Media development challenges in Latin America
The 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.
It drew on the six principles for relevant and effective media support outlined by OECD, assessing: 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?
Resilient yet under constant pressure, media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean navigate political and geographical risks, scarce funding, and uneven donor support.
From indigenous community radio stations in Guatemala to investigative networks in Brazil and tightly connected media alliances across the Caribbean, media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean play a vital role in supporting public interest media.
A new regional assessment, part of DW Akademie's global State of Media Development Report, examined how well donor support aligns with the OECD's six principles for effective media assistance. Drawing on interviews, surveys, and regional expertise, it reveals that none of the six principles are fully met. Principle 1: Do no harm to public interest media
Media development organizations did not report direct harm from donors, but many flagged indirect risks, such as the stigmatization of foreign-funded media and projects that overlook political and security realities. In precarious environments, journalists can face coercion and mental health needs are often ignored. One organization partnered with a crisis-response mental health NGO, calling it "essential for sustaining our work." Donors were praised when they showed flexibility whenever risks appeared and funded security needs. Chronic underfunding forces most media development organizations to rely on short-term project-based grants that rarely cover core costs Image: Jens Büttner/ZB/picture alliance Recommendations
Donors should integrate risk assessments into projects, ensure resources beyond training (legal, digital, psychological, etc.), and adapt visibility and reporting requirements to local conditions. Principle 2: Increase financial and other assistance
Chronic underfunding forces most media development organizations to rely on short-term project-based grants that rarely cover core costs. Community and rural media often receive no funding despite being used for communication about ongoing projects. Emergency funds are scarce and slow to arrive, especially in crises like Covid-19. One organization created its own Story Development Fund to support its beneficiaries in the coverage of neglected issues like male suicide and environmental sustainability. Emergency funds for media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean are scarce and slow to arrive, for instance during the Covid-19 crisis Image: Guillermo Nova/dpa/picture alliance Recommendations
Media development organizations recommend increasing long-term and core funding, support diverse revenue models, and prioritize marginalized, hyperlocal, and indigenous media partners. Principle 3: Take a whole-system perspective
Ecosystem analysis is often informal, and donor strategies can ignore local realities, especially in island states and rural areas. Respondents warned against lumping Latin America and the Caribbean into one category, citing cultural, social, and political differences. One interviewee stressed, "The pooling of Latin America and the Caribbean as a single space is problematic because it does not take into account the insular nature. We are largely island states, with different languages, cultural and political antecedents." Media development organizations recommend funding locally led projects Image: Michael Melford/Design Pics/picture alliance Recommendations
Donors should co-develop ecosystem diagnostics with local actors, include diverse communicators beyond traditional outlets, and avoid one-size-fits-all regional templates. Principle 4: Strengthen local leadership and ownership
Many organizations apply as sole funding applicants due to failed partnerships or inaccessible donor procedures. Rural and smaller actors often miss out, and ineligible language requirements add barriers. Respondents were vocal against all forms of "parachuting in" Global North trainers and noted that, even when this is avoided, donor-imposed frameworks and program designs often lack cultural and local alignment. Recommendations
Media development organizations recommend funding locally led projects, prioritizing regional trainers and experts, simplifying applications, and making grants accessible to grassroots actors. Principle 5: Improve coordination of support
Reporting demands are often repetitive and burdensome and divert resources from programs. Smaller organizations face compliance processes disconnected from their realities, as some organizations from Guyana, Jamaica and Guatemala stressed. Donor response during crises is often slow, like during the Covid-19 pandemic, while local actors mobilize quickly, as seen in Brazil's legal defense network for journalists during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. Recommendations
Donors should harmonize reporting requirements, allow budgets for administrative support, and establish rapid response funding mechanisms. Principle 6: Invest in knowledge, research, and learning
Research is widely valued by media development organizations. However, it is underfunded, which limits systematic studies and the use of participatory methods. Many share findings openly to benefit the wider sector. Likewise, networks like the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), Fundación Gabo , the Latin American Conference of Investigative Journalism (COLPIN), and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) are key for peer learning and exchange. Recommendations
Media development organizations recommend funding locally driven research, supporting South-South knowledge exchange, and ensuring commissioned studies are returned in usable formats to those who contributed. Journalists face among others political pressure and economic uncertainty in Latin America and the Caribbean Image: Wilder Lopez/AP Photo/picture alliance
Media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean continue to innovate, collaborate, and find ways to sustain public interest media in difficult environments. They do so while facing political pressure, economic uncertainty, environmental challenges, and donor systems that often overlook local realities.
The region's strengths though, from strong networks to a culture of knowledge sharing, show what is possible when support aligns with context. Progress will depend on donors pairing core and project funding, simplifying requirements, enabling rapid crisis response, and trusting local leadership to drive culturally relevant solutions. Emy Osorio Matorel Image: Privat
Emy Osorio Matorel is the Latin America and Caribbean consultant for DW Akademie's State of Media Development 2025 research project. She has collaborated in various capacities, including as a fellow and consultant, with organizations such as the Catholic Media Council, the Global Forum for Media Development, the Global Media Registry, Internews, the Kettering Foundation, and Fundación Gabo, among others. She is currently an independent consultant working at the intersection of media development, technology, and society.
