Meeting agenda

Donor-practitioner-academic learning and information-sharing meeting, 15 March 2021

The meeting was co-organised by the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA).

These meetings take place using the Chatham House rule

When a meeting, or part thereof, is held under the Chatham House Rule, participants are free to use the information received, but neither the identity nor the affiliation of the speaker(s), nor that of any other participant, may be revealed.

The meeting will be recorded for the purposes of record-keeping and to enable accurate reporting. The video will never be shared or published.

These meetings are not for the solicitation of funding

AIM

To provide media development donors and practitioners with insights and knowledge on how to design and measure high-impact journalism support and media development interventions.

AGENDA

• WHEN: 15 March 2021, 15:00-17:00 CET / 09:00-11:00 ET

• WHERE: Online

Zoom meeting registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEkdeqsrD4pGtNHmKR-4u8gCnHTkV9ynwtp

WELCOME (15:00-15:15 )

Agenda	Speakers
Summary and overview of IMPACT and donor-practitioner learning SDC and coordinated support for joint learning mechanisms Why are donor practitioner convenings and coordination mechanisms necessary?	Mira Milosevic, Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) Melina Papageorgiou, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Mark Nelson, Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA)

CASE STUDIES (15:15-16:00)

Time	Agenda	Speakers
15:15-15:30	Case study 1: The use of theories of change in media and governance programmes	Melina Papageorgiou, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Christoph Spurk, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Applied Linguistics, Institute of Applied Media Studies Caroline Vuillemin, Fondation Hirondelle
15:30-15:45	Case study 2: PRIMED- Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development	James Deane, BBC Media Action Abir Awad, BBC Media Action Justin Williams, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
15:45-16:00	Case study 3: Measuring the impact of investigative reporting	Drew Sullivan, Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) Shannon Maguire, USAID

References and recommended reading

Case study 1:

• SDC: The Use of Theories of Change in Media and Governance Programmes (2019)

• The role of media in creating inclusive, just and peaceful societies - Guidelines for SDC media assistance (2020)

• Theories of Change Study Results and Conclusions on Impact Measurement (2021)

For more background visit:

Evaluation

Case study 2:

• Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development - PRIMED

For more background visit:

Impact measurement, evaluation & learning

PRIMED learning questions

Case study 3:

• USAID: Midterm Performance Evaluation of the Regional Investigative Journalism Network (2015)

• OCCRP - Impact to date

For more background visit:

Impact measurement, evaluation & learning

BREAKOUT GROUPS (16:00-16:30)

Time	Agenda	Speakers
16:00-16:30	Breakout group 1: The use of theories of change in media and governance programmes	Co-chairs: David Lush, International Media Support (IMS) Saskia Nijhof, Free Press Unlimited (FPU) Rapporteur: Nick Benequista, International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
16:00-16:30	Breakout group 2: PRIMED - Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development	Co-chairs: Peter Whitehead, Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) Maha Taki, BBC Media Action Rapporteur: Dennis Reineck, DW Akademie
16:00-16:30	Breakout group 3: Measuring the impact of investigative reporting	Co-chairs: Sharon Moshavi, ICFJ Rana Sabagh, OCCRP Rapporteur: Gabriela Manuli, GIJN

Discussion questions for breakout group 1:

• What have international media assistance organisations and donors learnt from using "theories of change" and "result chains" to enhance the projects design, monitoring and evaluation?

  • When are theories of change appropriate?

  • When should donors look to use other frameworks?

• How can media support groups create "theories of change" when there is a lack of evidence?

  • In what circumstances should theories of change be built on assumptions?

• How can we create more evidence-based exercises using "theories of change" and "result chains" as a collaboration between academia and practitioners?

  • What are the biggest challenges in the application of these models in practice?

  • Should theories of change applied to media assistance be standardised? If so, what is the right process?

For a summary of the case study and highlights from the breakout group discussion see:

Theories of change in media and governance programmes

Discussion questions breakout group 2 :

• What research and data are being produced that could provide evidence to support answering PRIMED's learning questions?

  • Where are the gaps and how could they be filled?

• How can PRIMED contribute to learning across the whole sector (e.g. those outside the PRIMED consortium such as other media development actors and donors as well as, researchers and academics)?

• What research and data needs to be produced from an evidence and learning perspective?

• What formats should it be in and how should it be shared?

For a summary of the case study and highlights from the breakout group discussion see:

PRIMED - Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development

Discussion questions for breakout group 3:

• How can we more effectively measure the impact of investigative journalism - on audiences and on society (especially closed societies) - at a programmatic level as well as at the macro level?

• What role can academia and collaborative partnerships play in helping investigative journalism (and those that support it) understand the societal impact of their work?

• How can we fill the gaps in research specifically about the impact of investigative journalism (rather than other kinds of journalism)?

For a summary of the case study and highlights from the breakout group discussion see:

Measuring the impact of investigative reporting

CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS (16:30-17:00)

Time	Agenda	Speakers
16:30-16:55	Reporting from the breakout groups	Rapporteurs present the key takeaways from the breakout groups
16:55-17:00	Conclusion and next steps	Mira Milosevic, GFMD

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WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!

A short survey will be sent to all participants immediately after the meeting to help understand how best to follow up on the ideas discussed.