Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)’s Post

Most independent media don’t fail because there’s no money. They struggle because funding doesn’t always support what’s needed to become sustainable and because we, as an ecosystem, don’t always support strong journalism to grow into attractive investment cases. There is capital available. But it tends to flow to organisations that can show: * a clear product * real audience traction * and a credible path to revenue Too often, we fund good journalism but not product, not distribution, not revenue models. In our work at Stichting Veronica / V-Ventures, we keep seeing the same pattern: strong journalism, real audience trust but limited support to turn that into a viable business. The sequence matters much more than the amount. At the Media Innovation Festival Vienna, organized by International Press Institute (IPI), we’ll try to make this practical during our panel ��From Product to Capital - Building Sustainable Journalism”: 👉 what “working” actually looks like (early signals that matter) 👉 when capital helps and how it can be better aligned 👉 and how to move from product → traction → funding, instead of the other way around It should be a good mix of investors, donors, operators and founders, so hopefully less theory, more reality. Would be great to see some of you there May 6th at 18:00. Looking forward to sharing the stage with: Peter Erdelyi (moderator) Joanna Rozycka-Iwan, FCCA (MDIF) Eszter Szucs (Civitates) Jakub Parusinski (The Fix Media) Marian Fangli (Context.ro)

What does sustainability really take? A new Wyncote Foundation report reinforces what many community publishers already know: strong journalism isn’t enough without the business infrastructure to sustain it. As Feather Houstoun, senior advisor for journalism and public media for the Wyncote Foundation, put it: adding reporters “feels really great,” but without lasting revenue, “it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re going to be able to keep those reporters in two years after the grant ends.” If the goal is to sustain local news, investment has to go beyond reporting and into the business behind it. For community publishers: Does this reflect what you’re experiencing? Where are you seeing the biggest gaps—revenue, staffing, or support? Share your thoughts: communications@thepivotfund.org Explore the report: https://shorturl.at/hEn64

We're excited to share the publication "Digital Media Shadowing Democracy: Technology, Communication, and Power" –  a new edited volume by Aukse Balcytiene, Peter Bajomi-Lazar, and Helena Sousa ✨   “The chapters in this book assess the various aspects of technology-induced changes, identify key vulnerabilities regarding democratic performance, and make policy recommendations aimed at coping with these changes", says Aukse Balcytiene, Professor at Vytautas Magnus University    In a time when digital platforms shape everything from public debate to democratic participation, this book explores how technological change, platform power, journalism, regulation, and information ecosystems are transforming democracy.    The volume brings together international research on digital media, democracy, and power –  while also looking ahead to the policies and democratic values needed to protect media freedom, pluralism, and reliable information.    Swipe to see the table of contents 👉   The chapters in this book are written by: Tales Tomaz, Josef Trappel,  Dalma Boldog, Judit Bayer, Tarlach McGonagle, Jolan Urkens, Leen d'Haenens, Jaron Harambam, Alessandro D’Arma, Andrea Esser, Dr. Matthew Hilborn, & Jeanette Steemers, Barbara Thomaß, Andrea Miconi, José Moreno, Robin Mansell, Helle Sjøvaag, Maximilian Eder, Hannu Nieminen, Maria Michalis, and Werner A. Meier.    Thanks from the Nordicom team for publishing with us 🫶    The book is available as Open Access on our website: https://lnkd.in/dh99fKGA   Euromedia Research Group

Delighted to see this book out in the world! The entire volume is available Open Access here (https://lnkd.in/eEwARmTp), and our chapter is entitled "Public service media and entertainment: The challenge of engaging younger audiences". This is one of the final ( 🥹 ) publications of "Screen Encounters with Britain: What do young European audiences make of Britain and its digital screen culture?" (King's College London, AHRC, 2022-25) - one of the most rewarding academic experiences of my life. Our chapter argues that public service media (PSM) in Europe are struggling to fulfill their entertainment mandate, particularly with younger audiences (aged 16–34), due to the structural dominance of global streaming platforms like Netflix. Young viewers increasingly prefer English-language, US-produced scripted fiction, discovered via platform algorithms and social media, over domestic PSM content, which they often perceive as less relevant, lower in quality, and “cringey.” This shift reduces PSM’s visibility and weakens its role in fostering national identity and social cohesion, threatening its democratic mission unless it adapts by improving youth-focused entertainment, humour, authenticity, and social media engagement.

