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Traditional journalism paradigms and market dynamics are proving inadequate in addressing the prevalent market failures within the media sector.
There are a number of countries where funders could – with the right strategies, support, partnerships and safeguards – undertake interventions to bolster and strengthen the independence of the journalism ecosystem. As part of this, with the right levels of financial support, independence from political, industrial or other interests, a commitment to the public interest above all, and an outlook that is genuinely strategic and structural, such 'national funds for journalism' (NFJs) could be part of a breakthrough solution for countries or regions worldwide looking to develop sustainable homegrown independent media.
National Funds for Journalism (NFJs) are, according to GFMD's working definition, a particular instrument for providing strategic, long-term financial support to independent public interest media and media sectors and ecosystems.
Examples of long-standing funds, such as the one in Argentina, offer compelling evidence that economic support initiatives for the sector are essential and effective tools for achieving objectives like increased diversity and pluralism in the media landscape and enhanced public participation in the media. And communities worldwide are increasingly actively seeking innovative solutions. Recently, Sierra Leone launched the National Fund for Public Interest Media, with support from both national and international stakeholders.
We're excited to share two new briefings today designed to inform efforts to advocate for, design and build such NFJs around the world:
- a policy brief on national funds initiated and funded specifically by governments, authored by Anya Schiffrin and Brigitte Alfter. This paper served as the foundation for an open consultation titled "State of the Field - National Journalism Funds" in July 2023.
- a broader policy paper looking at all types of funds and presenting the state of the field, drawing on the July 2023 consultation, and authored by Sameer Padania and Francesca Silvani of Macroscope London.
Finally, GFDM IMPACT has compiled a comprehensive and growing spreadsheet with examples of a variety of government-supported and national journalism funds featuring examples and literature on more than 40 national journalism funds in this ever-evolving field.
These publications and the spreadsheet of funds illustrate that across various regions, diverse stakeholders are exploring or actively advocating for various types of NFJs as a crucial element in utilising both public and private funds to address the well-recognised financial crisis confronting independent public interest media.
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🔍 Definition: A National Fund for Journalism (NFJ) is a dedicated structure that is designed with a strategic sectoral purpose to provide long-term funding to an independent journalism ecosystem in a particular country, region or place. 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.
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- Use our policy paper and policy brief in your work. If you wish to use this paper, or would like to invite one of our members or partners to take part in discussions, working groups, or conferences related to national journalism funds please contact the GFMD IMPACT help desk: helpdesk-impact@gfmd.info.
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Add to and update this evolving spreadsheet of over 40 examples and case studies of national journalism funds from around the world.
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Let us know if the literature review should be updated with further evidence, insights and knowledge from the field.
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LEARN MORE:
- “Funding journalism using participatory grantmaking: A guide” (September 2023). Public Interest News Foundation (PINF) has joined forces with Dr. Debs Grayson and the Media Reform Coalition to create and launch a guide to participatory grantmaking in journalism. The guide includes lessons from the world of participatory grantmaking, where, if done well, we can see better decision-making, more connections between grantees and communities, more transparency and accessibility, as well as questions to ask when setting up such a participatory fund, around purpose, structure, setting priorities, strategy, types of grant, decision-making, and operations.
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📢 Long-term financial support for Ukrainian media and journalists: This White Paper, crafted by GFMD jointly with Ukrainian media organisations and support entities and at their request, appeals to donors, policymakers, and other stakeholders in advocating for long-term financial support for Ukrainian media.
More context: To ensure that Ukrainian media move from mere survival to long-term vitality, we propose a comprehensive strategy encompassing the following five pillars: Innovative funding mechanisms, Prioritisation of local-level media, Constructive enabling environment, Professional development and Media literacy. This holistic strategy aims to foster a resilient, independent, and effective media sector integral to Ukraine’s ongoing development and recovery. Read the full White Paper here
How to engage: To endorse this white paper on behalf of your organization, please use this form. The more signatories we gather, the more powerful and effective this document becomes for advocacy purposes.
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🔍 Call for applications - Regional collaborative and investigative media hubs in Europe: Collaborative and Investigative Journalism Initiative (CIJI) is launching an open call for applications for selection of three regional media hubs. CIJI is run by a consortium with Tactical Tech (TT), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Fundacja Reporterow (FR), OBC Transeuropa and Delfi.
More context: The call is open to media organisations that have a proven track record and an established media network in the field of collaborative and investigative journalism in respective regions. Selected applicants will benefit from financial support, training, resource sharing and exchange of best practices, collaborations, and access to innovative methods and techniques – all following established journalism standards. More details here.
How to engage: Applications can be submitted via the online application form until 31 October 2023, 23:59 CET.
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💬 Charter on AI in the media: As part of its work on a charter regulating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the media, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is inviting contributions from the media and civil society organisations, above all those specialising in the media
More context: These contributions will help the committee created at RSF's initiative to identify appropriate responses for media professionals to the rapid deployment of AI technology. More details here.
How to engage: Please fill in this form. The deadline for submitting contributions is 18 October 2023.
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WhatsApp 360: A Look into the WhatsApp News Ecosystem in Lebanon (September 2023). This report by the Samir Kassir Foundation with support from InflueAnswers and Friedrich Naumann Foundation has ventured into the murky waters of the Lebanese WhatsApp news groups’ ecosystem identifying the most widely followed WhatsApp groups in the country and conducting an in-depth analysis of the content they disseminate.
Towards Guidelines for Guidelines on the Use of Generative AI in Newsrooms (July 2023). The emergence of generative AI has highlighted the need for newsroom guidelines for these technologies. This article delves into a sample of newsroom guidelines that have already been shared. This “guideline for guidelines” document can function as an overview of potential guardrails for generative AI in newsrooms.
Digital Services Act: Application of the risk management framework to Russian disinformation campaigns (September 2023). The report provides the EU’s first comprehensive analysis of the breadth and depth of Kremlin disinformation operations in the EU on all major tech platforms over the course of a year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Despite intermittent efforts by companies to blunt Russian operations, Kremlin disinformation continues to grow across the EU.
2023 Annual Report: Dynamic Coalition on the Sustainability of Journalism and News Media (October 2023). This report offers detailed examinations of specific issues while also zooming out to consider their broader implications for the sustainability of journalism and news media in the digital and AI era.
Digital Trust Initiatives: Seeking to Reward Journalistic Ethics Online (September 2023). This CIMA report discusses how digital trust initiatives, which evaluate and label news outlets based on journalistic processes and ethical standards, aim to combat eroding trust in news, support high-quality journalism, and help audiences discern trustworthy content from false information online, while also highlighting questions about their impact and global scalability, especially in developing countries and emerging democracies.
Generating Change: A global survey of what news organisations are doing with artificial intelligence (October 2023). This report presents findings from the second JournalismAI global survey, where over 120 editors, journalists, technologists, and media makers from 105 small and large newsrooms across 46 countries shared their insights on the use of AI and genAI.
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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.
ABOUT GFMD IMPACT
GFMD's International Media Policy and Advisory Centre enables informed, evidence-based decisions about media development and journalism support strategies, programming, funding, and advocacy.
Learn more about GFMD IMPACT.
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