UNESCO seeks to counter COVID-induced financial crisis threatening the viability of independent news media

UNESCO will draw attention to how the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified pressures on independent journalism and announce steps to countering the exponential growth of news deserts when it convenes the “The future of media development” event tomorrow, 24 November, marking the 40th anniversary of the International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC). The IPDC is UNESCO’s specialised body to strengthen media in developing countries. Founded in 1980, it has awarded $120 million (USD) to over 2000 media projects in more than 140 countries.

The event will take place at 09.30 – 12.00 (Central European Time, CET, GMT +1), and will be broadcast live on UNESCO’s YouTube channel.

Highlights include:

Insights from Nobel prizewinner Joseph Stiglitz and former Ghanaian president H.E. John Kufuor,
A panel of global experts assessing policies for media assistance in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, and
Partnerships to be announced between UNESCO and the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) as well as with the Forum on Information and Democracy.

The panel discussion will be moderated by France24 television journalist Georja Calvin Smith.

The UNESCO and WAN-IFRA partnership will research the extent of the crisis, consult with stakeholders, share knowledge and present policy recommendations to support the viability of the news media.

The economic reverberations of the COVID-19 crisis have led to massive job losses and closures of media operations worldwide, greatly intensifying earlier trends that were already adversely affecting the supply of journalism to the public. Experts have warned of an “extinction event” for small independent media outlets, deepening the “infodemic”.

WAN-IFRA, with its membership of 3,000 news publishing companies, representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries, brings its experience, extensive data and international networks to UNESCO’s initiative.

On 25 and 26 November, UNESCO Member States will meet for their biannual meeting of the IPDC’s governing council, and take decisions on:

the latest report on safety of journalists by UNESCO’s Director General,
the first global report on access to information, and
the Paris declaration on freedom of journalism education.