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DW
2 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
24-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
Media development challenges in the Asia-Pacific region
Risk mitigation, sustainable funding, more research: Findings from State of Media Development Report for the Asia-Pacific region suggest that media development actors need to step up efforts in this part of the world. International assistance has long been recognized as a crucial pillar supporting public interest media across the Asia-Pacific region. From empowering exiled journalists, to sustaining watchdog journalism in fragile democracies and conflict zones, donor aid often serves as the lifeline. However, recent research led by DW Akademie, based on the OECD's six principles for effective media support and covering countries from Afghanistan to the Philippines reveals that donor aid is sometimes fragmented, poorly coordinated, and even unintentionally harmful. A snapshot of progress: The six OECD principles across Asia Principle 1: Do no harm to public interest media (minimally fulfilled) Principle 2: Increase financial and other assistance (not fulfilled at all) Principle 3: Take a whole-of-system perspective (partially fulfilled) Principle 4: Local leadership and ownership (partially fulfilled) Principle 5: Improve coordination (partially fulfilled) Principle 6: Invest in knowledge, research and learning (minimally fulfilled) Principle 1: Ensure assistance does no harm The assessment reveals that in politically restrictive environments across much of the Asia/ Pacific region, international assistance has unintentionally put media development actors at risk of legal harassment, reputational harm, surveillance, and threats to their safety. For instance, a media development organization in Mongolia working with US donors faced accusations of leaking national secrets. Similarly, in India draconian foreign funding laws (such as the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act or FCRA) indirectly discourage media development actors. In Kazakhstan, a media development organization representative informed that they were confronted with politically motivated tax penalties and threats of a shutdown due to their association with international funders. Furthermore, donor logos and content oversight requirements — while designed for transparency and accountability — sometimes backfire by fueling accusations of foreign propaganda. This was mentioned by respondents from Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Despite these challenges, positive examples exist. In Mongolia, a media development organization adopted clear ethical funding policies refusing money from sources like tobacco companies to maintain editorial integrity. In Kazakhstan, a donor stepped in to cover politically motivated fines against an independent media outlet preventing its closure. Recommendations An important measure would be to integrate "do no harm" protocols into grant agreements avoiding visible donor branding in politically sensitive contexts and promoting ethical funding practices with mutual accountability between donors and local media to enhance safety, trust, and impact. Principle 2: Increase financial and other forms of support In much of the Asia-Pacific region, international assistance has unintentionally exposed media actors to legal risks, surveillance, and safety threats Image: Nasir Kachroo/NurPhoto/picture alliance Chronic underfunding is a pervasive challenge for public interest media and media development organizations across Asia. Most media development organizations subsist on short-term project grants that barely cover operational costs, forcing them into precarious financial positions that increase vulnerability to burnout and eventual closure. Donors typically prioritize project-based funding tied to narrowly defined deliverables leaving little room for core expenses like salaries, rent, or capacity building. Furthermore, much of the funding flows into urban and dominant-language media, sidelining rural, minority-language, and hyper-local outlets that serve marginalized communities. This fragmentation extends to exile media which are additionally confronted by legal and financial barriers in accessing aid. Many donors also treat the media primarily as an instrument to advance other development goals rather than as a sector warranting direct, sustained investment. This mindset hampers funding for policy advocacy, legal reform, and organizational sustainability. A good practice in financial sustainability comes from the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) which serves as a bright spot by generating 80–85% of its revenue internally through membership fees, conferences, and capacity building programs. Recommendations Donors are called upon to shift their support to long-term, core funding, strengthening local revenue generation, and prioritizing marginalized, women-led, and exile media to ensure the sustainability of public interest