Le Fonds international pour les médias d’intérêt public
IFPIM
The International Fund for Public Interest Media’s (IFPIM) mission is to support the right of public to be informed.
ID: 820848797221-88
Lobbying Activity
Response to European Democracy Shield
26 May 2025
Public interest media independent media organizations dedicated to informing the public through high-quality journalism are facing an existential crisis. The challenges are particularly acute in low- and middle-income countries and in the EUs neighborhood, including in places such as the Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia. The economic factors that once enabled a diverse and pluralistic media landscape have been severely undermined by the market dynamics of the digital age as well as global economic downturns, hitting the worlds poorest and most populous countries hardest of all. Across the world, local and national news outlets have been closing at an escalating rate. Digital advertising revenue has not grown enough to compensate for the decline in print advertising. The impact of this is most keenly felt in low- and middle-income countries. The economic implosion of the media business comes at a time when media organizations are additionally the targets of censure, capture or unfair competition driven by authoritarian governments both domestic and foreign. Autocratic regimes and their supporters pour billions of dollars into large-scale disinformation efforts, influencing existing media, buying up media organizations or establishing their own media channels. Yet, 0.19% of total Official Development Assistance (ODA) was allocated to media and information in 2022. An even smaller percentage just 0.05% of total ODA was channeled directly to media organizations at a time when they face an increasingly hostile operating environment. Despite the severity of this situation, the funding needed to safeguard the survival of each individual independent media organization in developing countries is often comparatively small. Moreover, there are indications that, even with a few public interest media organizations functioning in a country, they can have an important and outsized positive effect on journalism, accountability and democracy. A relatively modest investment, if properly targeted, can, therefore, have a dramatic impact on efforts to sustain media and democracy around the world. Societies can only function if their citizens have access to reliable information. For a democratic society, and for any society that seeks checks and balances on power, it is also important that information relevant to peoples lives is accessible to all, regardless of economic, political or social power and despite any attempts at restricting such access. The only way to guarantee this is to ensure that individuals in these societies have access to independent media that work in the public interest and practice fact-based, trustworthy and professional journalism. Independent medias importance for democracy and as a watchdog for good governance and the effective and equitable use of national resources and development assistance has been widely documented. Thus, the threat of the extinction of public interest media in low- and middle-income countries is also a threat to openness, democratic processes and public accountability in these countries. At IFPIM, we join peer organizations in calling on the EU to Commit to considerably increasing media funding. Commissioner Kos commitment to doubling funding for media in the European Neighbourhood is an important step in the right direction, but it is not enough compared to the level of funding provided by other foreign actors. Review the types of funding given to the media. While the majority of media support currently consists of project-based funding and business development support, there is a much broader range of support necessary to boost the sector and help it operate in a healthy way, conducive to its mission of informing the public and providing a counterweight to disinformation narratives. Key among them is the need for more direct core support, as stipulated in the Media Viability Manifesto.
Read full responseMeeting with Veerle Nuyts (Cabinet of Commissioner Marta Kos)
27 Mar 2025 · Exchange on support to independent media