Safeguarding Local Newsrooms: Protecting Press Freedom in an Era of Challenges
In an era marked by a decline in political rights and civil liberties worldwide, media and democracy face mounting pressures, and local newsrooms have become particularly vulnerable to attacks on press freedom. Freedom House, a U.S. non-profit watchdog group, has been monitoring this concerning trend globally over the past 17 years—and have seen some scary results.
In an unprecedented age of misinformation and disinformation, local newsrooms must navigate the challenges of disinformation and powerful interests seeking to undermine their independence while finding innovative ways to fund independent reporting. However, they work with far more limited resources than big name news organizations like the New York Times or Washington Post. Freedom House released a report titled "Reviving News Media in an Embattled Europe" which sheds light on the pressures—including SLAPPs (strategic lawsuits against public participation) and media capture—faced by newsrooms in diverse European democracies.
To protect local newsrooms from these threats, three key strategies have emerged: financial independence, radical transparency, and strength in numbers.
Local newsrooms must continue to bolster their independence by distancing themselves from state funding. In some countries like Hungary (which recently lost its status as a full democracy) state advertising is skewed in favor of pro-government media outlets, leading to a progressive capture of the media landscape by entities with political or business interests. However, some smaller newsrooms in the country such as Telex and Klubrádio have successfully launched crowdfunding campaigns, collected microdonations, and developed membership models in order to sustain their operations. Evidence shows that people are more willing to contribute money directly when newsrooms build solid reputations by championing the value of quality journalism. Cultivating a sense of responsibility among readers to support independent outlets strengthens the foundation of these newsrooms.
The next step: radical transparency. The relationship between newsrooms and their audiences is deeply rooted in trust. When public trust in the media is low, people may hesitate to pay for information they perceive as biased or unreliable, a big problem in the United States at present. Therefore, newsrooms must prioritize being open about their ownership and funding structures for the sake of maintaining trust with their readers. For example, the French news portal Mediapart openly publishes all their reports, subsidies received, declarations of journalists' interests, subscriber numbers, and turnover. Similarly, outlets like Les Jours have nine founding partners with publisher rights and those rights are bound to the founding members by a reader-facing guarantee, ensuring quality and consistency in news. Any leftover space for publishing is divided between private investors and individuals. This commitment to transparency fosters trust and credibility among their audiences, crucially reinforcing the financial support local newsrooms rely upon.
Finally, it’s important to address how solidarity can play a part in keeping newsrooms afloat while under attack. Newsrooms often find themselves targeted individually with tactics designed to make their journalists and administrators feel very vulnerable and overwhelmed. However, sector-wide initiatives and cross-border collaborations, such as the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, offer additional technical, legal, and funding support for outlets engaged in sensitive investigative projects or who are the subject of pointed, thinly veiled ulterior investigations against their organizations.
Other newsrooms also have the ability to offer aid. When diverse media organizations unite against common threats that affect the entire industry, they become stronger and more resilient. Additionally, renewed engagement with audiences and transparency about internal operations build credibility in low-trust environments, further solidifying the bond between newsrooms and their communities. Communities can also give back to newsrooms and give them the resources they need to weather press freedom attacks. Sometimes, it’s not about avoiding the attack—it’s about making it through, intact, to the other side.
Protecting local newsrooms from attacks on press freedom is vital for upholding democracy and fostering an informed citizenry. It is crucial that any and all parties who are able and available to assist newsrooms—meaning democratic governments, funders, and businesses—actively participate in supporting sustainable and alternative business models, help incentivize trustworthy journalism, and guard against undue interference and attacks. Only through collective effort can we secure the future of independent media and preserve the vital role it plays in maintaining a free and democratic society.
