In The Fading Glory Of Independent Media Hope Springs Eternal

Michael Hedges December 11, 2021 - Follow on Twitter

Risks to independent media outlets and workers abound. Dictators and authoritarian regimes are having a field day shutting them down and locking them up, as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) made clear in its annual report 2021 Journalists Imprisoned, released this week (December 9). At the same time, Russian editor Dmitry Muratov and Philippines publisher Maria Ressa collected their joint Nobel Peace Prize. The disparity is chilling.

Despite the CPJ report and a forthcoming Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) report further annotating grim details, naming and shaming attracts but a random headline or two, preaching to the choir so to speak. Those called out like the attention. After the Nobel Peace Prize awards were announced last month, a Moscow, Russian Federation district court fined Mr. Muratov for “abusing media freedom,” noted Medusa (November 17). Irony no longer exists.

A year ago the “New Deal for Journalism” initiative was developed by the Forum on Information and Democracy, an ad hoc group led by RSF General Secretary Christophe Deloire and Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. The “New Deal” proposed delicately selected action steps; including media ownership transparency, hybrid funding, taxing digital platforms and engaging public support through tax relief on subscriptions. Pitched to the UN General Assembly last summer, it also proposed “channeling” 1% of GDP (gross domestic product) into funding journalism setting aside part to “make it easier to identify real journalism online and restore its comparative advantage.”

Rather than focusing on the financial woes of independent media, the European Commission is centered on legal and political aspects. “We want to act against all types of unjustified interferences in the activities of our media companies,” said Internal Markets Commissioner Thierry Breton to the European News Media Forum (December 6). “We need to make sure that there are media pluralism safeguards, including online, so no one grows too big to care about public debate.” He added that “financial weaknesses… can expose media organizations to being taken over by larger groups,” which the proposed Media Freedom Act directive will tackle from next year.

"We'll make the biggest contribution by any government to the recently launched International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM),” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the virtual Summit for Democracy (December 8). A “liability fund” to defend "reporters and news organizations that are targeted with litigation as a result of their reporting” is included. The Media Viability Accelerator managed by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) aims to “make independent press outlets more sustainable.” The IFPIM took shape earlier this year with the aforementioned Ms Ressa and former BBC Director General and former New York Times chief executive Mark Thompson named board co-chairpersons. Several foundations known for media support have provided start-up financing for IFPIM.

Closing the Summit for Democracy (December 10) President Joe Biden confirmed US investment “up to US$30 million” for the IFPIM. “We have shone a spotlight on the importance of protecting media freedom, and how advancing the status of women and girls is an investment in the success for our democracies. We have a responsibility to listen to our citizens to strengthen the guardrails of democracy.”

On accepting the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway (December 10), Maria Ressa delivered a blistering address. “Journalists, the old gatekeepers, are one side of the coin. The other is technology, with its god-like power that has allowed a virus of lies to infect each of us, pitting us against each other, bringing out our fears, anger and hate, and setting the stage for the rise of authoritarians and dictators around the world.” She also referred to the internet world as “toxic sludge.”

“I didn’t know if I was going to be here today,” she concluded. “Every day, I live with the real threat of spending the rest of my life in jail just because I’m a journalist. When I go home, I have no idea what the future holds, but it’s worth the risk.”

“Yes, we growl and bite,” said Mr. Muratov accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. “Yes, we have sharp teeth and strong grip. But we are the prerequisite for progress. We are the antidote against tyranny.” He concluded by asking the assembled dignitaries for a minute of silence in tribute to those "who have given their lives for this profession. I want journalists to die old.”

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