media in Asia. Principle 3: Take a holistic approach to the information environment In Myanmar, inclusive strategies are increasingly supporting women-led, minority, and exile media Image: Olaf Schülke/picture alliance Media ecosystems in Asia-Pacific are diverse and interconnected yet donor programs often remain fragmented and urban-centric. Research shows donor assessments typically focus on capital cities, neglecting community radio, rural outlets, and minority-language media. As a Nepali expert noted, "You can't understand the media system if you only talk to NGOs in the capital." Critical issues like algorithmic bias, AI-generated misinformation, and digital surveillance remain underexplored. Donor strategies seldom integrate regulation, digital literacy, or policy reform, despite their growing importance for sustainable media development. In Nepal, India, and Afghanistan, locally led diagnostics are informing programming while in Pakistan and Myanmar, inclusive strategies now support women-led, minority, and exile media — marking notable good practices. Recommendations Comprehensive ecosystem diagnostics that capture diverse political, social, and technological contexts should be funded. They should integrate media literacy, digital regulation, and policy reform into media support and address digital risks like algorithmic bias and surveillance through holistic strategies. Principle 4: Strengthen local leadership and ownership Research shows donor assessments typically focus on capital cities, neglecting community radio, rural outlets, and minority-language media Image: Matthias Tödt/dpa/picture alliance In many countries in the Asia-Pacific region, international donors tend to control strategy and funding sidelining local media groups and treating them as subcontractors. Strict eligibility criteria, language barriers, and complex procedures exclude grassroots organizations. Local actors in Nepal, Myanmar, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan argue that most funding goes to international NGOs, despite local groups being better suited for impact. A South Asian media leader emphasized the need to "listen to the people they are trying to help." The research brings in positive examples including AMU TV run by Afghan journalists in exile, Nepal's community radio networks with participatory governance, and diaspora and minority-led media houses in Myanmar shaping editorial agendas rooted in their communities. Recommendation Direct funding to local and diaspora-led media should be prioritized using participatory design in funding decisions and simplifying and supporting grant processes to increase accessibility for grassroots organizations. Principle 5: Improve coordination among donors and development actors The research found that coordination across donors tends to be reactive, crisis-driven, and fragmented. Emergency situations—such as the fall of Kabul or Myanmar's military crackdown — catalyze rapid collaboration, but these are exceptions rather than the norm. Most of the time, overlapping funding cycles, inconsistent messaging, and duplicated efforts among media development organizations is prevalent. Poor data sharing, weak joint planning, and complex administrative requirements are reported by the key informants. It is important to note that coordination mechanisms rarely include local actors or emerging media such as digital creators and youth networks. Recommendations Country-level coordination groups should be created for donors, promoting information sharing, and aligning media support with broader governance and human rights efforts to enhance collaboration and impact. Principle 6: Invest in learning and innovation through research Investment in learning and research holds significant promise but remains chronically underfunded. While local actors are deeply committed to peer-learning, safety research, and analyzing digital threats, donor funding for such activities is inconsistent and insufficient. If there are research efforts, they tend to be informal, short-term, and heavily reliant on donor funding. Organizations in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Nepal and other countries demonstrate strong commitments to monitoring, evaluation, and adaptive learning despite challenging conditions. South-South knowledge exchange models, such as AMIC's in the Philippines embed evaluation into programming and stimulate critical conversations on media issues. Recommendations Media development professionals across Asia call for more evidence-based, locally produced knowledge to guide programming and policy. They also emphasize journalism education to integrate emerging challenges like AI, misinformation, and changing audience behavior. Umesh Pokharel is the Asia Research Consultant for DW Akademie's State of Media Development 2025 research project. He previously served as the South Asia Coordinator for the International Federation of Journalists and has held diverse roles across media and development organizations throughout his career.
