Press release:  Emergency appeal for journalism and media support in response to the COVID-19 crisis

4 May 2020

• To mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2020, more than 180 journalism support, media development, and press freedom organisations and networks launch an urgent appeal to all those in a position to support journalism organisations and independent media.

• The full text of the emergency appeal and list of signatories is available here:  https://gfmd.info/emergency-appeal-for-journalism-and-media-support/

• To request interviews please contact: jhiggins@gfmd.info

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At a time when the role of journalists and the media is more vital than ever in the context of the global crisis
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 175 journalism support, media development, and press freedom organisations and networks are making an emergency appeal for action, support, and assistance to journalism organisations and independent media during the COVID-19 crisis.

Millions of people around the world are looking for reliable, fact-based journalism that can help them navigate the biggest shared challenge of our lifetime.

But at this crucial moment, independent media are facing an unprecedented existential challenge. With the perfect storm of disinformation and misinformation, repression of critical voices in many countries, and disruption caused by the COVID-19 crisis, the situation facing journalism and news media is dire. Revenues for these institutions are collapsing, and funding is decreasing just when we need it most.

The consequences will be felt globally, but the information crisis and the health crisis is certain to be most acute in resource-poor communities.

In response to these huge challenges we – the press freedom, media development, and journalism support communities – launch this ‘Emergency Appeal for Journalism and Media Support’ calling for bold and robust action from six groups: governments; journalism and media development donors and funders; journalism and media organisations; technology, telecommunication companies, and Internet intermediaries; advertisers; and audiences.

– Governments are asked to respect the rights of press freedom, rule of law, digital rights, access to information, and freedom of expression. States are asked to work with journalism and media associations to assess the damage that COVID-19 is inflicting on critical public-interest reporting and the sustainability of news organisations. They are asked to devise appropriate mechanisms to urgently provide financial support to public-interest journalism through a variety of means while ensuring that any interventions are just and transparent and do not undermine editorial independence or distort the market place. Governments are also asked to, where appropriate, designate journalists and media workers as ‘key’ or ‘essential workers’, and be responsive to the demands of the press freedom community, including calls to release imprisoned journalists.

– Journalism and media development donors and funders are asked to immediately expedite, increase, and scale-up journalism support; coordinate and pool emergency resources; establish an emergency fund to help public-interest media survive; as well as allocate substantial resources to address journalism’s longer-term sustainability problems.

– Journalism and media organisations are asked to find innovative ways to serve their audiences and fight disinformation and misinformation; protect jobs; show a duty of care to those they employ, both physically in terms of equipment and training, and in terms of their working conditions and mental health. Media are asked to pool resources and collaborate whenever possible, as well as ensure that they serve all sections of their communities.

– Technology, telecommunication companies, and Internet intermediaries are asked to create free and safe digital spaces for journalists and professional media to operate online; ensure algorithms recognise, promote, and reward credible, independent, trustworthy journalism; responsibly manage the use of blacklist technology, and prevent automated takedowns of journalistic content related to COVID-19; increase and expedite funding of independent public-interest journalism, fact-checking, and other measures to counter disinformation and misinformation; take stronger action against malicious actors; lower the cost of Internet connectivity, especially in emerging and developing markets to aid access to information; and finally, step up efforts to respect fundamental human rights online.

– Advertisers are asked to stop blacklisting journalistic content related to COVID-19 pandemic and other critical health and social issues online; review how they measure engagement and impact; and use existing mechanisms to advertise through trusted media to build long-term reputations.

– Audiences: And finally, to people everywhere who read, watch, and listen to trusted news services – large and small, local and international, print, digital, or broadcast: journalism is with you during these troubling times. If you have the means, please find ways to support the journalism that you and your community relies on.

GFMD’s Executive Director, Mira Milosevic, says:

“We call on supporters of free and pluralistic media to join our appeal so we can help journalism survive this crisis and continue to play its vital role in communities the world over. The solidarity, innovation and collaboration that we are seeing during this crisis must outlive this emergency and help us address the long-term sustainability and press freedom issues facing journalism around the world.”

For the full list of signatories visit the full statement on the GFMD website: https://gfmd.info/emergency-appeal-for-journalism-and-media-support/

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PRESS PACK

Interviews: 

To request interviews with the Global Forum for Media Development and/or GFMD members or affiliate networks, please contact:

• Jordan Higgins: jhiggins@gfmd.info
• Tom Law: +447594270633

Signatories: 

• For the full list of signatories visit the full statement on the GFMD website: https://gfmd.info/emergency-appeal-for-journalism-and-media-support/
• If your organisation would like to sign the statement, you can apply to do so using this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_lBuqTnONeHDlT2TZNsFX78XA_ncVILkbJNMJ9utYdU/viewform?edit_requested=true

Social media: 

Please share using the hashtags: #WorldPressFreedomDay #WPFD2020 #DefendMediaFreedom #PressFreedom #JournalismIsNotACrime #NoImpunity #ThankAJournalist #MediaDev

• Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/MediaGFMD/status/1256967719100047363
• Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/274183526039657/posts/1994857880638871/?substory_index=0
• LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6662744986444013568

You can download social media banners and images related to the appeal here:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qsj3ii8wrfcoxl5/AADVl05r6_XWtr6j8qL3G6jza?dl=0 

These include the GFMD Logo, appeal banners and editable banners that can be personalised so organisations can add their own messages of support.

The statement in other languages: 

The statement is available in Arabic (عربى) thanks to the Samir Kassir Foundation – SKeyes Center for Media and Cultural Freedom: https://www.skeyesmedia.org/ar/News/News/03-05-2020/8523

It’s available in Bahasa thanks to Patricia Torres-Burd (Media Development Investment Fund): https://gfmd.info/gfmd-content/uploads/2020/05/WPFD-FINAL-Joint-statement-from-freedom-of-expresson-media-development-and-journalism-support-community_indonesia-1.pdf

It’s available in Spanish (Español) thanks to Fundación Gabo (Gabriel García Márquez Foundation): https://fundaciongabo.org/es/noticias/articulo/un-llamado-de-emergencia-por-el-periodismo-y-el-apoyo-los-medios

It’s available in French (Français) thanks to Fondation Hirondelle: https://www.hirondelle.org/fr/blog/1169-appel-d-urgence-pour-le-soutien-au-journalisme-et-aux-medias

If you would like to offer to translate the statement into another language please contact: Jordan Higgins jhiggins@gfmd.info

About the appeal

The Emergency Appeal for Journalism and Media Support was launched as a collaborative effort by the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), the International Civil Society Organization on the Safety of Journalists Coalition (ICSO SoJ Coalition), and numerous GFMD members, partners, and affiliate networks.

The statement is a call to action to governments; journalism and media development donors and funders; journalism and media organisations; technology, telecommunication companies, and Internet intermediaries; advertisers, and all those who rely on journalism and news media to stay informed in this unprecedentedly challenging time.

About the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)

https://gfmd.info/

The Global Forum for Media Development is an international network of around 200 media development and journalism organisations in 70 countries. GFMD has a unique, neutral and trusted position which allows it to bring together all the major actors in media development, local and regional media assistance groups and the representatives of nascent media sectors to reach a common understanding of needs and priorities.

GFMD is a knowledge platform for the global media development community, where we leverage multi-sectoral expertise to provide the most current and practical knowledge and experience to our network. We act together to support journalism and media through collaboration, knowledge exchange, and advocacy seek to foster viable and independent journalism, greater transparency, and more pluralistic media environments.