Media Viability: The Global Versus the Local

"Market reforms, rebuilding trust, and digital regulation and innovation were key themes to emerge from a series of consultations on media viability in Namibia, Tunisia, and Lebanon..."



This set of reports shares the results of a series of locally led consultations on media viability in Namibia, Tunisia, and Lebanon. The consultations were facilitated by the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)'s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC) and local implementing partners: Maharat Foundation and Samir Kassir Foundation in Lebanon; Editors' Forum of Namibia and Namibia Media Trust in Namibia; and Al Khatt, PAMT2, and Pencils Consulting in Tunisia. Each country report offers a summary of the roundtable discussions that took place, as well as recommendations for action and next steps. A summary report highlights some of the main findings and policy recommendations for supporting journalism and independent media in the three countries.



As explained in the summary report, the consultations were built upon previous IPDC-supported conversations in ten countries (including the three countries under discussion here) and a UNESCO policy brief "Finding the Funds for Journalism to Thrive: Policy Options to Support Media Viability" (see Related Summaries below for a report on the consultations and the UNESCO policy brief). The goal of this set of consultations was to stress-test and contextualise global policy recommendations. Stakeholders and representatives from local media, media development organisations, policymakers and donors came together in each country to identify which of the policy options were most applicable in their circumstances, as well as how the wider media support sector could collaborate to advocate or jointly work towards them. Working with local partners in a bottom-up approach was an important part of the process to guide discussions on local media viability and to determine the prioritisation of recommendations.  



Overall, the summary report explains that in all discussions, the need for better coordination and collaboration across the sector was emphasised. The challenges brought about by an unregulated approach to the advertising market and private sector were also shared across the three countries. There was a demonstrable need to develop responses to digital innovation and change and its effect on the media industry. This is especially important because the three country studies showed that local mainstream and traditional media are less than sophisticated in terms of digital advancements and platform convergence.



In addition, discussions in all three countries showed that Big Tech is unmistakably seen as an aggressive competitor. They are seen to dominate local markets with little by way of regulation to ensure a fair, transparent, and more stable business and content environment for the media. In all three cases, digital and platform regulation was seen as essential.



Discussions about the lack of public awareness of the current challenges facing the media also took place in all three countries. The Afrobarometer has indicated that journalists are viewed with as much suspicion as politicians, something that needs to be addressed by regaining the trust of the public. It was argued that this can only be done through sustainable delivery of quality and ethical journalism.



In all three countries, there is also a shift away from focusing on donors as the main sources of funding for independent media. Developing national public policies that can support and enable the media to fulfil its role in democracy and be sustainable in rapidly evolving and in some cases restrictive ecosystems was at the core of each set of recommendations and actions that emerged from the consultations.



The following are some of the country-specific key recommendations that are highlighted in the summary report:



In Tunisia, five key recommendations were made to improve the media industry:

1. Reform the media market by collecting data, developing new public policies, regulating economically, and rebuilding trust with the public.
2. Restructure the advertising market by better measuring the audience, reassessing the advertising value chain, reconsidering the relationship between media and advertisers, and reusing public advertising as the first lever.
3. Support digital transformation by helping existing media to digitally transform and by supporting the investment in technological infrastructures.
4. Align donor funding with local issues to ensure that the media support the interests of their local community.
5. Incentivise talent retention, capacities, and skills related to economic and managerial issues - in particular, to media management and the challenge of existing business models.

In Namibia, one of the key recommendations coming from the discussions is the importance of developing regional solutions to address new challenges posed by emerging technologies and digitisation to both legacy and independent media and in line with wider efforts to promote democracy and economic development across the African continent. The Namibian state is asked to consider relevant measures and regulations for Big Tech companies in collaboration with the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, the Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN), and other government stakeholders, at the very least to ensure revenue sharing. It should look into revising the Communications Amendment Act, 2020 (Act No. 6 of 2020), which makes provision for the imposition of a universal service levy that will operationalise a Universal Service Fund for the media and designate the media as a public service to encourage the promotion of the viability of journalism and the media industry. Donors are asked to support an active dialogue around the role of Big Tech at a sub-regional, continental, or even international level and to invest in the development of a model for community media that can be transferred to national, traditional mainstream media, where a synergised ecosystem between the media and its audiences exists.



In Lebanon, the set of recommendations for stakeholders who wish to support media viability include urging the Lebanese state to bring media laws in line with international standards, such as decriminalising defamation and blasphemy. This advocacy should be done in collaboration with international organisations and civil society actors and should include steps to ensure the physical, digital, and psychological safety as well as the protection of journalists. It should also aim to create a favourable regulatory, legal, and taxation environment that can provide financial incentives for media organisations. Donors and media development agencies should provide small, independent, and alternative media with long-term and stable, pluriannual funding. They should engage with international actors to exert international pressure on the Lebanese state to adopt the necessary reforms needed to foster an enabling environment for independent journalism and freedom of expression.



Click here for the full report on the Lebanon consultations in English here.  



Click here for the full report on the Namibia consultations in English here.  



Click here for the full report on the Tunisia consultations in English here.



Click here for the full report on the Tunisia consultations in French here.