Partners

BBC Media Action is the lead partner for PRIMED. PRIMED has four core partners and four technical partners. Find out about their roles, expertise and skills on this page.

Lead partner

BBC Media Action

BBC Media Action (BBCMA) has extensive experience in supporting the development of local media in environments where media freedom is constrained. With expertise in managing complex and dynamic programmes, BBCMA is responsible for overall consortium management. From 2011-2017, it implemented a project across 14 countries, managing 157 local media partnerships.

As lead for the overall research and evidence component of the programme, BBCMA’s research teams bring global leadership and excellence in audience-focused research to inform strategies and programming and to evaluate what works, what doesn’t and why.

While highly contextualised, BBCMA’s programming approach typically will seek to improve the quality and standards of local partners’ content, particularly through editorial, production and management capacity strengthening, drawing on expertise from the wider BBC. Such work is often linked to broader programming at scale to improve citizens’ access to, and engagement in, constructive public debate.

BBCMA will lead the design and delivery of production and management models for audience-focused, mass media and communication programming. Having operated in all three focal countries for more than ten years, it brings in-depth understanding and experience of the local media landscapes.

Core partners

Free Press Unlimited

Free Press Unlimited (FPU) helps local journalists to provide audiences with trustworthy news and information.

FPU’s extensive track record in advocacy and media capacity building covers 42 countries, including Bangladesh. Through a partnership with BNNRC, a community radio sustainability strategy was published and 18 community radio stations were officially licenced. Furthermore, FPU and BNNRC delivered a fellowship project to increase the number of women working in community radio, with 72% of the women finding employment after the fellowship.

In the PRIMED programme, FPU will lead on developing local and regional network and coalition building in South Asia, with a focus on Bangladesh, and contribute advice and learning across workstreams, including on gender equality in the media.

FPU is a member of International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) and the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Social Accountability, an active member of GFMD, a co-founder of the Journalists in Distress Network coordinating emergency support to journalists, and advocates internationally and locally to improve journalism safety. FPU also works to support SDG 16.10 by convening regular national multi-stakeholder meetings.

International Media Support (IMS)

International Media Support (IMS) support to public-interest journalism in conflict affected, fragile and transitional states has benefitted over 60 countries. With more than 500 national partnerships established, IMS’s approach centres on three areas: participating in and building international and regional coalitions; linking local impact and knowledge from its country programmes to global policy and standards development; and ensuring knowledge transfer and sustained local partner involvement in global discussions.

In the PRIMED programme, IMS leads on local and regional network and coalition building, with a focus on Ethiopia and Africa, contributes advice and learning across the consortium, and provides links to the global agenda in support of SDG 16.10.

Since 2002, IMS has been engaged with Ethiopian media to conduct in-depth analysis of the media environment, build the capacity of journalists and editors in public interest and digital journalism, help to establish an Ethiopian Editors Forum and strengthen the Community Radio Association.

IMS’s network engagement includes media development coordination and local-global knowledge transfer via GFMD, a focus on the safety of journalists via UNESCO and on technology and human rights policy via the Global Network Initiative (GNI).

Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF)

Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) supports the business and financial sustainability of commercial media that provides the news, information and debate people need to build free, thriving societies.

MDIF provides affordable financing and technical assistance around financial and business management to independent news businesses providing quality public service information in environments where access to such news and information is under threat.

It draws on a network of in-house and private sector expertise to provide tailored business advice and assistance to support media viability.

MDIF has provided more than $170 million in affordable financing and technical assistance in media management to 115 independent media companies and 350 projects in 40 countries.

MDIF’s expertise will be utilised across the proposed focus countries to test and develop locally-relevant business models with individual companies and to assess opportunities that may exist for viable future investment.

MDIF will also contribute to analyses of media markets and provide technical expertise on business and financial skills for local media.

Technical partners

The Communication Initiative (CI)

The Communication Initiative (CI) provides important links to grassroots media development and communication networks.

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD)

GFMD has a strong track record in facilitating coordination, knowledge sharing and convening meetings between different stakeholder groups such as intergovernmental organisations, academic researchers, industry bodies, technology companies, journalists’ associations and civil society organisations in order to examine and understand the implications of disinformation and propaganda on the local, regional and international level.

Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) will lend their sector convening power to the consortium networks.