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Strategic Plan 2022-2025: Free Media. Free Expression. Free Societies

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

"Armed conflicts around the globe, increasing attacks on journalists in many parts of the world, and further expanding areas of fragility have contributed to new challenges for the safety of journalists. Against this backdrop, DW Akademie is proud to be part of the newly established Hannah Arendt In ... itiative, a network of civil society organizations that protects and supports journalists from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia and Belarus who are under threat as they conduct their important work. The initiative receives funding from the German Federal Foreign Office (AA) and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM). Among the pilot projects are training measures, regional scholarship programs and exile journalism centers in countries abroad as well as corresponding measures for journalists living in exile in Germany. For many years, DW Akademie has worked on different levels to counter the increasing wave of disinformation that pollutes public discourse in many parts of the world. It is our conviction that free and diverse media systems with strong media self-regulation and well-informed, media-savvy citizens are more resilient towards divisive disinformation from malignant actors. While the ways to mitigate the effects of disinformation, information manipulation and interference are well understood, the situation remains challenging in many of DW Akademie’s partner countries. DW Akademie continues to strive for a world without social discrimination, with a particular regard towards gender equality. In many parts of the world, women are still excluded from getting an education, from taking part in society and from exercising their right to freedom of expression solely because of their gender. Women drive human development. DW Akademie is working for a world where women and girls have equal access to information and where they can freely express their opinions online and offline without fear. DW Akademie expects the current year and beyond to bring new fragilities related to the ongoing climate and environmental crisis, forced migration, poverty, and other main challenges for human development. Crises can be dealt with better when everyone affected has access to reliable, constructive and conflict-sensitive information that fosters mutual understanding, conflict resolution, and social cohesion. And this holds true even more in the face of the latest developments in the field of artificial intelligence and an expected new transformative wave for the global digital information ecosystem. Important challenges remain regarding the persistent trends of democratic backsliding and growing digital authoritarianism in many parts of the world. DW Akademie remains committed to strongly advocating for the protection of freedom of expression online and offline, access to information, the safety of journalists, the immediate release of imprisoned media workers, and for an end to impunity for crimes against journalists. The fact that DW itself is being censored in several countries increases our determination. While DW Akademie aims at expanding its presence in partner countries, we consider ourselves fortunate to work within a strong and dedicated network of partner organizations of all shapes and sizes in almost every part of the world to advance human development by strengthening freedom of expression, high-quality journalism, equal social participation, peaceful conflict resolution, and good governance." (Outlook, page 4) more

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Decisions Taken at the 67th Bureau Meeting of the Intergovernmental Council of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), 15-16 June 2023

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 10 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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Fight for Press Freedom. Strategic Framework: Free Press Unlimited 2023-2026

Amsterdam: Free Press Unlimited (2023), 16 pp.

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Impact Analysis of UNDP Lebanon Media and Peacebuilding Activities (2020-2022)

Beirut: Triangle Consulting; UNDP (2023), 87 pp.

"The UNDP “Peace Building in Lebanon” project has been working since 2007 on enhancing mutual understanding and social cohesion by addressing the root causes of conflict in Lebanon. The project’s third phase (2014-2022) built on the previous two phases and aimed to address new challenges to c ... ivil peace and peacebuilding in the country. In addition to the Syrian crisis, Lebanon is currently facing a severe socio-political, economic and fiscal crisis. The focus of this evaluation is the second output of the UNDP Peace Building in Lebanon project – the media component – which aimed to empower media to promote balanced and conflict-sensitive media coverage. This project component received funding from KFW and UKAID. Key project activities included countering fake news at national and local levels through a) capacity building and partnerships with media practitioners and b) training on hate speech and fake news for youth and their subsequent local awareness campaigns. The project activities also included providing positive media spaces and promoting rational discourse through a news supplement and its subsequent online platform, Salam wa Kalam. The report covers the projects’ duration from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. This evaluation relied on several data inputs, comprised of quantitative and qualitative data, analysis, and triangulation. The purpose of this final evaluation, commissioned by UNDP, is twofold. Firstly, assess the project’s performance and results according to the OECD-DAC criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability, cross-cutting and its overall contribution to the UN strategic plan outcome 3.1: “Lebanon has institutionalized mechanisms to promote peace and prevent, mitigate, and manage conflict at national, municipal and community levels”. Secondly, ensure accountability, as well as identify and analyse findings and results to enable the incorporation of lessons learned and prepare recommendations that can be useful for the design of similar projects in the future and for organisational learning. In conclusion, UNDP’s project theory of change was relevant to Lebanon’s need to address the impact of fake news and hate speech on social cohesion. The media component aimed to improve intra-community relationships, including between Syrian refugees and host communities, in line with SDGs and LCRP goals. Lessons learned throughout the project were systematically documented to ensure effective and efficient management. The project adjusted its work plan to adapt to the changing context in Lebanon, such as COVID-19 and the fuel crisis. However, there was a lack of baseline data and defined metrics to measure and assess the project’s impact, especially on communities targeted by local awareness campaigns." (Executive summary) more

