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Background: Market reforms, rebuilding trust, and digital regulation and innovation were key themes to emerge from a series of consultations on media viability in Namibia, Tunisia, and Lebanon organised early this year. GFMD has released three country reports that bring together policy recommendations for supporting journalism and independent media in these countries.
The consultations built upon the previous UNESCO policy brief titled Finding the funds for journalism to thrive: policy options to support media viability, along with other relevant reports and literature. The goal was to stress-test and contextualise global policy recommendations.
Stakeholders and representatives from local media, media development organisations, policymakers and donors came together in each country to identify which of the policy options were most applicable in their circumstances as well as how the wider media support sector could collaborate to advocate or jointly work towards them.
The locally-led consultations were facilitated by Global Forum for Media Development in partnership with UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and local implementing partners:
- Lebanon: Maharat Foundation and Samir Kassir Foundation
- Namibia: Editors’ Forum of Namibia and Namibia Media Trust
- Tunisia: Al Khatt, Pamt2 and Pencils Consulting
READ THE SUMMARY HERE
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The national-level consultations facilitated by this project have provided valuable bottom-up insights into ‘lived experiences’. The process of working with local partners to determine the prioritisation of recommendations from recent research and policy papers for comprehensive national consultations underscores the effectiveness of this approach in guiding discussions on local media viability.
These collaborative meetings play a crucial role in empowering local policy knowledge networks and expertise, thereby supporting media viability policies that are grounded in the local context and incorporate the perspectives of all stakeholders.
The process of working with local partners to decide which recommendations from recent research and policy papers should be prioritised for in-depth national consultations demonstrates that this format provides a clear framework from which consultations on local media viability can be led.
Considering the implications of political context is also essential when developing locally driven approaches to media viability. In many instances, meaningful and supportive legislative reforms are unlikely to materialise in the near to medium term. Moreover, opportunities for diversified commercial revenue, online payment systems, or paid subscriptions are severely limited in certain cases. Therefore, media stakeholders need to be realistic about incorporating normative actions into their strategies for supporting local media viability, prior to designing and implementing them.
That is not to say that long-term goals are not needed. Policymakers, both local and international, have a role to play in providing sustained support for media viability. Nonetheless, if locally driven consultations aim to define practical actions, they must also clarify how and when these actions can lead to tangible change.
READ THE FULL REPORTS FROM THE CONSULTATIONS HERE:
🇱🇧 LEBANON
🇳🇦 NAMIBIA
🇹🇳 TUNISIA
🇹🇳 TUNISIE
Key recommendations
- In Tunisia, five key recommendations were made to improve the media viability. The first recommendation is to reform the media market by collecting data, developing new public policies, regulating economically and rebuilding trust with the public. The second recommendation is to restructure the advertising market by better measuring the audience, reassessing the advertising value chain, reconsidering the relationship between media and advertisers and reusing public advertising as the first lever. The third recommendation is to support digital transformation by helping existing media to digitally transform, as well as by supporting the investment in technological infrastructures. The fourth recommendation is to align donor funding with local issues to ensure that the media support the interests of their local community. Finally, the fifth recommendation is to incentivise talent retention, capacities and skills related to economic and managerial issues, in particular to media management and the challenge of existing business models.
- One of the key recommendations coming from the roundtable and mentioned in the discussion paper in Namibia is the importance of developing regional solutions to address new challenges posed by emerging technologies and digitisation to both legacy and independent media and in line with wider efforts to promote democracy and economic development across the African continent. The Namibian state is asked to consider relevant measures and regulations for big tech companies in collaboration with the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, CRAN, and other government stakeholders, at the very least to ensure revenue sharing. It should look into revising the Communications Amendment Act, 2020 (Act No. 6 of 2020) which makes provision for the imposition of a universal service levy that will operationalise a Universal Service Fund for the media and designate the media as a public service to encourage the promotion of the viability of journalism and the media industry. Donors are asked to support an active dialogue around the role of Big Tech at a sub-regional, continental, or even international level and invest in the development of a model for community media which can be transferred to national, traditional mainstream media where a synergised ecosystem between the media and its audiences exists.
