LogoLogo
- BACK TO THE GFMD WEBSITE+ SUBSCRIBE TO THE GFMD IMPACT NEWSLETTER
  • Welcome to GFMD IMPACT
  • Learning meetings
    • 2025
      • From crisis to opportunity: reimagining media development in the MENA region (Apr. 2025)
        • Meeting Agenda
        • Literature Review
          • Lebanon
          • Palestine
          • Syria
          • MENA region
          • Frameworks, Guidelines and Recommendations
      • Connecting the dots: How to use existing mechanisms to protect media freedom online? (Jan. 2025)
    • 2024
      • GFMD Levant Regional Meeting on Media Support (Dec. 2024)
        • Mapping report
        • Key Recommendations
        • Meeting Agenda
        • Literature Review
          • Lebanon
          • Palestine
          • Syria
          • MENA region
          • Frameworks, Guidelines and Recommendations
      • Post-Summit of the Future Updates and Upcoming Opportunities (Nov. 2024)
      • UNDP–GFMD-SFCG Webinar: Media actors and the (de)construction of the ‘other’ (Oct. 2024)
        • Key insights from the meeting
        • Speakers
        • Literature review
      • Advocating for public interest media and journalism (Aug.-Sept.2024)
        • Donor Workshop: Donor Support for Locally Led Journalism and Media Advocacy (Sept. 2024)
          • Meeting agenda
        • Learning Call: Coordinating policy and advocacy working groups (Aug.2024)
          • Meeting agenda
        • Literature review
      • GFMD Regional Meeting for the wider European region (May 2024)
        • Mapping report
        • Meeting report
        • Meeting agenda
        • Literature review
      • GFMD Latin America & Caribbean Summit (May 2024)
        • Meeting report
        • Literature Review & Case Studies
      • Journalism Cloud Alliance Inaugural Meeting (Apr. 2024)
        • Meeting agenda
        • Speakers
        • Literature Review
        • Press release
      • PRIMED (Feb. - Mar. 2024)
        • Key takeaways
        • Workshop 1
          • Meeting agenda
          • Speakers
          • Literature review & case studies
        • Workshop 2
          • Meeting agenda
          • Speakers
          • Literature review & case studies
        • Workshop 3
          • Meeting agenda
          • Literature review & case studies
    • 2023
      • MENA regional meeting (Nov. 2023)
        • Lit review & case studies
        • Meeting report
      • National Journalism Funds (July 2023)
        • Lit' review & case studies
      • Philanthropy for Ukraine (Apr. '23)
      • Summit for Democracy (March. '23)
        • Media Freedom Cohort: key outcomes and findings
        • Thriving media for resilient democracies
        • Media viability in crisis
        • Other Summit for Democracy Events
      • National consultations on Media Viability (Jan.- Feb. '23)
        • Lebanon
        • Tunisia
        • Namibia
    • 2022
      • Challenges and perspectives for media support programs (Nov. '22)
      • World News Media Congress: Media Viability (Sept. '22)
        • Meeting Report
      • Investing in the future of independent journalism (Sept. '22)
        • Investing in independent media to strengthen democracy
        • Exploring new funding models: thinking brave and bold
        • Editorial sustainability: on ownership and media capture
        • Investing in people
        • Agenda
      • IAMCR 2022 (July '22)
      • World Press Freedom Day (Uruguay, May '22)
        • Principles for effective media assistance
        • Safety of journalists in Ukraine
      • Principles for effective mediadev Belgrade (April '22)
        • Coordination and local perspective
        • Suggestions for improving the support
        • Building digital competences
        • Positive examples
      • MFC Global Conference for Media Freedom (9 Feb. '22)
        • Sustainability & viability
          • How is sustainability defined and measured?
          • Cross-cutting themes
          • Achieving sustainability and viability
          • Initiatives to support media sustainability: an overview for donors and policy
          • Literature review
          • Meeting agenda
        • Renewing the principles for effective media support
          • Process of renewing the principles, development and pathways to implementation
          • Three pillars identified in the consultative process so far
          • Donor perspective- improved partnership
          • Improvements that would benefit the principles process
          • Moving forward with the Principles for Effective Media Development
        • Participation in other MFC events
      • Principles for effective mediadev (Jan. '22)
    • 2021
      • Theories of change & impact measurement (March '21)
        • Meeting agenda
        • Case studies
          • Theories of change in media and governance programmes
          • PRIMED - Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development
          • Measuring the impact of investigative reporting
        • Introduction to GFMD IMPACT
        • Feedback
      • Disinformation - Media support (June '21)
        • Introduction (efficacy of MediaDev responses)
        • 1. Identification responses
        • 2. Responses aimed at producers and distributors
        • 3. Impacting production and distribution mechanisms
        • 4. Supporting the target audiences of disinformation campaigns
        • 5. Evaluating counter-disinformation programmes
          • The Challenges of Evaluating Countering Disinformation Programs: A Working Paper (June 2021)
          • Tips for evaluators
        • 6. Research on disinformation
        • Literature review
        • Feedback
        • Meeting agenda
      • Principles for effective mediadev (Dec. '21)
        • In quotes - What should the principles look like?
        • Feedback
  • Resource centre
  • Activities & services
    • OECD Development Co-operation Principles for Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment
    • Help desk
      • Report: Informing the Initial Priorities of IFPIM
      • Literature review on pooled funds
        • IFPIM
    • Learning meetings
  • Policy & Learning Meetings
    • Workshop on Encryption and Media Freedom (June '23)
      • Workshop Report
      • Resources
    • Gender Equality in Media Regulation (May '22)
      • Meeting Report
      • Literature Review
  • RESOURCES
    • Latest data, trends and issues facing journalism and media
    • Guides for donors & funders
    • Declarations
      • Events w/recommendations
    • Policy briefs, working papers & primers
      • Disinformation
      • Gender Equality
      • MediaDev effectiveness
      • Sustainability & viability
      • ... by donors & funders
      • + how to produce a policy brief
    • Academic studies & papers
      • AI, regulation, legislation & design of platforms
      • Disinformation
        • Support to journalism
        • Media & information literacy and fact-checking
      • Ethics & independence
      • Evaluation
      • Gender Equality
      • Investigative journalism
        • Collaborative journalism
      • Journalism, democracy & governance
      • Journalism training
      • MediaDev effectiveness
      • Sustainability & viability
      • Thematic reporting
    • Research & reports
      • AI, regulation, legislation & design of platforms
      • Disinformation
        • Support to journalism
        • Media & information literacy and fact-checking
      • Ethics & independence
      • Evaluation
      • Exiled media
      • Gender Equality in Media Development
      • Investigative journalism
      • Investment & innovation
      • Journalism, democracy & governance
      • Journalism training
      • MediaDev effectiveness
      • Media in fragile contexts
      • Sustainability & viability
        • Business models & start-ups
        • Support for Ukranian Media
      • Thematic reporting
    • Case studies
      • Disinformation
      • Gender Equality
      • Impact measurement, evaluation & learning
        • PRIMED learning questions
        • Measuring social impact
      • Investigative journalism
      • Investment & innovation
      • Research Programmes
      • Sustainability & viability
    • Articles
      • AI, regulation, legislation & design of platforms
      • Data & indicators
      • Ethics & independence
      • Disinformation
        • Support to journalism
        • Media & information literacy and fact-checking
        • Gendered disinformation
      • Gender Equality
      • Investigative journalism
      • Journalism, democracy & governance
      • MediaDev effectiveness
      • Media in fragile contexts
      • Sustainability & viability
        • Business models and start-ups
        • Support for Ukrainian Media
      • Thematic reporting
    • Podcasts
      • Sustainability & viability
    • Evaluation & impact reports
      • Disinformation
      • Emergency & crisis funding
      • Media & information literacy
    • Indicators
    • Data sources
    • Learning tools, interactive maps and applications
    • Glossary
    • Independent Media in Exile
  • OPPORTUNITIES
    • Calls for papers & submissions
    • Events
  • GFMD IMPACT BACKGROUND
    • Consultation (2019)
      • Recipient Perceptions of Media Development Assistance: A GFMD Study (Jan. 2019)
      • Donor feedback on GFMD’s concept for a media development policy Hub - (Sept. 2019)
    • Co-design (2020-2021)
    • Related projects and initiatives
      • Ariadne
      • BBC Media Action research and insight
      • CAMECO
      • CIMA
        • CIMA - Putting Research to Work: Scholars and Practitioners Discuss Greater Collaboration (2016)
      • Civitates
      • Communication Initiative
      • Council of Foundations
      • Dafne
      • Forum Media and Development - FoME (Germany)
      • Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation
      • Human Rights Funders Network
      • Humanitarian Journalism
      • Journalism Funders Forum
      • Media Impact Funders
      • Media Impact Project
      • Network for European Foundations (NEF)
      • OECD - DAC Network on Governance (GovNet)
      • Government agencies
  • SUBSCRIBE TO:
    • MediaDev Insider (GFMD IMPACT's newsletter)
    • GFMD's LinkedIn newsletter
  • ABOUT
    • About GFMD IMPACT & FAQs
    • Give feedback
    • GFMD IMPACT regional coordinators
    • GFMD IMPACT pool of consultants
    • About GFMD
    • GFMD coordination
    • GFMD homepage
Powered by GitBook
On this page

Was this helpful?

Export as PDF
  1. Learning meetings
  2. 2022
  3. Investing in the future of independent journalism (Sept. '22)

Exploring new funding models: thinking brave and bold

PreviousInvesting in independent media to strengthen democracyNextEditorial sustainability: on ownership and media capture

Last updated 2 years ago

Was this helpful?

In light of the multiple, overlapping crises affecting the financial sustainability of media organisations, big and small, independent media need to think creatively and reimagine their long-term business strategies.

The need to think big was one theme to emerge clearly from the discussion. In the face of disinformation and democratic backsliding in various countries, there is in fact an opportunity for independent media to make a solid case for international donors and private investors.

“We need to start thinking brave and bold … I'm personally really tired of having to go granular when the problem is global … We need between five and $10 billion a year to fund the free media which can actually fight this incredible disinformation storm which is now engulfing the whole planet. You know, it's a lot of money, but (in comparison to) how much we lose, and how many trillions are lost every year to that. It's nothing.” - Branko Brkic, Daily Maverick

Independent media organisations, however, are generally reluctant to consider the "business" side of things from a long-term perspective, commented Sharon Moshavi, President of the , adding that “any capacity building that we do in terms of getting news organisations to become and to work towards financial sustainability has to look at those things in tandem.”

Harlan Mendel () shared that the pandemic was something of an opportunity for media organisations that were able to expand their membership, with some even switching to subscription-based models.

Other participants, however, cautioned that while audience membership models may be applicable to larger media organisations, for small newsrooms in low-income countries such schemes are unlikely to work.

Participants agreed on the need for bold thinking: around alternative funding models and reforming the media sector to create a more favourable economic environment for independent media (Leon Willems, Free Press Unlimited).

The public sector, as well as private sector actors that have invested in independent media in recent years are likely to be part of the solution. The latter include foundations and impact investors involved in venture philanthropy.

Philanthropy and private capital have a role to play in catalysing funding in support of equitable and diverse media. A recent report by the Ford Foundation, offers a blueprint for those in the field seeking to take actionable steps to supporting local news and diverse, sustainable media ecosystems.

Carlos Barrionuevo (Director, ) said that various, sustainable business models for the media have in fact existed for quite some time.

“We've talked a lot about newspapers as an industry, newspapers themselves are a business -- a sustainable model that's been going on for many years. Public media is also another sustainable model that's been going for many years, we need to continue to look at these different business models and how they can work with each other.” - Carlos Barrionuevo, Public Media Company

Barrionuevo reflected on the future of small legacy newsrooms in terms of succession of ownership of these local, often family-owned ventures. There is a need, he said, to explore new ownership structures and partnership models between the private, non-profit, and public sectors. The key question is to figure out how they might work in tandem.

Tracie Powell, (The Pivot Fund) also challenged donors and the philanthropic community in the United States to learn to “share power” and look beyond their closed circles.

“We talk so much about news deserts; there are oases in these news deserts that (we will find if) look a little more closely.” - Tracie Powell, The Pivot Fund

Long-term and predictable financing

Sharon Moshavi, ICFJ, encouraged donors to explore opportunities to collaborate with each other and simplify procedures to alleviate the administrative burden on organisations applying for funding.

Joanna Krawczyk, President of the Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation which has been supporting Ukrainian media outlets shared that, from her experience, what local media organisations ask for is not another training workshop on “how to do journalism”; instead they need long-term, predictable financing, seed funding and technology transfers adapted to their needs.

Ukrainian media representatives would often ask: "Please promise us that you won't come here in six months with another workshop on how to do impactful journalism. I believe we already know how to do that. Could you come with seed money? Could you come with technologies that we can actually use and with people who would stay with us for over half a year to make this transformation real?” - Joanna Krawczyk, Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation

International Centre for Journalists
Media Development Investment Fund
Investing in Equitable News and Media Projects
Public Media Company