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DW
3 days ago
- Politics
- 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.
DW
03-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Effective dialogue initiative: Role of journalists and media
DW Freedom research shows that community engagement and active participation by media makers are key for facilitating dialogue. Reporting stories from rural parts of the country is not particularly attractive to most Ugandan journalists: They must traverse longer distances to meet with sources, transportation costs eat into their story fees, and stories from outside the capital don't attract as much interest among urban news consumers. But who tells the stories of Ugandans who live outside the capital Kampala? Who bridges gaps between citizens and local authorities in rural areas? Who nurtures a feeling of connectedness and understanding within rural communities? The project 'Uplifting Community Voices' empowers community reporters and local correspondents to take care of that. 'Uplifting Community Voices' is one of several initiatives currently being researched by DW Freedom to uncover the key factors behind initiatives that successfully create and host formats for constructive and inclusive public dialogue. The research is based on a two-step methodology including desk-research to identify and evaluate dialogue initiatives and 18 in-depth interviews with representatives of selected initiatives. A comprehensive report is currently in the making and will be available soon. The report showcases ways in which societal dialogue can be achieved, identifies challenges along the way and key factors in achieving success. Preliminary results are already emerging, for example, on the role of journalists in fostering dialogue. Journalists in dialogue initiatives: Not only storytellers but active participants The Tribal News Network (TNN) in Pakistan promotes dialogue between Afghan refugees and host communities by training women as local reporters Image: Tabish Naqvi Many dialogue initiatives specifically focus on marginalized and minority groups, including ethnic and religious minorities, women, refugees, and underserved urban residents. Agência Mural , for example, amplifies voices from Brazil's urban peripheries, while the Tribal News Network (TNN) in Pakistan promotes dialogue between Afghan refugees and host communities by training women as local reporters. Media plays a central role in many of these initiatives, which is why journalists and media professionals are not only involved but are also a key target group. Some interventions encourage journalists to examine their own role within public discourse critically – particularly in contexts shaped by conflict or its aftermath. In such settings, journalism takes on added dimensions, touching on issues of reconciliation, representation, and collective healing. A dialogue project in Colombia, for example, seeks to rebuild trust between journalists and survivors of conflict through public dialogues and storytelling workshops designed to foster mutual understanding. Likewise, MiCT's 'Restoring Hope' project in Iraq brings together local journalists and artists to engage with the difficult legacy of enforced disappearances. In both cases, media professionals are not only storytellers but also active participants in broader societal conversations about justice, memory, and the path forward. Media as platforms for dialogue and tools for empowerment Overall, media plays a central and multifaceted role in the dialogue initiatives studied. In several projects, they serve as a direct platform for dialogue. For instance, DW Akademie's initiatives in Ghana and Uganda leverage radio programs and live townhall broadcasts to connect communities with local authorities and encourage public discussion. In Uganda, the project 'Uplifting Community Voices' mentioned above supports radio stations in reporting on rural stories more affordably, helping bridge communication between village, district, and national levels. At the district level, the radio stations themselves take on the role of dialogue facilitator. The outcomes of these discussions are then carried forward by the project partner, Media Challenge Initiative, which reports on the district-level dialogues to ensure that grassroots concerns are elevated to the national level. A district community reporter interviewing a local officer of a waste dump in Uganda Image: Musoke Lawrence Several projects deploy creative and artistic media to stimulate dialogue and reconciliation. In Iraq, MiCT's visual‑arts‑based programs use art to open discussion on trauma and coexistence. In Colombia, DW Akademie supports communities in creating historical story‑timelines and collective narrative projects to advance local peacebuilding. A similar approach is visible in Lebanon through Adyan Foundation's 'Alwan Debate' project, where teachers and youth are trained on pluralism, nonviolent communication, and inter‑faith dialogue, backed by manuals and experiential learning activities. Scaling dialogue initiatives: Expanding beyond the community level Community-level engagement forms the backbone of many dialogue initiatives. These programs often depend on direct, face-to-face interaction to involve citizens in discussions about issues that affect their daily lives. When successful, many projects try to scale their efforts to the district level or even national level, building a network that spans multiple communities. Some initiatives also start at this level. Projects like OMNI Ethiopia's 'Voice of Peace' radio campaign involved state-level actors and regional dialogues from the start, demonstrating how government partnerships can expand reach. While scaling remains a persistent challenge in participatory civic media, several promising initiatives have demonstrated the potential to bridge effectively between local, national, and even transnational levels. How exactly they managed to do so will be illustrated in the upcoming report. This much can be revealed: 'Uplifting Community Voices' is one of them. Written by Ines Drefs, Hanna Hempel and David Schneider