🔊 New publication: book chapter on platform policy! This book chapter was written with "sangue nos óio", as we say in Brazil 🇧🇷 : a mix of feelings such as ambition, indignation, and determination... Why? Because much of platform policy's discourse scratches only the surface, amounting to requests such as "platforms, please manage content more responsibly - and here's a sweetie so you don't feel angry". In this chapter, Josef Trappel and I argue that this is not enough. Platform policy must aim higher: it should reduce the commercial incentives shaping communication in the digital age. Some will call this unrealistic. But politics has always been about making the unrealistic worth fighting for, and eventually achievable. Remember, the ones benefitting from the "this-is-unrealistic" discourse are usually the already privileged. By the way, text in open access 👇 (and thanks to Nordicom at the University of Gothenburg and the wonderful editors from the Euromedia Research Group!)

🚨 New open-access book chapter on ecosystemic #AI and local media🚨 AI is rapidly reshaping local media systems, but there is a deeper issue we do not talk about enough. Helle Sjøvaag and I argue that the risk of technological capture is of major importance. Journalists operating without AI and other technologies developed in the U.S. may soon become nearly impossible. 🔍 We contextualize AI adoption as an ecosystemic challenge in which key civic and democratic infrastructures are subject to various forms of capture, specifically technological capture. 📌 Understanding AI’s impact requires looking at the broader ecosystem: infrastructure, data ownership, and long-term sustainability of local media systems. Get the book chapter here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dEhR5fQr Thank you to the editors Aukse Balcytiene, Peter Bajomi-Lazar, and Helena Sousa, as well as our funder, the VolkswagenStiftung. #AI #Journalism #Ecosystem #DigitalTransformation #ifkw

A book launch worth sharing. Last week we received a copy of 𝘌𝘢𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘏𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘥𝘴: 𝘐𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘌𝘶𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦. Professor and journalist José Alberto García Avilés sets off on a journey across Europe speaking with more than 30 journalists and media leaders about their ideas, the projects they are building, and how they are thinking about AI, new business models, and what leadership in this industry actually requires right now. We are honored that our CEO Anita Zielina is among those he spoke with. The chapter she appears in sits with a question the industry has been slow to take seriously: What does leadership in journalism look like when the old models no longer hold? Anita's view, which runs through everything we do at BLL, is that change is not a diagram on a whiteboard. It's labor and requires people who know how to listen, and organizations that know how to teach. Congratulations and thank you, José, for undertaking this project. Books like this do something conference panels and trend reports rarely manage: they create a record of what serious practitioners actually believed and built, at a particular and difficult moment in the industry's history. Anita is in excellent company in this book among inspiring journalists and media leaders like Ezra Eeman, Leon Fryszer, Lea Korsgaard, Gerold Riedmann, David Schraven, Agnes Stenbom Swedling, Daryna Shevchenko, David Caswell, and many others. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/es--qXxw

Looking forward to moderating Local News Matters: New Pathways for Sustainability and Community-Powered Journalism this Monday in Brussels. At a time when local journalism is under real pressure, financially, politically, and structurally, these conversations feel both urgent and necessary. I’ll be moderating across the day, including sessions on: → press freedom and the role of local news → funding models and sustainability → audience trust and community connection Grateful to be part of a space that brings together people working at the intersection of journalism, public interest, and community impact, not only analysing the challenges, but actively building new pathways forward. Go Media Diversity Institute Global If you’re in Brussels, a few spots are still open. #LocalNews #MediaFreedom #Journalism #Moderation #Brussels #CommunityMe

The role "Impact Editor" has emerged in some media institutions. The core value of it is to consider the "purpose" of journalism DURING the process. Traditionally, a news report collects important information and summarize facts, then shows impact after publication if being recognized by policymakers. This is not the case for Impact Editors. The impact editors in newsroom thinks about the purpose and cares about how to fulfill it while creating the news. See more discussion in this panel speech between the Impact Editors: > Full discussion: https://lnkd.in/giUkMTKi > Summary report: https://lnkd.in/eypDEu6K

An analysis of 500 media stories on net zero by Dr James Painter for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, found that "misleading claims were very common." Read more 👉 https://tcnv.link/4VeCQvx #netzero #climatechange #media #journalism