- A set of recommendations is proposed for stakeholders who wish to support media viability in Lebanon, including those urging the Lebanese state to bring media laws in line with international standards including decriminalising defamation and blasphemy in collaboration with international organisations and civil society actors and immediately take steps to ensure the physical, digital, and psychological safety as well as the protection of journalists. It should also aim to create a favourable regulatory, legal and taxation environment which can provide financial incentives for media organisations. Donors and media development agencies should provide small, independent, and alternative media with long-term and stable, pluriannual funding. They should engage with international actors to exert international pressure on the Lebanese state to adopt the necessary reforms needed to foster an enabling environment for independent journalism and freedom of expression.
In all cases, the need for better coordination and collaboration across the sector was emphasised. The challenges brought about by an unregulated approach to the advertising market and private sector were also shared across the three countries. There was a demonstrable need to develop responses to digital innovation and change and its effect on the media industry. It is clear from the three country studies that local mainstream and traditional media are less than sophisticated in terms of digital advancements and platform convergence. In addition, big tech is unmistakably seen as an aggressive competitor in these reports. They are seen to dominate local markets with little by way of regulation to ensure a fair, transparent, and more stable business and content environment for the media. In these three cases, digital and platform regulation was seen as essential. A discussion about the lack of public awareness of the current challenges facing the media also took place in all three countries. The Afrobarometer has indicated that journalists are viewed with as much suspicion as politicians, something that needs to be addressed by regaining the trust of the public. It was argued that this can only be done through sustainable delivery of quality and ethical journalism. Developing national public policies that can support and enable the media to fulfil its role in democracy and be sustainable in rapidly evolving and in some cases restrictive ecosystems was at the core of each set of recommendations and actions which emerged from the consultations.
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OTHER GFMD INSIGHTS ON MEDIA VAIBILITY
- How to invest in independent media (Sept. 2022). In partnership with the International Press Institute (IPI) and Media Impact Funders, GFMD IMPACT organised a roundtable to discuss investing in independent media: its importance to democracy and ways to ensure its long-term financial viability, in light of growing threats to press freedom around the world. The roundtable was organised on the sidelines of the IPI’s 2022 World Congress, which ran from September 8 to 10 at Columbia University.
- Media independence and sustainability (Nov. 2020). In the lead-up to the second Global Conference for Media Freedom, Canada commissioned a set of independent policy papers on media freedom. The aim of these policy papers was to engage in a broader discussion with experts on challenges facing media freedom; stimulate debate and discussion on policy recommendations; and help inform the Media Freedom Coalition’s future work. GFMD Executive Director, Mira Milosevic, wrote a policy paper on Media Independence and Sustainability.
- Media viability in crisis (Mar. 2023). On March 29, GFMD’s partners from the national consultations in Namibia, Tunisia, and Lebanon presented some of these recommendations to policymakers, donors, and other stakeholders at a panel on the sidelines of the Second Summit for Democracy in The Hague. To know more about the event, check out this Twitter thread.
- Digital News Report 2023 (June 2023). This year's report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism reveals new insights about digital news consumption based on a YouGov survey of over 93,000 online news consumers in 46 markets covering half of the world's population.
- The two different markets for publishers and reporting about complex issues (June 2023). In its latest issue, Baekdal/Basic newsletter focuses on trust vs traffic and looks at the problem with reporting about complex issues.
- Media trust scores in PH ‘disturbing,’ says author of country report in journalism study (June 2023). 'Independent media that are at the receiving end of attacks are likely to suffer from low trust scores,' says Yvonne Chua, author of the Philippines country report in the Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2023
- A Nobel Prize-winning journalist calls out a major global digital news report (June 2023). Rappler’s Maria Ressa says the methodology of the Reuters Institute Digital News Report allows it to be weaponized to attack journalists.
- Twitter thread on how to redesign the business of news (June 2023). The following thread highlights the capstone presentations from the Leadership Program at Newmark J-School '23 cohort.
- PRIMED Media Viability Learning Brief (2022). This learning brief aims to summarise the main strategies and approaches embraced by media development actors seeking to tackle the challenges associated with media viability.
