All news companies face challenges when it comes to retaining audiences and building revenue. But African independent media sites may find an even steeper hill to climb and must look for fresh solutions. During the final installment of INMA’s 2022 Africa Webinar series, two experts from the continent shared their advice.
Independent media now have to deal with an increasing number of digital attacks on press freedom, from brute-force attacks on their servers to more sophisticated assaults on their social media presence and digitally-based legal challenges.
Among the most frequently used forms of legal coercion against investigative journalists are SLAPPs (“strategic litigation against public participation”), which aim to intimidate reporters into abandoning their investigations. The practice of abusing legal systems by those in power to silence critics has reached global proportions. Its damage is far-reaching and curbing it is an imperative for democracy and maintaining peace.
Watchdog journalists, despite being some of the world’s most determined and enterprising reporters, face multiple challenges, especially those working in repressive environments. They need support. So we’re pleased to launch GIJN Advisory Services for easier access to our expanding services, including a raft of new tools and resources to strengthen and spread in-depth watchdog journalism.
The media, civil society, and democracy are under unprecedented duress around the world. Protecting the independent media and the public sphere presents an “epic challenge,” but there is great opportunity for philanthropy to step up and help. Bruce Sievers and Patrice Schneider detail five avenues worth pursuing in funding news media and argue that charitable donors should significantly increase their investment in the media.
