[fome] IMS: How to address the media viability challenge

Fr Jan 10 19:46:31 CET 2025

  		 December 2024 | Support IMS [1]

Sustaining public interest media ecosystems

The economic outlook for public interest media varies from country and
region, audience and platform. But for all of IMS' partners, viability
is among the most pressing challenges.

  Many publishers struggle to maintain their independence against
algorithm-driven content distribution, large online platforms dominating
the advertising space, dependency on short-term grants, lack of
coordination among donors and a shortage of audience and market data on
which to strategise.

  This leaves newsrooms poorly resourced, with unstable operations.
Societies are left with very real risks of news deserts.

  IMS is working to address these and other challenges facing the
viability of public interest media globally:

  The Media Viability Manifesto [2] provides a framework for joint action
from the global media development community. To tackle the economic
crisis facing journalism worldwide, 13 leading media development
organisations joined forces in a multi-stakeholder initiative to develop
the manifesto. It presents the first ever sector-wide strategy to shape
the economics needed to safeguard independent media as a pillar of
democracy. It provides concrete steps for strategic collaboration in
four areas: 1) business and technical support, 2) coalitions and
partnerships, 3) evidence-based advocacy and 4) research and insights.

  The IMS report Where is the Money? New forms of funding financing and
investment for public interest media [3] offers research-based insights
into the funding landscape – including opportunities, needs,
challenges, gaps and recommendations – in four regions: Asia, the
Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.

  In addition to these two milestones, IMS’ Local Media for Democracy
programme has taught us what works for local and community media in
terms of developing new products and services to counter news deserts
for local media [4] and about local media's vital importance in
upholding a healthy media ecosystem. In the related report [5], we share
lessons learned with relevance for funders, the media development
community, policymakers and media practitioners.

  IMS’ efforts to promote media viability globally prompts key
questions about what is at stake: are we witnessing a shift from a
largely market-supported to an increasingly publicly-supported
information ecosystem? From a donor-funded one to one characterised by
new forms of investments administered through new modalities?

  Whatever the answers, the efforts of IMS and others to develop new and
context-relevant approaches to ensuring media viability are sorely
needed to sustain the robust, public interest ecosystems that are
essential for a thriving democracy.

  Clare Cook
  Head of Journalism and Media Viability

Where is the money?

This report is a milestone in the battle to understand the viability of
public interest media globally.

  Through contextualised research, Where is the money? offers insights
into the funding landscape including opportunities, needs, challenges,
gaps and recommendations in four regions: Asia, MENA, sub-Saharan Africa
and Latin America.

The report is the result of extensive data collection, collating
insights from public interest media, media development organisations,
government agencies, investors, donors and researchers.

  		 Read more [6]

Case story: Okraj

  		 [7]

Okraj is a new Czech media outlet focused on investigations, analytical
features and in-depth articles on politics, the environment and social
issues in the Moravian-Silesian region. Co-founder Jan Žabka discusses
Okraj's start-up phase, ambitions and goals for the future.

Media Viability Manifesto

The Media Viability Manifesto (MVM) provides an urgently needed common
framework for joint action from the global media development community.
It aims to:

  	* foster conceptual clarity.
  	* strengthen strategic collaboration between multiple stakeholders.
  	* align practical implementation in the field of media viability.

  		 Read more [8]

IMS news and resources

_APPLY NOW FOR PLURALISTIC MEDIA FOR DEMOCRACY_

  The new grant programme is now open to receive applications. [9] The
media pluralism fund will inject €1,400,000 in financial support to
local and regional outlets, community media, investigative journalism
and public interest news organisations that operate in news deserts.

_THE FRAGILE SITUATION FOR LOCAL MEDIA ACROSS THE EU _

  Research by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom detects
challenges and opportunities for local and community media in the 27 EU
Member States by analysing the news desert phenomenon from a holistic
perspective [10].

_SURVIVING AND THRIVING IN A NEWS DESERT_

  This report on the Local Media for Democracy project [11] assesses what
works for local media, shares relevant lessons learned for funders, the
media development community, policymakers and media practitioners, and
spotlights local media’s unique ability to cater to otherwise
under-served audiences.

_AUDIENCE RESEARCH METHODS: A RESOURCE PACK_

  This concise guide to audience research methods is designed for
publishers and editorial teams. [12] Based on capacity development at
IMS, it helps media outlets to make informed decisions about which
approaches can provide the most relevant information to their research
questions.

_CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT TO COUNTER NEWS DESERTS_

  As part of the Local Media for Democracy programme, IMS offered
capacity development to 42 media outlets [13]. The programme covered
audience engagement, multimedia content production, product development,
gender representation and news consumption gap, and revenue
diversification.

_IMPACT FRAMEWORK FOR MEDIA PROJECTS TOOLKIT_

  This tool is designed to help editorial teams measure the impact of
media projects [14]based on more effective ways to define targets and
track progress and results, providing a broader and deeper understanding
of the actual impact media projects have on target audiences and local
media organisations.

JOB OPENINGS

  IMS is currently hiring for the following roles:

  	* Business viability adviser, Europe and Global Response Department
[15]
  	* Artificial Intelligence Adviser (part time), Journalism Hub [16]
  	* Programme Manager for Regional Initiatives, Asia Department [17]

REQUEST FOR TENDER

  IMS has an open request for tender for the following:

  	* Procurement of media strategists, gender adviser, capacity-building
manager and media trainers in Moldova [18]

WHAT WE'RE READING

  	* Behind the screens: insights from digital content creators [19],
UNESCO
  	* Views on platforms and the digital public sphere in eight countries
[20], Reuters Institute
  	* The next chapter for factchecking: information integrity [21],
Poynter
  	* How WhatsApp ate the world [22], Rest of World
  	* Spoonful of hate: Online violence against Ukrainian female
journalists in YouTube comments [23], Texty.org.ua

  		 [24]

  		 [25]

  		 [26]

  		 [27]

  		 [28]

  		 [29]

  _Copyright © 2024 International Media Support (IMS), All rights
reserved._
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