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Results-Based Report on IPDC Projects Implemented in 2021-2022

Paris: UNESCO; International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 40 pp.

"Since its founding in 1980, the IPDC has worked to foster and secure a healthy environment for free, pluralistic, and independent media in developing countries, countries in transition, and countries in conflict and post-conflict situations. Through this mandate, the Programme has since dedicated o ... more

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Consultation on media viability in Namibia

Windhoek: Editor's Forum of Namibia; Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD); Namibia Media Trust; UNESCO (2023), 20 pp.

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Creating National Funds to Support Journalism and Public-Interest Media
Deep Insights

Anya Schiffrin, Brigitte Alfter

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

"Global interest in funds to support journalism is on the rise, as governments and journalists seek ways to support quality information even as the business model has become more difficult. Some countries, including those in Northern Europe and the European Union, have been using these journalism fu ... 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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Moldova Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion, and Accountability (MEDIA-M): Performance Evaluation

Sergiu Galitchi, Victoria Rosa, Pavel Sarghi, Maia Giorbelidze

USAID; Integra Government Services International (2023), 134 pp.

"The purpose of evaluating the Media Enabling Democracy, Inclusion, and Accountability in Moldova (MEDIA-M) activity is to assist the United States Agency for International Development in Moldova (USAID/Moldova) in understanding the extent to which the activity is on track to contribute to the Missi ... more

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Results-Based Report on Projects Approved by the 65th Meeting of the IPDC Bureau (June 2021) and Rapid-Response Mechanism Projects Implemented in 2021-2022, Part II

Paris: International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) (2023), 356 pp.

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International Media Development Cooperation: Journalism Education in Myanmar (2011-2021)

AHM Abdul Hai

Berlin: regiospectra Verlag (2023), xxi, 331 pp.

"Is it necessary for journalists to seek refuge with foreign agencies to escape national governmental and policy restrictions? Should journalism education rely on international support, or is it feasible to detach it from foreign development collaboration? Should education be viewed as a business or ... more

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The Social Construct of Sustainability in Media Development

Michel Leroy

In: The Mediation of Sustainability: Development Goals, Social Movements, and Public Dissent

Ben Harbisher (ed.)

Rowman & Littlefield (2023), pp. 11-30

"After having considered the mediation of sustainability (or, to sum it up, how sustainability narratives are disseminated), this chapter focuses on the sustainability of mediation and to what extent Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are supportive in the process of sustaining this public discour ... more

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The state of media development: Global evidence on relevant and effective media support
Deep Insights

Ines Drefs, Rose Kimani, Dennis Reineck, Vera Freitag, Nick Benequista

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2023), 81 pp.

