Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Together with nine other media development organisations, Free Press Unlimited will form the ‘Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development' (PRIMED) consortium which will be led by BBC Media Action. During the Global Conference for Media Freedom 2019 in London, Minister for International Development, Harriet Baldwin announced 13 million euros over four years for media development work in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. The aim of the PRIMED programme is to strengthen independent media, produce trusted public-interest journalism and provide avenues for constructive public debate in these countries and regions. 

Media around the world face increasing economic and political pressures. One of the aims of the PRIMED programmes to generate evidence about what works in building and strengthening viable, independent public-interest media that contribute to communities. The programme will develop the production and editorial skills of public-interest media in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone to impart reliable information and create space for public debate.

The consortium consists of the following media development organisations: BBC Media Action in partnership with Article 19, DW Akademie, Free Press Unlimited, Global Fund for Media Development, Global Voices, IMS, Media Development Investment Fund, The Communication Initiative and Wits University. 

At the Global Conference for Media Freedom in London Caroline Nursey, BBC Media Action’s chief executive officer, spoke to world leaders about the programme: “We are proud to be partnering with these leading media-development organisations and institutions on a new programme to support independent media in Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. Public-interest media are facing grave threats and those in poor, post-conflict or fragile states are struggling to survive.”