If you’re thinking of funding journalism, start here…
It’s been around a year since Ariadne published my paper ‘An Introduction to Funding Journalism and Media‘, since when, various networks have released new resources and networks related to the funding of journalism.
This week, the Global Investigative Journalism Conference is happening in Hamburg. As part of that, the Rudolf Augstein Stiftung is hosting a meeting today for foundations in Germany and from across Europe to discuss the findings and recommendations of this new report (by me) on ‘How to fund investigative journalism‘. It’s part of a series of reports from DW Akademie, including this one which profiles 9 investigative journalism organisations around the world.
Also in Germany, a grouping of funders, journalists and civil society organisations has issued an open letter calling for the recognition of non-profit journalism (Gemeinnütziger Journalismus).
For a bigger picture view, Sarah Armour-Jones and Jessica Clark’s March 2019 overview of the Global Media Philanthropy space for Media Impact Funders is excellent. Sarah recently published another paper, also interesting and practical, but more focused on the US and using US grantmaking data from Candid.
And finally, the Journalism Funders Forum, which is hosted by the European Journalism Centre, issued a series of themed newsletters in the first half of the year (me again). The back issues can be read here, and cover topics including gender and #MeToo, media capture, innovation and collaboration, inequality and engagement, media philanthropy, and investigative journalism. The underlying research for all the newsletters is available in an open Google doc to which you can also add resources.
I’m painfully aware that all these resources are in English, and as diverse and global as they try to be, they will always miss crucial sources and resources from other places and languages. Please do respond with others that you know of.
UPDATE: November 2023:
Four years one, and journalism funding is more prominent than ever.
New guides/reports of note:
- National Funds for Journalism (2023) – a Policy Paper by me and Francesca Silvani, laying out the international landscape of such funds, and a range of practical, ethical and design questions for those considering setting National Funds up
- Government-backed National Funds (2023) – a Policy Brief by Anya Schiffrin and Brigitte Alfter on funds that governments set up and put funds into
- Funding Journalism: A Guide for Canadian Philanthropy (2023) – the title says it all!
- The role of media festivals in strengthening independent media (2023) – I wrote this guide on 4 Global South media festivals that are becoming increasingly prominent internationally to help funders and potential supporters see more clearly how best to help them thrive
Macroscope 