Viable Media for Empowered Societies (VIMES) Project

The collaboration between the media outlets from the two regions is seen as beneficial, as both regions have experienced (or are experiencing) some sort of systemic crisis, such as authoritarianism, transitioning governments, and censorship. In addition, due to their "ground-breaking reporting" and pro-democracy stance, most of the media outlets are experiencing increased political and economic pressure, and journalists working for them face increasing safety risks as a result. In order to strengthen their position in society, the project seeks to create a platform where they can share experiences, knowledge, and content with each other.

Specifically, the project involves the following activities:

• Support to improve the quality of content - One way to improve viability is by producing and distributing more innovative and engaging content. The project builds partners' capacity to re-package some of their stories from a traditional written format into a multimedia format. An example of this is an article from the Armenian media house CivilNet that also used video to describe how farmers were forced to send livestock to slaughterhouses owned by the families of government officials. The VIMES project has also facilitated the sharing of content across regions. For example, a report from El Faro about people using white flags as a cry for help during quarantine was republished by Euroradio (Belarus), Coda (Georgia), and Ziarul de Garda (Moldova).
• Capacity building on audience measurement and engagement tools, as well as on testing of new tools and models.
• Capacity building on safety - FPU organised the training of seven female journalists from Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, and Armenia on practical safety measures, focusing on physical safety. The journalists learned how to avoid arrest, deal with interrogation, and react appropriately in case of an office search.
• Study visits to newsrooms/projects that implement innovative financial viability strategies.
• Support to members to implement gender policies within their news organisations.
• Research on media markets and audience needs and behaviour - To date (March 2022), the project has carried out a study on media markets and audience behaviour in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala (for more information, see below). The studies seek to reveal insights into how the different populations perceive and consume media, which, it is hoped, will ultimately improve the viability of independent media in the region.

The project's first transatlantic meeting over Zoom took place in April 2020 at a time when media outlets in both regions were experiencing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. At this meeting, media professionals from all eight countries shared how their newsrooms were coping with these challenges. The sharing of experiences showed that the pandemic has had a negative influence on media in both regions and that there are similarities in how the various governments are responding. For example, both the Nicaraguan and Belarusian governments denied the existence of the COVID-19 crisis, and there are similar stories concerning corruption and authoritarianism.

At the beginning of 2021, the collaboration launched the Colab Medios Project (see also video, below), which is an online platform that facilitates knowledge exchange between media partners from both regions. It allows for the exchange of research findings, innovations, and case studies focusing on themes around media viability such as business models, audience engagement, and security for journalists. In particular, it provides a platform for media outlets from the two regions to connect in their respective languages - Spanish and Russian - and to share regional experiences and perspectives in a space where experiences from English-speaking media are often more readily available.

Media Development, Freedom of Expression

Select findings from the VIMES research carried out in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador:

• In Nicaragua, the official media are among those that the fewest people consider reliable; in Guatemala, there is a lot of mistrust regarding press freedom and pluralism; and in El Salvador, the people consulted clearly disapprove of the state of press freedom in the country.
• In all studies, the results showed that the main motivation for giving financially to a media outlet is the desire to support quality independent journalism, freedom of the press or expression, and access to information. It is important to people that outlets have an editorial line committed to impartiality, truthfulness, and reliability. In general, this is a critical audience that is looking for journalistic quality and is even willing to pay for it, if the economic conditions of its environment allow it.
• This is an audience that is accustomed to the speed of social networks and the cell phone, that demands new formats to digest information in a faster and more entertaining way, and that wishes for more diverse and positive content, without sacrificing accuracy and impartiality.