ADVOCACY

WAN-IFRA and WEF (the World Editors Forum) issued 20 protest statements this year on issues of concern to media partners in Bahrain, the US, Zambia, Turkey, Ecuador, Botswana, South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mexico, Uganda, Malta, Poland, India and the UK.

Our protest campaign targeting the Trump Administration drew widespread international solidarity, with 40+ senior media executives signing on to a joint letter of concern regarding the president’s accusations of ‘fake news’, and media being “an enemy of the American people”. Over 20 media organisations published an editorial penned by WAN-IFRA’s 2017 Golden Pen of Freedom laureate, Turkish editor Can Dündar, to denounce the on-going media repression ahead of a scheduled trial of Cumhuriyet staff accused of undermining the state.

Golden Pen of Freedom

WAN-IFRA consolidated nearly a decade of advocacy around the deteriorating situation for a free press in Turkey with the award of the Golden Pen of Freedom to Turkish journalist and former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet newspaper, Can Dündar. “Journalists need courage because there is a cloud of fear hanging over them - fear is everywhere, and it is so powerful,” Mr Dündar said in delivering a powerful speech to the media executives gathered in Durban for WAN-IFRA’s Newsmedia Congress.

Impunity

WAN-IFRA contributed to the global call to end impunity for crimes against journalists, marking the 2^nd November UN-designated international day with an editorial by WEF President Dave Callaway and various resources and appeals for media to engage in holding states to account for pursuing cases against those who attack or kill journalists worldwide.

Media Freedom Committees

WAN-IFRA has launched 16 Media Freedom Committees in countries where our programmes are active: Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico; Egypt, Jordan, Palestine; Kenya, South Africa, Uganda; Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines (three Committees). More information online here.

Highlighted activities of these committees include a reporting trip to Papua involving nine Indonesian media organisations to expose human rights, environmental, women’s rights and press freedom abuses; editors’ safety training in the Philippines and Mexico (with the ACOS alliance); a meeting with the president of the Philippines to present the Committee’s concerns regarding access to information; digital safety training across African newsrooms; Malaysian editors forum; a documentary film production in Egypt on press independence; a virtual network in Uganda comprising 350+ journalists active in disseminating safety, legal and professionalism/ethics information; and public forums and dialogue with government in Ecuador on repealing of the notorious Communications Law.

Eurasia Partnership: Delivering Crucial Support to Independent Publishers

161 media outlets assisted through Eurasian media development activities. 92% of respondents reported generating new types of digital revenues as a result of WAN-IFRA efforts. 92% of respondents attributed the growth of their online audiences as a result of WAN-IFRA efforts.

Increasing Women’s Leadership and Voices in the News Media

60 media from Botswana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine are actively engaged with Women in News to promote their female talent, educate their senior executives on gender diversity, and promote greater gender balance in news. 75 women editors and journalists graduate from WIN Media Management and Career Coaching.

• 63% of media partners surveyed report having positively changed their perceptions about the value of gender mainstreaming
• 20% WIN graduates report promotions within their media

Media Mentoring Programme: Strengthening Independent Voices in South East Asia

75 media professionals from 11 media partners in Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam engage with WAN-IFRA to develop their media management and editorial leadership skills

• 73% media partners report to diversifying revenues
• 73% media partners reporting online revenues now cover more of operating costs
• 40% media partners report increase of women in management ranks

Strengthening Media & Society Programme

The €2m, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs-funded programme received a no-cost extension to take our project activities through to the end of June 2018. Aside from supporting the foundation of the Media Freedom Committees, the programme has continued with:

• Monthly e-learning classes on a range of latest newsroom topics relevant to our global community
• Innovation for Development’ projects and grants. In conjunction with GAMI, we are currently ‘incubating’ eight projects received out of an overall project call of 33 applications. The eight finalists were awarded €30,000 between them for the development of their idea, with the aim of advancing them closer ‘to-market’.
• Targeted capacity building training – digital and mobile platform reporting (Palestine), navigating social media (Philippines), election monitoring (Kenya, Indonesia, Mexico, Colombia) .
• Seven Global Exchanges between SMS media and WAN-IFRA members have been organised. Media from developing countries have exchanged newsroom processes and advanced digital skills from their host media in countries including the US, Norway, Ireland and The Netherlands, and have benefitted from later on-site mentorships by leading media executives.

our best hope for media freedom

WAN-IFRA MEDIA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES