Literature review

This page features literature, case studies and documents relevant to the side event "From principles to practice: Making the case for funding journalism and media development"

The side event is co-organised by GFMD and DW Akademie at Global Investigative Journalism Conference in Kuala Lumpur

The Team Europe Democracy (TED) Toolkit (2025)

GFMD

The Team Europe Democracy (TED) Toolkit helps EU institutions, Member States, and partners turn the OECD Development Cooperation Principles on Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment into practical action.

Who it’s for: policymakers, programme designers, Delegation staff, and implementing partners—navigate the toolkit in any order that suits your role.

Guidance by Principle: Explore six core principles—1️⃣ Do No Harm ; 2️⃣ Increase Funding; 3️⃣ Whole-of-System Perspective; 4️⃣ Local Leadership & Ownership; 5️⃣ Coordination of Support; 6️⃣ Invest in Knowledge, Research & Learning

Guidance by Institution & Role: Get tailored recommendations for your organisation, from EU institutions and Member States to Delegations and Executive Agencies, with quick-access tables, cross-links to principles, and actionable examples.

Go Deeper: Learn from real-world case studies across regions and political contexts, plus a glossary of key terms to make concepts concrete and adaptable.

Evidence & Arguments: Access research, data, and policy rationale showing why independent journalism and trustworthy information are vital for democracy, economic growth, security, and public trust— for advocacy, policy briefings, and budget discussions.

The TED Toolkit transforms principles into action, offering practical tools, real-life examples, and strategic guidance to strengthen media freedom and resilient information environments worldwide.

State of media development vis à vis the OECD principles (2025)

DW Akademie

A report by DW Akademie's think tank DW Freedom takes a thorough look at the media development sector, a crucial part of international cooperation. It offers recommendations for its organizations and their funders. Report drew on the six principles for relevant and effective media support outlined by OECD, such as: How well is the media development sector fulfilling these principles? Where is it making important contributions? And what points are in need of further improvement? You can download the full report here.

To gather insights, an online survey was sent to all 203 GFMD member organizations and to additional partner institutions from the 11 largest international media development organizations. In total, representatives from 77 bodies took part (from 16 international, 21 regional and 40 national/local organizations). Additionally, key informant interviews were conducted with 76 individuals who work in the sector. Interviewees included representatives of organizations based in countries across the globe as well as non-affiliated consultants with a good overview of the sector.

State of Media Development Report 2025_Global | DW Akademie (2025)

Download PDF

Regional reports - The six follow-up reports offers a regional perspective from various regions.

The State of Media Development: Middle East and North Africa

2025 | DW AkademieDownload PDF

The State of Media Development Report: Francophone Africa

2025 | DW AkademieDownload PDF

The State of Media Development Report: Latin America and the Caribbean

2025 | DW AkademieDownload PDF

The State of Media Development Report: Asia and the Pacific

2025 | DW AkademieDownload PDF

The State of Media Development Report: Europe and Central Asia

2025 | DW AkademieDownload PDF

The State of Media Development Report: Anglophone Africa

2025 | DW AkademieDownload PDF

THE INDEX ON INTERNATIONAL MEDIA FREEDOM SUPPORT (IMFS) (2025)

Centre for Journalism and Democracy, University of East Anglia, City St George's, University of London

The Index on International Media Freedom Support (IMFS) evaluates and ranks states based on their support for media freedom beyond their borders. It does this by analysing the contributions that countries have made to international diplomatic, financial and safety / protection initiatives that promote media freedom.

The Economic Imperative of Investing in Public Interest Media: A statement by 11 of the world's leading economists

Forum on Information and Democracy

The Forum on Information and Democracy has convened a High-Level Panel of leading international economists. Their collective statement examines the drivers of this crisis and proposes a concrete plan of action for governments worldwide.

Their analysis not only discusses the political and democratic consequences of free information but also delves deeply into its economic significance – an aspect that has been largely overlooked until now.

Beyond the Headlines: The compelling case for more philanthropic funding for independent media (2025)

Civitates

Independent media is essential to healthy democracies. It informs the public, exposes abuse of power, and holds space for truth in an increasingly polarised information environment.

But across Europe, it’s under serious threat - from collapsing business models and funding shortfalls; growing censorship, political and legal pressure, and from platform dominance and algorithms that reward manipulation over truth.

'Beyond the Headlines' makes the case for urgent action, and shows what’s possible when philanthropic actors work together.

CRISIS IN JOURNALISM - The Impact of the US Government Funding Cuts on Global Media (2025)

Internews Europe

Region-by-region summary of the immediate impacts followed by a global overview of urgent needs. The information was gathered through direct interviews and surveys with our frontline media partners, but due to the sensitivity of the findings, individual identities are protected.

Where is the money? (2024)

A global perspective on forms of funding, financing and investment for public interest media

International Media Support (IMS)

Through contextualised research, it 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 Media Viability Manifesto (2024)

The Media Viability Manifesto (MVM) provides an urgently needed common framework for joint action from the global media development community. Its aim is threepronged: To foster conceptual clarity, to strengthen strategic collaboration between multiple stakeholders, and to align practical implementation in the field of Media Viability.

Download the Media Viability Manifesto in English, Spanish, French or Arabic here.