THE BRIEFING   

When the ´Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development´ (PRIMED) programme was initiated in 2020, from its onset it aimed to create and share learnings that would contribute to a more targeted and impactful global approach to supporting media outlets. As a result, PRIMED prepared a series of learning briefs based on insights and data gathered during the implementation phase.

The programme partners facilitated a series of workshops, throughout February and March 2024 inviting media participating in the programme, GFMD members, donors, policymakers, researchers, academics and the wider media development community to discuss the main findings and lessons learned.

Below is a summary of the programme´s key takeaways and selected reflections from over 160 participants of the workshops on the lessons PRIMED partners extracted while exploring media viability, public subsidies, coalition building and gender equality in public-interest media operating in low- and middle-income countries.

During the workshops, various topics were covered, including countering disinformation, supporting independent media in restrictive environments, and promoting media accountability and funding, from which the following recommendations for designing interventions to create healthier information ecosystems emerged:

 Ideas on addressing key media development issues 

Speakers discussed the significance of learning components in media development programmes and shared their challenges and solutions for improving media ecosystems in developing countries.  When asked what they would focus on if they had a magic wand, workshop participants shared some of their ideas:

• Make tech companies accountable to communities
• Provide media working in the public interest with money and resources
• For media to stay connected with their audience’s needs and listen to their audience
• Look at how the funds and the money flow – and see this through a decolonised lens
• Apart from additional resources, architecture to be put in place to work systemically and strategically

Journalism Cloud Alliance Launched to Increase Investigative and Accountability Reporting Capacity Worldwide

  TOWN SQUARE  

📅 GFMD Latin America & Caribbean Summit: On May 4, at UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day Conference in Santiago, Chile, GFMD is convening a Summit to discuss how to implement the OECD Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean.

 More context: The meeting is organised as an official side event of UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day in Santiago, Chile from 2-4 May 2024. Learn more here.

 How to engage: Once you have registered for the UNESCO conference, please complete the GFMD regional meeting registration form by clicking here.

📅 GFMD Regional Meeting for members and partners in the wider European region: GFMD invites members and partners across the wider European region to the upcoming GFMD Regional Meeting on May 24, 2024, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 More context: This meeting will follow the conclusion of the IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival in Sarajevo from May 22nd to May 24th, 2024. Learn more here.

 How to engage: To register for the meeting, please fill in this form. If you are interested in attending the Sarajevo regional meeting, please subscribe to our Europe mailing list and keep an eye out for updates.

✍ GFMD’s efforts around the Summit of the Future: GFMD and its members are actively engaging with the United Nations around the Summit of the Future in September 2024 and its outcome documents, including the Pact for the Future and the Global Digital Compact.

 More context: GFMD is engaging with the United Nations to advocate that the Pact for the Future and related documents and processes strengthen emphasis on freedom of expression, media independence, journalist safety, and access to information. Learn more here.

 How to engage: To join the UN Advocacy and Policy Group, please send an email UN+subscribe@gfmd.groups.io.

🔎  Pro bono legal assistance and advocacy expertise: Join forces with the GFMD and engage with our EU Media Advocacy Working Group in our mission to advance media freedom and assist with the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA) and other European Regulations and Directives.

 More context: We are seeking pro bono legal assistance and advocacy expertise to bolster our efforts in Europe. Learn more here.

 How to engage: Please send an email to advocacy@gfmd.info if you would like to get involved

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