"This report aims to progress the media development sector’s work towards the financial sustainability of independent news media. It proposes a new ecosystem-level framework for categorising media outlets, measuring their performance and making them more resilient to their obstacles in reaching and generating income from audiences and businesses. The proposed framework is intended for use by media development implementers (such as Internews), media outlets, donors, technologists and research partners." (Publisher description)

""This report makes two primary suggestions. The first is adoption of a framework that classifies independent news media outlets in freedom-restricted countries. This research identifies a framework that uses four characteristics, derived from analysis of existing tools created by Internews, Newsgain and DW Akademie. Combining these characteristics yields 16 Media Types, each of which offer benchmarks according to resources, capabilities and future revenue expectations. Without disclosing a media outlet’s identity or location, these benchmarks can reveal how currently successful organisations like theirs are planning to generate revenue in the future. Second, the new framework should be embedded into a new online protocol and platform that will give immediate and actionable insights into media outlet performance. This ‘Digital Performance Navigator’ will be accessible to donors, implementers and media outlets and continuously fed with new data to refine the analyses and recommendations it makes. Rather than burying business performance data in reports, or having it spread across disparate systems, the Navigator will collect data and transform them into insights that can be used immediately – by media outlets and at sector level." (Executive summary, page 4-5)