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Media Viability Manifesto: A Common Framework for Joint Action

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Author

Affiliation

DW Akademie (Moore, Köhler); International Media Support - IMS (Cook)

Date
Summary

"When war, climate change, and disinformation destabilize communities across the globe, independent and economically viable media are vital." - Zoé Titus, Namibia Media Trust, Global Forum for Media Development

Jointly developed by 13 media development and support organisations, the Media Viability Manifesto (MVM) seeks to support the viability of independent media by providing a common, yet flexible and pragmatic, framework for joint action from the global media development community. It is designed to serve as a resource for a range of actors engaged in supporting the fundamental right to freedom of expression and access, including policy and decision-makers, media development organisations, governmental and non-governmental donors, academics, think tanks, media organisations of all sizes, and journalists and content producers seeking to identify their specific needs.

As explained in the Manifesto, "The global media development community's efforts to address the challenge of Media Viability have been fragmented. Terms like 'viability' and 'sustainability' are frequently used interchangeably without precise or shared definitions. The strategies employed to confront the problem can lack collaboration and coherence. Too often, interventions are stand-alone, reactive, and short-term. Practical approaches and project implementation tools are rarely coordinated or synchronized, leading to frequent reinvention of the wheel or overlapping efforts. The need for more systematic, cross-institutional exchange and learning, a joint research and advocacy agenda, and common strategic goals has been identified by many. To date, these needs have not been tackled sufficiently. All these factors limit the potential for meaningful impact and systemic change through policy and investment support efforts." 

The MVM is a response to this situation and seeks to pave the way for more systematic exchange and learning, as well as for more strategic and coordinated action across multiple stakeholders. The intent is three-pronged:
 

  • to foster conceptual clarity;
  • to strengthen strategic collaboration between multiple stakeholders; and
  • to align practical implementation in the field of media viability.

In particular, the MVM initiative is designed to: 
 

  • Better respond to local needs by making use of lessons learned and synergies, avoiding overlap and repetition to improve efficiency and impact in the field of media viability;
  • Enhance collaboration and coordination among stakeholders, particularly by implementing more inclusive practices that promote local ownership and contextually relevant actions; 
  • Be able to make the case to donors in a more systematic and convincing way, as a sector, for (increased) support for media viability; and
  • Have a common, global framework guiding the direction for media viability work in the coming years, including joint goals between local, regional, and international stakeholders.

The MVM was collectively developed in an open and inclusive process across five stages from 2022 to 2024 and is the culmination of input and expertise gathered from 152 individuals from 55 countries, representing 86 organisations.

The Manifesto consists of three main components:
 

  • Concept: A joint understanding of media viability for more conceptual clarity
  • Strategy: An overarching theory of change for media viability as a roadmap to guide strategic, collaborative action
  • Implementation: A comprehensive typology of existing media viability tools and approaches to align practical implementation

Based on the theory of change, the MVM identifies four terrains of work around which interventions in the field of media viability, and thus exchange and collaboration, can be clustered and coordinated.

  1. Business and technical support: This terrain of work strengthens media organisations and their leaders by providing tailored technical and financial support, quality assurance, capacity development, and knowledge exchange. It focuses on business management, audience engagement, and income generation.
  2. Coalitions and partnerships: This terrain of work enables spaces for knowledge sharing on media viability and facilitates networking and cooperation between relevant actors, involving: relevant stakeholders in the field of media viability from all world regions; local, regional, and international media development organisations; media organisations from all world regions; local, regional, and international media stakeholders, including journalist associations, press councils, media owner groups, and think tanks; and coalitions of media freedom actors.
  3. Evidence-based advocacy: This terrain of work focuses on evidence-based advocacy for media viability during multi-stakeholder discussions and events within relevant fora. The undertaken efforts directly build on the research conducted and disseminated, the coalitions and partnerships established, and the insights gained from business and technical support to media.
  4. Research and insights: This terrain of work focuses on a variety of evidence-based research and insights, including research on audience behaviour, industry trends, business models, and market factors, as well as needs assessments, case studies, project evaluations, and project mappings. These initiatives may be conducted by academics, media development organisations, civil society organisations, government agencies, non- governmental organisations (NGOs), think tanks, and other media researchers at the local, regional, and international level. To ensure that research has impact, it must be shared with relevant actors through targeted and effective dissemination strategies, in accessible formats and languages. 
     

The MVM is based on the following key principles:
 

  • Media viability challenges require tailor-made solutions based on specific contexts, rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.
  • Actions that ensure local ownership and integrate actors in partner countries are essential.
  • Information landscapes comprise media organisations, journalists, and content producers of all shapes, sizes, and maturity levels.
  • Media viability is situated within broad and multifaceted challenges facing journalism.

How to access the MVM:

Web link
Click here for the 36-page English version of the Manifesto in PDF format.
Source

Email from Clare Cook to The Communication Initiative on October 9 2024; and DW Akademie website on October 25 2024. Image credit: IMS

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