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The Index on International Media Freedom Support 2025

Martin Scott, Mel Bunce, Shannon Maguire, Mary Myers

University of East Anglia, Centre for Journalism and Democracy; City St George’s, University of London (2025), 30 pp.

"The Index on International Media Freedom Support (IMFS) evaluates and ranks states based on their support for media freedom beyond their borders. It does this by analysing the contributions that countries have made to international diplomatic, financial and safety / protection initiatives that prom ... ote media freedom. The IMFS Index includes all states that are members of both the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) (30 countries). These countries have pledged to promote media freedom internationally, and the IMFS holds them accountable for these commitments. The Index draws on data from the previous calendar year (2024), except for the ODA figures, which are for 2023, due to the time lag in reporting. The IMFS Index is produced by an independent research group and is a joint project between City St George’s, University of London, and the University of East Anglia. The results of the 2025 IMFS Index highlight several well performing states: Lithuania (1st) is the highest ranked country, largely due to its diplomatic efforts, including its leadership of two multilateral initiatives. Sweden (2nd) spent a far higher proportion of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) on media development in 2023 than any other country (0.91%). It is the only country to get close to the benchmark of 1.0%, as recommended by the Forum on Information & Democracy. France (5th) is the only country to award funding to all four qualifying multilateral pooled funds in 2024. Latvia (9th) is the only country to have both an active emergency visa scheme dedicated to supporting journalists at-risk and to support a national initiative that promotes the protection and safety of media workers in exile. The IMFS Index also identifies several less encouraging trends and performances: No country performed consistently well across all three areas of diplomacy, funding and safety / protection. Almost two thirds of the 30 countries qualified for the lowest, bronze category, earning only 10 points or less. This includes four members of the G7: the United Kingdom (equal 12th), the United States (equal 12th), Italy (equal 24th) and Japan (28th). The lowest ranked countries were Japan (28th), Slovenia (equal 29th) and South Korea (equal 29th), due to their relative lack of support for diplomacy, funding and safety / protection. However, South Korea and Japan do provide support for the wider enabling environment for media freedom in their ODA spending, which is not measured by this Index. On average, the 30 states in the IMFS Index allocated just 0.16% of their ODA to media development in 2023. Thirteen countries awarded less than 0.1%, including three – Latvia (9th), Greece (21st), and Slovenia (29th) – which reported giving 0%. Only five countries had an emergency visa scheme for journalists in 2024, and only five hosted an assistance programme for journalists in exile. Twenty-one countries had neither." (Executive summary, pages 3-4) more

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Safety policy: Creating a safe working environment for journalists

Amsterdam: Free Press Unlimited (2024), 13 pp.

"In the next five years, Free Press Unlimited will work towards the following five goals to enhance the safety of media professionals: 1. Media professionals supported by Free Press Unlimited programmes are able to deal effectively with interference and threats at a physical, digital, legal and psy ... more

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Safety Training in a War Zone: Effectiveness and Long-Term Impact: HEFAT Evaluation Study

2402 Foundation; Daily Humanity (2024), 27 pp.

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Press freedom under threat: Learn three ways USAID is ensuring free and independent media

Shannon Maguire

Medium; USAID (2024), 8 pp.

