Tracking Media Development Donor Support: An Update on 2016 Funding Levels

As news outlets and audiences across the world grapple with misinformation, declining trust in the media, and failing business models, the role of donor support for independent, trustworthy media has become increasingly vital. But how much of donor resources are directed to media development, and toward what aims?

The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA) is pleased to announce its latest data in the Media Development Donor Profiles initiative, available now on its website.

In many ways, 2016 was a watershed year for popular recognition of the powerful role media plays in our societies. In response, a number of donors announced increased financial support for media development. Based on the responses provided to CIMA, these significant commitments have not yet been reflected in donor budgets. However, 2016 results do suggest a shift in donor priorities since the previous year, increasing focus on investigative journalism and greater direct assistance, among others.

The result of an annual, voluntary survey distributed among specific media development donors, all numbers and priorities are self-reported and based on donor willingness to participate. By profiling individual donors in deeper detail, the initiative hopes to capture donor strategies in a way otherwise missed in larger aggregate analyses. The database now includes twenty-three of the most important media development donors, both public and private, available in detail through the CIMA website.


For more information on the Center for International Media Assistance, its explore website at www.cima.ned.org, or contact CIMA at CIMA@ned.org