Article
New financing models envisionned to face the crisis in the journalism sector
Youth Multimedia Room
The article was produced by the Youth Multimedia Room. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributors of the Youth Multimedia Room and do not represent the views of UNESCO or its partners. The designations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO or its partners.
Within the framework of the World Press Freedom Day 2024, the session 鈥淔inancing Public Interest Journalism: How should new funding flows be governed?鈥 addressed the deep economic crisis facing independent journalism, caused by 鈥渢he collapse of traditional means of financing鈥, according to moderator Vanina Berghella.
To open the conversation, panel members were questioned on their perspective regarding new financing mechanisms.
Marina Pita, General Coordinator of Freedom of Expression Policies and Fighting Disinformation, Digital Policies Secretariat, Brazil, suggested two models: the first, which is being discussed in Brazil, consists of digital platforms having the obligation to negotiate remuneration with journalism. The second, which is more contributory, seeks to promote the sustainability of small groups of independent journalism. Pita highlighted that Brazil is working to advance this idea of sustainability as a 鈥渧irtuous circle鈥, as discussed in 2023 during the .
On the civil society side, Kate Skinner, activist for press freedom in South Africa and founder of the Save our SABC campaign, mentioned that the development of funding models is very valuable for small independent journalism organizations, especially in regions where their only means of transmitting information is public broadcasting. She added that questions also arise about how to ensure the independence of journalism and what role the government or large platforms, such as Google, should have. Skinner also added that an ideal funding model would have to be 鈥clear and simple in the criteria for who it is awarded to and also how it works.鈥
Gaygsyz Geldiyev, from JNOMICS Media in Ukraine (an international media consulting company), emphasized that the economic viability of the press is essential to guarantee its sustainability and integrity. Furthermore, he pointed out that we must take advantage of the fact that the media still have the trust of the public, especially in times of crisis, so it is necessary to 鈥渋nnovate鈥 and capitalize on this trust. Another mechanism proposed by the expert is to get Google to finance media organizations, just as companies sponsor content creators. Thus, with the combination of different players and efforts, what he called 鈥渢he best mechanism鈥 would be achieved, allowing the media to be financially independent from their audiences.
Julie Posetti, from the International Center for Journalists in Australia, addressed the importance of having journalists, media and funders being able to operate independently. This requires a concrete separation, which would allow not only to safeguard trust in the media, but also to avoid the active and progressive interference and influence of donors. Posetti emphasized that the media need more studies that allow evaluating the risks of different business models, since the scenario is changing rapidly.
To end the session, Vanina Berghella announced that starting today, May 3, until July 1, the call is open for a fund of at least five million dollars. This seeks to support media outlets from more than 40 countries, both in audiences and structurally in the diversity, plurality and sustainability of independent media. Information about this funding opportunities are available here: ifm.org.
Anal铆a C谩rdenas and Macarena Salazar
