Introductory Webinar Local Media for Democracy

What: Learn more about the Local Media for Democracy Grant Programme.

• Introduction consortium: what are the project's key objectives and vision? Why Local Media for Democracy? 
• Engage in the understanding of what a news desert is. 
• An introduction to the new grant programme where you can find out the kind of technical support and mentorship you can apply for, eligibility, and how to apply.

• Speakers will outline the main funding and provide some examples of technical and mentorship support.


Click here for more information. 

When: 12 April 2023 at 15:00 CEST/ 14:00 BST

Watch the webinar

Journalismfund Europe announces the new grant programme Local Media for Democracy. This media funding scheme will inject at least €1.200.000 of financial support to local, regional and community media who are struggling to serve the public interest in the so-called “news desert” areas in Europe. These news desert areas can be a community, either rural or urban, where residents have very limited access to credible and comprehensive news and information that feed democracy at the grassroots level.

The Speakers

Dr Clare Cook is head of journalism and media viability at IMS. For more than a decade she has been researching and mentoring independent digital natives across Europe, in exile and in politically pressured environments focusing on business and revenue models, innovation methodologies and audience growth strategies. She is lead researcher at the Public Interest News Foundation, UK, and the co-founder for the Media Innovation Studio in the UK at the University of Central Lancashire where she is a senior lecturer on the Journalism Innovation and Leadership programme.

Dr Agnes Gulyas is a Professor in Media and Communications at Canterbury Christ Church University, UK. She has researched and published extensively on local media, including on local news deserts, local news audiences and local journalism in digital spaces. She is Vice-Chair and a founding member of the Local and Community Media Network of the Media, Communication and Cultural Association in the UK. She has held a variety of Higher Education management roles, including Acting Head of School, Faculty Director of Research Development, Research Centre Director and School Research Director. She is on the editorial board of Digital Journalism and Media and Communications journals, as well as a Strategic College Reviewer for the Arts and Humanities Research Council, UK.

Sofia Verza is Research Associate at the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom. In 2021 and 2022, she was the Project Coordinator of the Study on media plurality and diversity online. Previously, she was a Visiting Researcher at Columbia University (NYC), Bilgi University (Istanbul) and the University of Antwerp. Her research focuses on the relationship between the media and policy making, national security and freedom of expression, especially in Italy and Turkey. Sofia holds a PhD in Political Science from the University of Perugia and an MA in Law from the University of Trento.

Samuel Allan is Projects & Impact Technician at Maldita.es and has expertise in fundraising, project design & proposals, and monitoring & evaluation in non-profit organisations. He has experience working in international, national and local NGOs across the fields of journalism, peacebuilding, and migration, contributing to the development of their programming, monitoring & evaluation. He holds a BA in History and an MA in Advanced Migration Studies.

Paola Condemayta is the project coordinator of the Local Media for Democracy grant programme at Journalismfund Europe. She is also the Communications Responsible and coordinator of the Modern Slavery Unveiled grant programme. She is a Bolivian journalist and a PhD candidate at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Belgium). 

The Local Media for Democracy project is a 18-month project co-funded by the European Union and launched by a consortium of partners: the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF), International Media Support (IMS), and Journalismfund Europe.