- "A sustainable and viable future for journalism – designing effective interventions" (Feb.2022). Meeting report from the GFMD panel on a sustainable and viable future journalism at the Global Conference for Media Freedom held in Tallinn, Estonia on February 9, 2022 and organised by the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Institute of Human Rights.
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Watch the recording of the panel here
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WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?
Our HELP DESK uses a network of experts and resources brought together by the GFMD IMPACT team to respond in a timely fashion to requests from donors, media development and journalism support practitioners and policymakers. Email helpdesk-impact@gfmd.info for more information and to submit a request.
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💰 GFMD IMPACT Consultation on National Journalism Funds: Join GFMD IMPACT’s online consultation on national funds to support journalism and public interest media titled “State of the Field – National Journalism Funds” on July 5, at 3 pm CET.
More context: You will find more information on National Journalism Funds and the agenda of the event here. Please note that this event is also available in Spanish
How to engage: Register here to join the event. We kindly ask those who want to participate in the discussion, to be prepared to share research, reports, knowledge, evaluation reports and data-based insights from their and their organisation’s work.
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MORE ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
📝 Media Viability Survey: Finding a Common Language for Joint Action: We invite you to participate in this survey, which aims to explore the terminology and understandings used by different actors concerned with Media Viability across various contexts. The results will be incorporated into a Media Viability Manifesto, which expands research into the use cases of this terminology and includes an overview of Media Viability approaches.
More context: This survey is a collaborative effort by DW Akademie, International Media Support, Free Press Unlimited, Sembra Media, FT Strategies, BBC Media Action, and the Global Forum for Media Development. More information here.
How to engage: The survey consists of 15 questions and will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Fill out the survey here.
📢 The Media Viability Accelerator (MVA): helping media organisations enhance their revenue and find ways to thrive in an increasingly difficult economic environment.
More context: GFMD is partnering with Internews to support the development of the Media Viability Accelerator, a web-based platform that will help news media become more financially sustainable by accessing solutions and market insights to inform effective business strategies. More information here.
How to engage: Sign up to register your interest in the MVA and to have your say in helping shape the MVA, creating integrations for the MVA Solutions marketplace and partnering with us in bringing the MVA’s benefits to diverse media and stakeholders globally.
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Can journalism still be saved? (May 2023). At World Press Freedom Day in New York, DW Akademie and other leading media development organizations debated "radical approaches to saving journalism." As it turns out, there are at least a few glimmers of hope.
2023 Joint Declaration on Media Freedom and Democracy (May 2023). The Joint Declaration, which was drafted with the assistance of the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), describes the important role of free, independent and pluralistic media in supporting democracy, human rights and other important social values, and then sets out the obligations and responsibilities of States, online platforms and the media themselves to ensure that the media can fulfil these important roles.
Reporting on artificial intelligence: a handbook for journalism educators (June 2023). As part of its journalism education series, UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) has supported the World Journalism Education Council in commissioning this handbook. The aim is to inspire and empower so that journalism educators can help both journalism students and working journalists do justice to one of the major issues of our times.
Teaching journalism online: A handbook for journalism educators (June 2023). Journalism education, being heavily focused on experiential learning and face-to-face interaction, is particularly challenging when it comes to remote teaching and learning. This manual aims to provide journalism instructors with the resources to improve their teaching in digital spaces.
Project Oasis in more than 30 languages (June 2023). The Project Oasis report on the sustainability, innovation, and impact of more than 500 European media outlets is now available in English and Spanish, along with its executive summary in over 30 languages and translations of the country summaries.
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GFMD IMPACT
This newsletter is brought to you by GFMD's International Media Policy and Advisory Centre. GFMD IMPACT enables informed, evidence-based decisions about media development and journalism support strategies, programming, funding, and advocacy by:
- facilitating meetings of donors, practitioners and academia to enable knowledge sharing, experience exchange, learning and collaboration;
- commissioning research, publishing briefings and curating the most relevant resources for the sector;
- managing a Help Desk, which uses GFMD's network of experts and resources to respond to requests for research, surveys, and insights in a timely manner.
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