"OECD Principle 1: Do no harm to public interest media– The media development sector is well-equipped when it comes to risk management: more than half of the surveyed organizations have effective risk mitigation strategies and over 40 percent have well-suited risk monitoring tools.– However, ro ... om remains for improvement: a lack of awareness amongst international organizations of cer tain local risks is one specific issue. Another is the risk of donors jeopardizing the editorial independence of media outlets by pursuing an unduly political agenda. Media assistance must be cautious when it comes to navigating geopolitical interests.– Interviewees also highlighted the risk of foreign funding being used to label recipient organizations as foreign agents. Another issue is brain drain to the detriment of media outlets if higher salaries are paid elsewhere, not least in the international development sphere.– When it comes to discrimination, the results suggest that media development organizations have a strong focus on gender-sensitivity and diversity in projects and beyond. However, only 23 percent of organizations have project guidelines for disability mainstreaming. OECD Principle 2: Increase financial and other forms of support– This study underlines how worried media development organizations are about the persistently small share of overall official develop ment assistance (ODA) invested in strengthening media systems and independent media. This is considered especially concerning in light of current democratic challenges and shrinking spaces for independent reporting worldwide.– In wider development co-operation, media are still often seen as tools for strategic communication rather than as a key pillar for democratic development. Such views tend to hinder the media development sector’s integration in other development fields. There is a need for awareness-raising and greater exchange with other development actors.– 23 percent of international media development organizations’ funding is allocated to core funding of public interest media. Acknowledgement of media as a public good and the associated need for core funding is considered key for effective support. OECD Principle 3: Take a whole system perspective– This principle demands a holistic and systemic approach to supporting public interest media. This study finds that the media development sector is quite well-positioned when it comes to underlying analyses of media and information environments.– However, there is a mismatch between the assessments conducted and donor decision-making. Interviewees also criticized funding cycles of one year or less as unsustainable. The average funding cycle of the media development organizations surveyed was 22 months.– A broad range of themes are supported by media development organizations across both traditional and newer media actors. There is nevertheless a need to consider further integration of newer actors into media development support. OECD Principle 4: Strengthen local leadership and ownership– This study finds that, according to international media development organizations’ budget estimates, an average of 40 percent of their funding reaches local and regional actors directly.– 75 percent of local and regional organizations agree that they are meaningfully involved in project implementation. However, only half feel that they are sufficiently involved in priority setting, hinting at room for improvement in this regard. – International organizations in most cases still take the lead role in applications for ODA funding. In some regions, however, local and regional partners have built up sufficient expertise and experience to be lead applicants for ODA funding, and this is working well.– The phenomenon of “parachuting in” external experts into partner countries rather than making use of local expertise is much less prevalent than it used to be but still exists. The results show that organizations focus on skills brought to the table rather than on the origin of the expert. OECD Principle 5: Improve coordination of support– Over 55 percent of respondents from all types of media development organizations agree that they are meaningfully involved in sector coordination. However, representatives from international media development organizations tend to see the degree of co-ordination in a more positive light than respondents from organizations based outside the Global North.– Only 30 percent of local and regional organizations agree that there is swift coordination of support by international media development actors during times of crisis. This is linked to a seeming failure to learn from previous crises. Instead, local and regional organizations in various parts of the world are taking the lead in crisis response in their regions and actively collaborating to ramp up crisis preparedness.– On a day-to-day basis, there is less collaboration than desired among donors, which can skew the market because particular segments are over- or underfunded. Media development organizations are doing a better job of coordinating with each other, even though this is sometimes hindered by competition or by the fact that some key decisions are made at donor level.– As regards administrative requirements, 33 percent of all surveyed media development organizations think that donors or organizations they partner with offer efficient pro cesses for managing funds. There is an urgent need to harmonize reporting requirements as well as to offer more flexibility in requirements depending on context. OECD Principle 6: Invest in knowledge, research and learning– This study finds that almost 60 percent of organizations have access to sector best practices and lessons learned, and precisely 50 percent have internal mechanisms to share their own lessons learned with others.– However, there is also wide consensus in the sector that producing and sharing evidence is not a donor priority, with slightly more than 30 percent of organizations indicating that they have sufficient funding for these types of activities.– There is considerable demand for annual reports from organiza tions such as Reporters Without Borders or Freedom House, but also for more actionable research on approaches that work. A mix between face-to-face conferences, newsletters and more in-depth webinar-type dives into specific topics emerged as the optimal way of keeping the sector informed." (Key findings, pages 8-9) more

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

OECD (2023), 13 pp.

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Principes pour un soutien pertinent et efficace aux médias et à l'espace de l'information

Paris: OECD (2023), 14 pp.

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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

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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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DW Akademie Report 2022/23: Developing Media. Strengthening Human Rights

Alex Bodine, Nils Brock, Klaus Dahmann et al.

Bonn: Deutsche Welle DW Akademie (2023), 61 pp.

Creating National Funds to Support Journalism and Public-Interest Media Deep Insights

The state of media development: Global evidence on relevant and effective media support Deep Insights

Creating National Funds to Support Journalism and Public-Interest Media
Deep Insights

The state of media development: Global evidence on relevant and effective media support
Deep Insights