What do journalists think of the international media freedom campaigns that aim to support them? How might their perspectives help us better understand the potential impacts of initiatives such as the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC)?
This new research article, published in the International Journal of Communication, explores these under-researched questions through interviews with 37 journalists in Sudan and the Philippines about their experiences with the MFC.
It shows that journalists were largely unaware of the MFC and highly skeptical that it would make a difference. Surprisingly, however, most were supportive of its work. This was because they valued the “strategic narratives” it provided and the signals these sent to their political leaders, as well as the “morale boost” they gave journalists.
These findings highlight the importance of strategic narratives as a key component of international advocacy. The findings also highlight the challenges of evaluating international media freedom initiatives. The article stresses the need for media freedom campaigns to have clear theories of change; transparent monitoring and evaluations; and to engage directly with the views of journalists on the ground.