Why solidarity is most important now

While reaching out to colleagues and partners, I couldn't help but think about the saying, ‘When you want to go fast, go alone. When you want to get far, go together’.

The European Journalism Centre, one of Europe's essential media development organisations, realises this and is joining many meet-ups in which the current landscape is analysed and new pathways are explored. There, we identify what and who are best equipped to move forward and where we can build on strength.

This is one reason why the EJC is an active member of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD). Coordinating the response to the USA's sudden stop of global media support is important work, and it is crucial to do that in a broadly supported global coalition.
Journalism and media need support; organisations can find information about what is being done for them by following the work done by GFMD. 

When you want to go fast, go alone. When you want to get far, go together

However, this is only one of the steps we need to take. It is time to keep the elbows in and find more ways to align and see what can be done collectively. While we all focus on supporting journalism, we sometimes compete for the same resources. 

This is enhanced by the design flaws of some of the available funding, which create a necessity for building consortiums while forcing us to engage in competitive bidding processes. Organisations doing the same great work become ‘Frenemies’ (friends and enemies).
Adding to the competition are the calls made by the European Commission (EC), which only funds 80 or 90% of the budgets of the initiatives, forcing media development organisations to turn to foundations (big and small) to co-fund the programmes with limited resources available and unable to fill in the gap that is created.

At the same time, foundations supporting journalism are rethinking their strategies and how to maximise their impact. Their dedication and ambitions are impressive, and their support is crucial. However, they are not set up to just enable additional funding for calls from others. This is why the EC has been asked to step up its efforts and do more.

Funding and sustainability. Our participation to the 19th edition of the International Journalism Festival in Perugia

We can contemplate Paradise Lost, but it is better to consider what should come next. Our long-term partnership with the International Journalism Festival in Perugia enables us to organise a session focused on the future this year. 

The two panels in which the European Journalism Centre will take part will focus on promoting collaboration among organisations, with the aim of strengthening a discussion on alternative models for the future of journalism and the media. It is important to develop strategies that can adapt to the needs of newsrooms, intermediary organisations, and media professionals, supporting sustainable, flexible solutions capable of responding effectively to the challenges and sudden emergencies of our time.

The first session, organised by the EJC, “From funding crisis to opportunity: ideas and solutions in a post-USAID landscape”, will take place on Thursday, 10 April. The session is not meant to be a classic set-up of panellists on stage but to have two or three statements to be made and involve the people attending the session as additional panel members, like a fishbowl: transparent, open, and somewhat like family therapy. 

The second panel, “Journalism intermediaries: in the way or here to stay?”, will take place on Saturday, 12 April, with our Director of Programmes and Impact, Vera Penêda, representing EJC in the discussion.
Rethinking our work means asking difficult questions: why, how, and what we do. This panel will therefore explore these critical reflections by examining the role of intermediaries in media support: are they essential facilitators, or do they stand in the way?

Let's discuss the challenges mentioned above, and let's find ways to make things better.
When we come together to discuss, rethink and reimagine we will realise that all our individual fights have the same root causes. Solutions can be found in working together; solidarity will help bring all the elements together.