[...] Based on decades of evolving research, testing, and learning, USAID has expanded its understanding of the multiple intersecting threats media practitioners face - legal, physical, economic, and digital - and how necessary it is to work from many sides to build and reinforce media sectors that ... are as resilient as possible against the forces that would seek to shut them down. A major demonstration of this approach comes through USAID's Summit for Democracy commitments, a series of initiatives to address these threats and advance free and independent media. The first one is the Media Viability Accelerator (MVA), which was announced at the first Summit for Democracy in December 2021. The goal of the MVA is to preserve fact-based news and information media by providing access to the data they need to build strategies to survive, thrive, adapt, and grow as businesses. Through a public-private partnership with USAID, Microsoft, and Internews, MVA is a unique data platform using artificial intelligence and other digital tools to enable media outlets to better understand markets, audiences, and strategies that will maximize their odds of profitability. Second, USAID's $20 million contribution to the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) is helping to boost global support through grants to develop and sustain a wide range of independent news organizations. To date, IFPIM has committed nearly $9 million through 32 grants across 16 countries to media outlets in urgent need of financial assistance and to strengthen their long-term sustainability. USAID's initial seed funding has leveraged an additional $30 million from 15 governments, philanthropies, and corporate entities. The third initiative is Reporters Shield, an innovative program that helps protect investigative media outlets and civil society organizations from strategic litigation against public participation lawsuits, or other legal threats meant to silence their reporting. Prior to the launch of Reporters Shield, such help was inconsistent, ad hoc, reactive, and, often, expensive. USAID Administrator Samantha Power launched the next phase of USAID's Reporters Shield, at the United Nations Headquarters last World Press Freedom Day on May 3. Reporters Shield is now providing legal support services and capacity development for 12 media outlets and civil society organizations doing investigative reporting, with more than 100 applications still under review during the launch phase alone." (Pages 4-6) more

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Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists: Annual Report 2023

Sylvie Coudray, Guilherme Canela De Souza Godoi, Mirta Lourenco et al.

Paris: UNESCO (2024), 67 pp.

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Global Media Defence Fund

Paris: UNESCO (2023), 11 pp.

"The Global Media Defence Fund (“the Fund”) is a UNESCO Multi-Partner Trust Fund/Programme developed with the goal of enhancing media protection and improving the access of journalists to specialized and gender-sensitive legal assistance. Administered by UNESCO, the Fund was established thanks t ... 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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Greater Internet Freedom: Performance Evaluation

Anna Solovyeva, Catherine Coyer, Jessica Wallach, Samantha Austin

Washington, DC; Chicago: USAID; University of Chicago, NORC (2023), vi, 106 pp.

"This performance evaluation assesses selected thematic areas of the Greater Internet Freedom (GIF) project, a global activity designed to enhance digital security for civil society and media and increase citizen engagement in governing the Internet. The evaluation uses a mixed-methods approach incl ... more

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Strengthening safety and security resources for visual storytellers and journalists. A scoping study
Deep Insights

Peter Noorlander, Agnieszka Raczynska, Camila Mariño, Juliana Lopes

International Resource for Impact and Storytelling (IRIS); Ford Foundation (2022), iv, 114 pp.

"With attacks against storytellers increasing year-on-year, concern has grown about the lack of safety and security resources available to them. This is the focus of our study. Through a series of 120 interviews with artists, filmmakers, journalists, funders, activists, academics and others, along w ... more

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Let Free Media Thrive: Selected Stories of 4 Years of Impact of the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (2018-2021)

Paris: UNESCO (2022), 18 pp.

"The stories presented here are some examples of how the Multi-Donor Programme for Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (MDP) works to provide countries and their populations with the necessary tools to nurture a free and independent media. This includes promoting the adoption of policies ... more

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Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists: Quadriennial Report 2018-2021

Ma’aly Hazzaz, Elisa Kirkland, Olivier Van Bockstael

Paris: UNESCO (2022), 316 pp.

"Since it first began substantial implementation in 2018, the MDP has enabled UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector to immediately respond to emerging priorities and needs affecting freedom of expression, the safety of journalists, access to information, and community media. Before its cre ... more

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Report on Open Source Digital Safety Tool Ecosystem

Internews (2022), 18 pp.

"This is a report on the health of the open-source digital safety tool ecosystem that draws from the BASICS experience. Internews' BASICS project (Building Analytical and Support Infrastructure for Critical Security tools) was a 30-month initiative to strengthen the capacity of open source digital s ... more

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Multi Donor Special Account on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists: Programme Strategy

Paris: UNESCO (2022), 45 pp.

"The Multi Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists focuses on two thematic areas with the objective of enabling a free and safe environment for a free, independent and pluralistic media, freedom of expression, access to information and the safety of journalists – what UN ... more

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Let Free Media Thrive: Stories of Impact of the Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists

Paris: UNESCO (2021), 18 pp.

