The Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) has published Macroscope’s new Policy Paper on the current state of the field of ‘National Funds for Journalism’, which drew on a survey of current literature and reports on the subject, and on a webinar/consultation in July 2023. It has been published alongside a complementary brief on ‘funds that governments set up to support journalism within their own countries’, by Anya Schiffrin and Brigitte Alfter.
While NFJs are by no means a silver bullet in the fight to defend and grow public interest media worldwide, there are numerous settings in which they might be a valuable tool. As we say in the report:
The journalism sector is no longer fully in control of its own destiny and trajectory. Caught between polarised hostile politics, broken economics, media capture, platform dominance, and a brutally competitive media and entertainment environment, journalism sectors worldwide are struggling to survive while preserving their key public interest function. The weakening of the media is in some places a by-product of other forces and in others part of a deliberate strategy by governments or allied interests. This increases information inequality and undermines confidence in democracy
and the economy.But there are a number of countries where funders, including governments, bilaterals, foundations and Big Tech could – with the right strategies, support, partnerships and safeguards – undertake interventions to bolster and strengthen the independence of the journalism ecosystem. As part of this, with the right levels of financial support, independence from political, industrial or other interests, a commitment to the public interest above all, and an outlook that is genuinely strategic and structural, national funds for journalism could be part of a breakthrough solution for countries or regions worldwide looking to develop sustainable homegrown independent media.
Sameer Padania and Francesca Silvani, Macroscope – ‘National Funds for Journalism‘ (GFMD, October 2023)
Macroscope 