"Using the OECD Principles for Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment as a lens, the GFMD mapping highlights several pressing issues.
1. The dominance of governmental funding, particularly from the United States, underscores the sector’s heavy reliance on a narrow
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range of external donors. When these donors pause or withdraw, countless media outlets face abrupt funding gaps and, in some cases, closure.
2. Though there is growing acknowledgement of the need to “localise” support, most aid continues to flow through European and American intermediaries, with limited direct funding to local organisations.
3. Financial sustainability is often overshadowed by more traditional capacity-building, project-based and topic-focused programs—even though robust business models and revenue diversification have emerged, in every mapping and survey, as the top criteria for long-term viability.
These findings reveal a sector where investigative journalism, research, and advocacy remain critically underfunded, and where donor policies can make or break entire media ecosystems. Worse still, the freeze on U.S. foreign assistance has amplified existing pressures. Independent outlets—especially in conflict affected contexts—are contending with mounting operational challenges just when citizens need reliable news and information the most." (Main cocnlusions and key trends, page 3)
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"This work highlights ten years of support for media development in the Arab world, telling the story through photos, eye-witness accounts, journalist profiles and personal experiences. Ten years spent alongside men and women playing an active role in civil society, committed to citizen-centred, div
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erse news content, driving democratic debate in their country." (Foreword)
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"This summary presents the top-level findings of an eight-month research project aimed at assessing the needs of independent media in the EU Neighbourhood (East and South). The study was carried out by four international experts who visited 11 of the 16 partner countries and conducted interviews wit
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h more than 500 representatives from independent media, media support organisations and state bodies. They also reviewed around 800 studies, reports and articles covering media landscapes in the two regions. The aim of this initiative was to promote a better understanding of the challenges faced by independent media outlets in the target countries as well as to identify and highlight their development priorities. The experts also assessed the extent to which EU funding mechanisms are effective and appropriate in providing support to these stakeholders. The findings presented in the final report which was submitted to DG NEAR in February 2020 will help to inform EU funding programmes for independent media over the next four or five years. The research highlighted clear opportunities in both regions for bilateral engagement. Operating in an increasingly competitive and politicised market, independent media outlets share an interest in accessing funding to develop new content and explore innovative formats, particularly those that appeal to social media audiences. They also recognise the pressing need to diversify their revenue streams and increase their resilience to external pressures." (Introduction, page 3)
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