Strengthening Plūrālis to Combat Media Capture
Governments and their allies across Europe are taking control of hundreds of media companies so they can influence editorial decision-making. According to a recent survey, out of 531 media companies in 11 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, 27 percent were owned by politicians and 10 percent were controlled by people involved in organized crimes. Financing that preserves editorial independence and venture capital for young digital companies will help protect independent media from ‘media capture’ and promote plurality.
In this project Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF) seeks to safeguard the independence and diversity of free media in Europe by optimizing the impact of Plūrālis, a fund to promote independent press and media.
The project is supported with SEK 3 750 000.
What does the project deliver?
Plūrālis will provide the financing that independent media need to protect themselves from capture by governments and their oligarch allies in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The fund also contributes with knowledge on how to drive press and media in an economically sustainable manner in an ever-changing media landscape. The target group for the fund is media companies that are at risk of being acquired and exploited by, for example, authoritarian governments and their allies.
Why do we support this project?
The project contributes to a more democratic society.
Project time status
100%
This project started in January 2022 and ended in April 2023
For more information: https://www.mdif.org/