DW
27-06-2025
- Business
- DW
Advancing dialogue with the help of AI
AI can be used to create safe spaces for audiences as well as new revenue streams for digital newsrooms, argues Rappler's Don Kevin Hapal. DW Freedom: Don Kevin Hapal, you are Head of Data and Innovation at Philippine digital news outlet Rappler , and currently developing new digital exchange spaces for your audiences. Why don't you just use what big social media platforms have to offer? Don Kevin Hapal: We are often overly dependent on big platforms like Facebook. Our Facebook traffic has dropped significantly over the past year. Generally speaking, these platforms have given up on working with newsrooms. So this is not a question of if we can be independent — we must. We must get our communities to go onto our own platforms directly. And, at the same time, we wanted to build a space where people could not only access information from our newsroom but also have a conversation without all the toxicity, harassment and fear. A safe conversation which is moderated and managed by journalists. But this then will be a rather small public sphere — is it limited to Rappler's community only? We are hoping to bring other newsrooms into this and use the same technology as well — so that in the end different communities can be in exchange. We use a decentralized platform technology for this, which is called "matrix". The idea behind this is that we want to see people having control over their own communication. So you offer users of the Rappler app the opportunity to take part in different exchanges. Yes, and we have plugged a lot of AI features into this app, to help keep the conversation clean. The AI checks for violations of community guidelines, but we also have a layer of human moderation to make sure it covers the spaces that should be covered by humans. The AI checks 24/7 and flags problems — and the human moderator then takes a look and decides on actions. And then we use a chatbot that we call Rai. What is special about this chatbot? Rai is largely using latest information from the Rappler website. It is built on a large language model (LLM). But we are limiting the data it uses to avoid hallucinations based on a technique called GraphRAG, a method for enhancing accuracy. It is still early stages. We started building this in 2023. The acceptance seems to be OK. Rai provides the users with a unique Filipino and Asian perspective when it comes to world events. And this project shows that we can integrate AI responsibly to support journalistic rigor in the face of disinformation. You also run something called "AI dialogue"? One of our general ambitions is to develop new deliberative technologies and work through surveys with our audience. For this we are experimenting with an online AI moderated focus group discussion tool called AI dialogue. A bot hosts online discussion groups that can talk about specific topics. The AI then asks people a lot of questions and creates ideas for policy recommendations that come from these discussions. Overall we introduce a three step process: We synthesize information, the bot then asks follow-up questions and then it creates a quick summary of what has been said. Can you give an example? One example is a creative process we started for collecting democratic input on how AI could be governed. We ran this as a project in cooperation with Open AI. We built a scalable conversation where many people gave their input. For other topics we have been working with local governments. Because we can offer AI powered public consultations. They used the tool to consult with their constituency and then came up with local policies. This line of work has turned out to be profitable for us, too: We have been able to monetize AI-powered market research. But don't traditional representative audience surveys deliver more reliable insights? The traditional surveys have their limitations, too. What we offer is that we can complement this with qualitative information. In your experience, what is the most important thing to consider when governing AI? We at Rappler were the first to publish an AI guideline . What is important for me is that whatever we build we ensure transparency. We must be open about what data is used and what for. Rappler is a digital company. Has your innovative power made you an interesting partner for Big Tech? We must see that most of Big Tech's business is with other sectors. I know that in the US some news organizations were able to agree on deals with them. But I think we cannot do that here, in the Philippines. They are not interested. When we did the project with Open AI, we had a lot of conversations with them. But in the end nothing concrete has come out. Don Kevin Hapal was introduced to data journalism while writing and researching about social media, disinformation, and propaganda. One of his investigative pieces led to one of the biggest network takedowns by Facebook, covering 220 pages, 73 accounts, and 29 instagram accounts, with a combined following of 43 million users. Interview: Jan Lublinski
