Donor Workshop: Donor Support for Locally Led Journalism and Media Advocacy (Sept. 2024)

Can We Safeguard Free Expression and Media Freedom? Donor Support for Locally Led Journalism and Media Advocacy

Donor workshop to exchange insights on supporting organisations at the forefront of critical journalism policy work, both locally and globally, with focus around The Summit of the Future and in preparation for the World Summit on Information Society 2025

Date: Friday, September 6th, 15:00 - 16:45 CET

Location: Online - Google Meet

Registration: To register, please use this form.

Please note that this workshop is exclusively for donors and funders.

Participants: The workshop will bring together representatives from bilateral and private donors, the European Union, UN agencies, the OECD, and other key institutions. We will also invite media development and journalism support organisations to present their work, highlighting critical needs and gaps in grassroots advocacy support.

Focus: Processes such as the Summit of the Future, the World Summit on Information Society 2025, and advocacy around digital policies and regulations

Objective

GFMD, its members and partners efforts focus on advocating that processes such as the Summit of the Future and its key outcome document, the Pact for the Future, as well as annex to the Pact - The Global Digital Compact, acknowledge the centrality of access to information and fundamental freedoms such as freedom of expression and media freedom, including the safety of journalists, the vibrancy and viability of public interest media, and the resilience of a healthy, affordable, and autonomous information ecosystem.

Points for discussion

Our discussions will focus on mapping key current initiatives, sharing real-world experiences of organisations and donors who are advancing essential policies—including digital regulation and AI, public interest media support, and advocacy for more and better journalism and media funding. We will also explore the strategic efforts of policy networks and coalitions, with a focus on sharing information between donors and funders on how they support these policy-driven initiatives.

Expected outcomes

• Better aligned donor support for policy and advocacy efforts on the ground

• Identified gaps and needs for donor support in advocacy and policy processes

• Identified processes and avenues for advocacy as well as organisations engaging with these processes on grassroots levels