DW
10-07-2025
- Business
- DW
Eastern Europe and Central Asia: Challenges for the media
Regional report finds that while media development in Eastern Europe and Central Asia shows resilience through local ownership, delayed crisis responses leave it exposed to donor cuts, threatening sustainability. The beginning of 2025 saw media development in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in crisis. Intensified by the US funding cut, financial support was dwindling while the challenges of strengthening institutional capacity, fostering enabling environments, encouraging cross-sector collaboration, and promoting a vibrant information ecosystem remained the same. Organizations involved in the sector expressed concern that emerging challenges, such as media business development, safety and security training, and legal threats (including SLAPP cases), were overstretching the capacity of editors and managers to focus on long-term sustainability or attract additional funding. Hardly a moment to breathe: Media leaders are stretched thin by emerging challenges like business development, safety training, and legal threats Image: Thomas Koehler/photothek/picture alliance These developments stood in contrast to the successes that the sector had previously been able to achieve. In 2024, media development celebrated a landmark success when the OECD Development Co-Operation Principles for Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment , or Media Principles for short, were adopted. DW Akademie conducted a study to find out how media development organizations were faring vis à vis these Principles. The State of Media Development Report was published in April 2025. On the back of this study, a forthcoming follow-up regional report takes a closer look at the specific situation in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, based on interviews with local experts and responses to a survey completed by media development organizations across the region. Structured around the OECD's six principles, the report rates how organizations are faring vis à vis the Media Principles, identifies key challenges and provides recommendations for both media organizations and donors. How is media development faring in Eastern Europe and Central Asia amid political instability and economic hardship? With persistent political instability and economic hardship, media development support is especially critical in Eastern Europe and Central Asia — including Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and drifts towards authoritarianism in countries like Georgia. There are, however, also positive examples of post-Soviet countries in the region, such as Armenia and Estonia, which not only respect but actively promote media freedom. In times of war and instability, media support has never been more vital Image: Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo/picture alliance A closer look at the OECD's six principles The research shows that two out of six principles have been positively assessed, while others — especially financial and institutional support — require urgent attention. The "Do no harm" principle (principle 1) was found to be minimally fulfilled, varying across countries and organizations. While donors reportedly respected editorial independence, their delayed or inadequate crisis response, short-term engagement and incoherent policies undermined operational flexibility. Principle 1: Do no harm to public interest media (Minimally fulfilled) (Minimally fulfilled) Principle 2: Increase financial and other assistance (Not fulfilled at all) (Not fulfilled at all) Principle 3: Take a whole-of-system perspective (Partially fulfilled) (Partially fulfilled) Principle 4: Local leadership and ownership (Overall fulfilled) (Overall fulfilled) Principle 5: Improve coordination (Overall fulfilled) (Overall fulfilled) Principle 6: Invest in knowledge, research and learning (Partially fulfilled) Experts across the region stressed the urgent need to boost capital inflow to support resilient and innovative media Image: Guenter Fischer/CHROMORANGE/picture alliance Financial support (principle 2) was widely cited as the most problematic area. Many media organizations reported that efforts to ensure sustainability — such as business development, safety training, and compliance with legal frameworks — were diverting resources away from content production. Despite efforts to engage the private sector, tangible results remain limited. Also, the cancellation of Meta's fact-checking program in the EU — and the potential suspension of similar efforts in other regions — has increased the demand for fact-checking and investigative journalism funding. On the other hand, local leadership and coordination (principles 4 and 5) were positively assessed. New coordination frameworks and partnerships are emerging as critical strategies to resist political instability and respond to ongoing crises. However, research, learning, and innovation (principle 6) continue to suffer from underfunding. The lack of investment has limited regional innovation, constrained the ability of organizations to adapt, and left them unprepared for emerging challenges. Across the region, experts emphasized the urgent need for structural reform in the media sector — including improving capital inflow, adapting to social media driven markets, and strengthening participation in policy discussions to enhance recruitment, innovation, and operational models. In search of unique stories: Local leadership was positively assessed Image: D. Shahbazyan/DW What to do: Focus on media viability, digital strategies and safety While the full report by DW Akademie's think tank DW Freedom offers a host of important recommendations, these are the most important ones to stabilize and consolidate media development efforts in the region: Ensure core funding for media viability: Sustainable core funding is essential to respond to prevalent crises and avoid reliance on politically influenced and/or purely commercial content. Invest in long-term tech innovation: Short-term, fragmented tech funding fails to deliver durable solutions. Donors must coordinate efforts to support scalable digital strategies and reclaim advertising revenue. Address gaps in local media ecosystems: In many areas, TV remains dominant while digital adoption lags behind. Funding must support outlets that reinforce local democracy and help counter growing polarization. Strengthen legal and safety frameworks: Small and exiled media face legal restrictions and security threats. Long-term support for legal reform, journalist safety, and operational protection is essential. Prioritize local leadership and inclusion: Donor preference for international actors often sidelines capable local organizations. Local voices must be integrated into strategy, funding, and implementation processes. Giorgi Jangiani is the Country Lead at Thomson Reuters Foundation, Georgia and GFMD IMPACT regional coordinator for Eastern Europe and the Caucasus. He conducted this research as an independent consultant.
