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Description
The Local Media Financing Models project aims to develop specific models of local media financing in small, medium, and large local units, which will be made by media experts and presented to the public and local government representatives. The current practice and the solutions offered by the new Law on Electronic Media do not guarantee support for quality, professional journalistic content. After the local elections, representatives of several local governments asked for CJA''s help in developing a model for transparent allocation of funds to local media. The project aims to abolish non-transparent financing of local media and establish an independent mechanism for public support, which strengthens the capacities of media and journalism. Specifically, by drafting documents that will include the criteria for allocating funds, the procedure for establishing the commission, the implementation of tenders, the distribution of funds, and the evaluation of the use of funds. The project envisages the development of three specific models of media financing which will be developed by an expert team of independent media experts in cooperation with CJA and TUCJ. Models of financing local media will be presented to all the general public local government representatives and associations. Funding models will be published on CJA and TUCJ websites, and expert associates will be available for additional consultations on the application of these models. Project beneficiaries will have at their disposal three models of financing local media through a transparent process of allocating public funds based on professional criteria. Applying these models will be an essential step in strengthening the independence of local media and quality journalism, which are the goals of the work of applicants and partners.
Summary of project results
After the local elections in a number of cities and local self-government units, the government changed. In accordance with pre-election promises, some of them have shown interest in changing the way local self-government units function, which includes the current system of allocating public funds to local media. Local media with a predominantly local focus in Croatia today include 18 local terrestrial television stations, about 150 FM radio stations, about thirty weekly newspapers and about a hundred news sites - some of which are connected to radio stations, some to newspapers, and some operate independently. Most of the local media are in a commercial mode of operation, which also seems to be their basic problem. The capacity of the local economy in Croatia is not such that it could finance media production through advertising. Because of this, local media are more and more familiar with financial arrangements with mayors and local authorities. In these, most often completely non-transparent "advertising" transactions, media independence is sacrificed in exchange for a postponement of bankruptcy. Through campaigns, advocacy activities and public appearances, HND and SNH emphasize the necessity of changing these models that stifle free journalism and the independence of local media. That''s why we decided in cooperation with media experts to develop models that will be sustainable in the long term, guided by the idea of journalism as a public good and the necessity of stable, institutional financing of quality media, i.e. quality media content of public interest.
We created 3 models for transparent financing of local media with public money. They are permanently available to the public and all interested LGUs and institutions on the HND website hnd.hr. Aware of the complexity of the problem of financing local media and the pressures to which local journalists are exposed, the project resulted in the creation of a page dedicated to local media issues. It can be visited at the link localmedia.hnd.hr.
Local media financing models will contribute to:
- transparent financing of local media with public money
- increasing the quality, scope and availability of media content related to life in the local environment
- the availability of editorially formatted information related to the work and activities of LGU bodies as well as other legal and physical persons performing public service, given that their decisions directly affect citizens and their quality of life in the local environment
- increasing the pluralism of topics, points of view and types of journalists in the media
- representing different social groups that are part of the local environment for the purpose of creating an inclusive environment (excluded groups, unemployed, elderly people, members of ethnic minorities, gender and other identities...)
- production of content that encourages social participation, responsibility and solidarity
- strengthening the professional capacities of journalists, improving working conditions and developing organizational capacities in local media
- opening channels of communication and encouraging wider participation based on the cooperation of the media and citizens themselves in production processes within the local community
- establishment of new, especially non-profit community media and school and student media.