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International donors and funders have developed six principles to strengthen and reinforce effective and increased financial support to the media.

Financial support for the media has stagnated globally.

In many countries, the lack of increased financial support for the media has created negative financial consequences for journalists, journalism and media houses.

Tom Law, the deputy director of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) said that over the last two years, they have been encouraging donors to adopt good principles and practices for sustainable news media funding.

Law said financing is necessary as the media has witnessed a consistent deterioration in the viability and sustainability of conventional business models of the news media.

This was during the closing seminar and last coordination conference of the Kalimat Sudania project on April 25, 2024, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kampala. It was attended by journalists from Sudan, some working from exile and backed by journalists from Uganda.

The Kalimat Sudania project strives to increase the inclusion of young people in public debate, strengthen local journalism and boost collaboration between the media and civil society, notably through local digital media.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in March 2024 produced the ‘Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment’.

Under these the six principles are; to ensure that assistance does no harm to public interest media; increase financial and other forms of support to public interest media and the information environment, in order to strengthen democratic resilience; take a whole of system perspective on supporting the media and information environment to make support more relevant, effective and sustainable; Strengthen local leadership and ownership, empowering media partners as well as other actors in the information environment such as civil society organisations and online content creators to meaningfully participate in policies and programmes.

Thomas John Edward Law deputy director Global Forum For Media Development (GFMD) discusses the six principles for media funding. This was during the closing seminar and last co-ordination conference of the Kalimat Sudania project on Friday 25th April 2024 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Kampala. (Credit: John Odyek)

The others are; to improve coordination of support to the media and information environment, both among donor agencies and between development and diplomatic efforts to support media freedom, especially in contexts of crisis, and finally, invest in knowledge, research, and learning.

For many years, media companies have been mostly funded by advertising revenues, benefitting from a two-sided audience and advertising market.

However, increased competition in digital advertising has undermined this model that, for almost a century, provided a solution to the issue of how to finance public interest journalism.

Newspapers and audio-visual services have faced a severe decrease in revenues from advertising, due to the rise of new digital platforms competing in the advertising market, coupled with a decreased willingness to pay in light of the abundance of free news online.

Strongly impacted by those structural changes, the media has become vulnerable to multiple crises and external shocks.

Journalists welcomed the six principles saying urgent action on them was critical. They welcomed increased funding to the media that should be sustained.

They urged donors to adopt a holistic approach to funding, listen to the recipients and not only target certain activities and withdraw their funds on completion of targeted projects when there was a need for funds.

Media experts noted many journalists from Sudan were carrying on with their work in exile even if it was not providing them with a decent income.

“The adoption of the Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment marks a historic milestone for the media development community.

By acknowledging the importance of supporting media and information environments, the OECD not only underscores the vital role of media in democratic societies but also lays the groundwork for fostering resilience against disinformation, promoting transparency, and safeguarding freedom of expression.

This adoption signifies a unified commitment among nations to uphold democratic values, protect journalistic integrity, and ensure access to reliable information, thereby shaping the future trajectory of media development on a global scale,”  Mira Milosevic, GFMD’s executive director said.