"The collection of stories presented here aims to highlight the impact of the MDP's (Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists) MDP’s actions over the course of this challenging year. Through testimonies from beneficiaries and partners who aspire to improve freedom o ... more

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Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship
Deep Insights

Ingrid Fadnes, Anna Grøndahl Larsen, Roy Krøvel (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2021), viii, 210 pp.

"This book explores the relationship between the safety of journalists and self-censorship practices around the world, including local case studies and regional and international perspectives. Bringing together scholars and practitioners from around the globe, Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship p ... more

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Defending the watchdog: How local NGOs build journalists’ resilience by combating threats to their safety and security

Gerald Walulya

In: Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship

Ingrid Fadnes, Anna Grøndahl Larsen, Roy Krøvel (eds.)

London; New York: Routledge (2020), pp. 181-196

"In Uganda, local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Human Rights Network for Journalists-Uganda and Uganda Media Women’s Association have become instrumental in the fight for media freedom and combating impunity for crimes committed against journalists. Despite this effort, little rese ... more

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Programme Strategy - Multi Donor Special Account on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists

Ma'aly Hazzaz

Paris: UNESCO (2020), 35 pp.

"Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.� ... more

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Multi-Donor Programme on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists: Annual Report, 2019

Paris: UNESCO (2020), 163 pp.

"This progress report presents the main findings and achievements of a self-evaluation exercise conducted by the responsible UNESCO project officers at Headquarters and in the relevant Field Offices." (Page 3)

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Evaluation of the Regional Independent Media Support Programme: Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras, 2017–2019

Marko Lehto

Helsinki: Vikes Finnish Foundation for Media and Development (2020), 59 pp.

"Taking into account the actual situation in the region, the support that VIKES provides for independent journalism is more urgent than ever. Journalists in the region are facing unprecedented challenges, from declining revenues, a broken business model and a new form of censorship, threats to journ ... alists’ safety and misinformation campaigns. In these conditions, the work that VIKES has been doing in the region has been relevant and successful. It has promoted the right of civil society to information and the right of media to freedom of expression. Activities that were planned in the programme document on the defense of fundamental rights to exercise free speech and democracy were implemented, and positive results were achieved. All the partner organizations have strengthened the exercise of democracy through digital media and investigative journalism, promoting citizen participation in public policies and improving the open-access and right to information. Networking and cooperation between independent media, journalists and CSOs are more reliable than ever in the region, and a new concept of collaborative journalism was introduced with positive results. VIKES supported media and independent journalists in producing high-quality information and investigative stories, supporting them to attract wider audiences. Training in business development, marketing and effective management was organised by the programme, and the financial sustainability of partners was improved. Even so, the independent media in the region is still dependent on external funding and will be, until the political situation in the region will improve. To be more effective and to improve the effectiveness of the Regional Independent Media Support Programme in the future, VIKES should increase the number of the partners and independent media representatives (also those currently exiled) to receive support from the programme. The main problem of independent public media remains the lack of financing and security. In a meeting with independent journalists in Nicaragua, where the government has threatened to continue to imprison journalists and publicly insults media professionals, they underlined the importance of solidarity networks among international organizations and press associations. According to them, VIKES has done bold work, and its efforts have supported the professionals who remain to practice “survival journalism” and need all the backing to continue to inform the population." (Executive summary, page 7-8) more

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Internal Evaluation: Reporters Respond and Legal Defense Fund (2018-2019)

Amsterdam: Free Press Unlimited (2020), 65 pp.

"Generally, beneficiaries of Reporters Respond and the Legal Defense Fund are very satisfied with the support they received. They praise the speed with which they received support, the ease with which they could apply, and the lack of bureaucratic obstacles. Beneficiaries noted that as a result of t ... more

Strengthening safety and security resources for visual storytellers and journalists. A scoping study Deep Insights

Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship Deep Insights

Strengthening safety and security resources for visual storytellers and journalists. A scoping study
Deep Insights

Journalist Safety and Self-Censorship
Deep Insights