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DW
2 days ago
- DW
Media development challenges in Latin America
Local leadership, core funding, crisis response: Findings from the State of Media Development Report show that media actors in Latin America need long-term, context-driven support to safeguard independent journalism. The 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. It drew on the six principles for relevant and effective media support outlined by OECD, assessing: 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? Resilient yet under constant pressure, media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean navigate political and geographical risks, scarce funding, and uneven donor support. From indigenous community radio stations in Guatemala to investigative networks in Brazil and tightly connected media alliances across the Caribbean, media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean play a vital role in supporting public interest media. A new regional assessment, part of DW Akademie's global State of Media Development Report, examined how well donor support aligns with the OECD's six principles for effective media assistance. Drawing on interviews, surveys, and regional expertise, it reveals that none of the six principles are fully met. Principle 1: Do no harm to public interest media Media development organizations did not report direct harm from donors, but many flagged indirect risks, such as the stigmatization of foreign-funded media and projects that overlook political and security realities. In precarious environments, journalists can face coercion and mental health needs are often ignored. One organization partnered with a crisis-response mental health NGO, calling it "essential for sustaining our work." Donors were praised when they showed flexibility whenever risks appeared and funded security needs. Chronic underfunding forces most media development organizations to rely on short-term project-based grants that rarely cover core costs Image: Jens Büttner/ZB/picture alliance Recommendations Donors should integrate risk assessments into projects, ensure resources beyond training (legal, digital, psychological, etc.), and adapt visibility and reporting requirements to local conditions. Principle 2: Increase financial and other assistance Chronic underfunding forces most media development organizations to rely on short-term project-based grants that rarely cover core costs. Community and rural media often receive no funding despite being used for communication about ongoing projects. Emergency funds are scarce and slow to arrive, especially in crises like Covid-19. One organization created its own Story Development Fund to support its beneficiaries in the coverage of neglected issues like male suicide and environmental sustainability. Emergency funds for media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean are scarce and slow to arrive, for instance during the Covid-19 crisis Image: Guillermo Nova/dpa/picture alliance Recommendations Media development organizations recommend increasing long-term and core funding, support diverse revenue models, and prioritize marginalized, hyperlocal, and indigenous media partners. Principle 3: Take a whole-system perspective Ecosystem analysis is often informal, and donor strategies can ignore local realities, especially in island states and rural areas. Respondents warned against lumping Latin America and the Caribbean into one category, citing cultural, social, and political differences. One interviewee stressed, "The pooling of Latin America and the Caribbean as a single space is problematic because it does not take into account the insular nature. We are largely island states, with different languages, cultural and political antecedents." Media development organizations recommend funding locally led projects Image: Michael Melford/Design Pics/picture alliance Recommendations Donors should co-develop ecosystem diagnostics with local actors, include diverse communicators beyond traditional outlets, and avoid one-size-fits-all regional templates. Principle 4: Strengthen local leadership and ownership Many organizations apply as sole funding applicants due to failed partnerships or inaccessible donor procedures. Rural and smaller actors often miss out, and ineligible language requirements add barriers. Respondents were vocal against all forms of "parachuting in" Global North trainers and noted that, even when this is avoided, donor-imposed frameworks and program designs often lack cultural and local alignment. Recommendations Media development organizations recommend funding locally led projects, prioritizing regional trainers and experts, simplifying applications, and making grants accessible to grassroots actors. Principle 5: Improve coordination of support Reporting demands are often repetitive and burdensome and divert resources from programs. Smaller organizations face compliance processes disconnected from their realities, as some organizations from Guyana, Jamaica and Guatemala stressed. Donor response during crises is often slow, like during the Covid-19 pandemic, while local actors mobilize quickly, as seen in Brazil's legal defense network for journalists during the presidency of Jair Bolsonaro. Recommendations Donors should harmonize reporting requirements, allow budgets for administrative support, and establish rapid response funding mechanisms. Principle 6: Invest in knowledge, research, and learning Research is widely valued by media development organizations. However, it is underfunded, which limits systematic studies and the use of participatory methods. Many share findings openly to benefit the wider sector. Likewise, networks like the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), the Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX), the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE), the Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA), Fundación Gabo , the Latin American Conference of Investigative Journalism (COLPIN), and the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) are key for peer learning and exchange. Recommendations Media development organizations recommend funding locally driven research, supporting South-South knowledge exchange, and ensuring commissioned studies are returned in usable formats to those who contributed. Journalists face among others political pressure and economic uncertainty in Latin America and the Caribbean Image: Wilder Lopez/AP Photo/picture alliance Media development organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean continue to innovate, collaborate, and find ways to sustain public interest media in difficult environments. They do so while facing political pressure, economic uncertainty, environmental challenges, and donor systems that often overlook local realities. The region's strengths though, from strong networks to a culture of knowledge sharing, show what is possible when support aligns with context. Progress will depend on donors pairing core and project funding, simplifying requirements, enabling rapid crisis response, and trusting local leadership to drive culturally relevant solutions. Emy Osorio Matorel Image: Privat Emy Osorio Matorel is the Latin America and Caribbean consultant for DW Akademie's State of Media Development 2025 research project. She has collaborated in various capacities, including as a fellow and consultant, with organizations such as the Catholic Media Council, the Global Forum for Media Development, the Global Media Registry, Internews, the Kettering Foundation, and Fundación Gabo, among others. She is currently an independent consultant working at the intersection of media development, technology, and society.
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5 years after protests in Belarus: Have things changed? – DW – 08/08/2025
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Trump's 'Dividend' Promise For Americans Leaves Open Questions
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