Supporting local media as a weapon against disinformation
Independent local and community news media lie at the centre of democratic and informed communities. There’s plenty of talk about the rebirth of local media. But here’s a question that needs more attention: what’s happening with local media outside Western Europe and North America?
International Press Institute (IPI) is together with Friedrich Naumann Foundation, raising the question and launching a study of local media in Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific region, sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and MENA.
“Local media strengthen the information structures that work against disinformation. Yet, around the world, traditional local news media are in crisis, grappling with challenges of scale and funding, and the battle for attention. For many new media ventures, too, this is a critical moment of transition”, IPI said.
“We’ll be taking a deep look at transitioning media and emerging new media. In our first worldwide look at local media we found — no surprise — that local news media is the most disrupted sector of the media, the most urgently in need of assistance, and also the sector with the greatest potential to form the bedrock for a new, stronger media ecosystem.”
”The digital transition is the opportunity to build sustainable media that better serve communities through innovation and experimentation. It’s already happening, but it’s unevenly distributed, particularly outside North America and Europe.”
IPI has an ongoing local news project and the new special IPI project will focus on about 16 local media voices in the Asia-Pacific region as well as sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and MENA.
”Independent local and community news media lie at the centre of democratic and informed communities. They are the key tool to empower citizens to grasp and exercise their rights in the communities where they live. They strengthen the information structures that work against disinformation. Yet, around the world, traditional local news media are in crisis, grappling with challenges of scale and funding, and the battle for attention. For many new media ventures, too, this is a critical moment of transition”, IPI said.
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