By Catherine Ageno
Media institutions in Africa are advised to source funds through crowdfunding, subscription models, and partnerships with non-profits to ensure media sustainability.
According to Dr Yemisi Akinbobola Co-founder and CEO of African Women in Media (AWiM), many African media organisations are operating in a precarious financial environment, where advertising revenue is limited and funding is uncertain.
In a statement issued ahead of the upcoming AWiM24 conference, she expresses concern that the lack of funding can sometimes lead to ethical compromises, blurring lines between advertising and editorial content, and dependence on financing from politically motivated sources.
“The compromise of journalistic ethics consequently contributes to the prevalence of misinformation in the media. It also undermines people’s trust in the press, distorts public perception, and fuels societal divisions”, she says in a statement.
Dr Akinbobola adds that digital technologies also offer innovative approaches to sustainability and ethical journalism that media outlets can explore.
The AWiM24 conference to be held in Dakar, Senegal, in December is aimed at further discussing ensuring media sustainability without compromising the profession’s ethics.
“The conference will attempt to answer this question; what impact might the balancing of economic realities have on the vision of the African narrative?” reads the statement.
