World Press Freedom Day Global Conference 2022

Our panel event shared Sierra Leone's journey toward stronger public interest media

Where: World Press Freedom Day Global Conference 2022 - in Uruguay, and online

When: 2 May 2022 - 13:15-14:10 UYT / 17:15 – 18:10 BST.

Panellists:

Mohamed Rahman Swaray , Minister of Information and Communications of Sierra Leone
Dr. Mamoud Tarawallie, Country Director for BBC Media Action Sierra Leone
Yeama S Thompson, Director General, Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA)
Jaime Abello Banfi, Director General, Fundacion Gabo
Sheeta Vyas, Founding Executive Director, International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM)

Moderator:

Guy Berger, UNESCO

Learn more about the World Press Freedom Day Global Conference (leads to third-party site)

We presented a compelling panel discussion as part of the World Press Freedom Day 2022 Global Conference, hosted by UNESCO and the Republic of Uruguay from 2-5 May 2022.

Our panel shared the journey of Sierra Leone's government and media sector toward a National Action Plan on media, following the country's National Media Viability and Investment Conference on 21-22 April 2022. It also examined the growing need for support to public interest media internationally, with perspectives from the Gabo Foundation and the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM); the latter announced its first call for support in 17 countries, including Sierra Leone.

With a general decline in media freedom globally, and a trend towards autocratisation, the session explored whether Sierra Leone serves as a glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak outlook for government support to media, particularly in the Global South.

Sierra Leone's National Action Plan

Recommendations for a National Action Plan - May 2022

In April 2022, Sierra Leone held a national consultation for an action plan to support public interest media, supported by PRIMED.

Studies on media models

We have commissioned a series of studies exploring public funding and advertising models that have been used to support media viability around the world, drawn from experiences in the Middle East, Europe and the Global South.

Full-length studies

Public funding for private media in the Middle East and North Africa Full-length report by Sarah Zaarour
The advertising industry in Sierra Leone: A critical and comprehensive analysis Full-length report by Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai
The political economy of the media in Sierra Leone and the potential for private-sector investment Full-length report by Ibrahim Bangura, PhD
Government and industry-led initiatives to support the development of the media market: Case for Kenya Full-length report by Haron Mwangi, PhD
Indirect and direct subsidies for media: The European experience Full-length report by Milan F. Živković and Karolina Leaković
The search for sustainable local media: Tools and models Full-length report by Franz Kruger, PhD

Our research in summary

Private sector investment and public sector support for the media in Sierra Leone: A binding constraints analysis By Dr Francis Sowa, Consultant and Lecturer, University of Sierra Leone
Public funding for private media: examples from the MENA region By Sarah Zaarour, former Senior Campaigner (Middle East and North Africa) for the International Federation of Journalists
The advertising industry in Sierra Leone: an informed perspective By Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, Executive Director, Society for Democratic Initiatives
Indirect and direct subsidies for media: the European experience By Milan Živković and Karolina Leaković, Croatia
The search for sustainable local media: tools and models By Dr Franz Krüger, Adjunct Professor in the Wits Centre for Journalism, University of the Witwatersrand
Government and industry-led initiatives to support the development of the media market in Kenya By Dr Haron Mwangi, Senior Lecturer, Maseno University, Kenya
The political economy of the media in Sierra Leone and the potential for private sector investment By Dr Ibrahim Bangura, Lecturer, University of Sierra Leone

BBC Media Action's panel at the World Press Freedom Day Global Conference in Uruguay, 2 May 2022. Photo courtesy of UNESCO.

A Black man with a beard and glasses wearing a white shirt, strtiped tie and dark jacket sits at a table in front of a microphone. A card in front of him reads Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Sierra Leone. — Mohamed Rahman Swaray, Minister of Information and Communications, Sierra Leone. Photo courtesy of UNESCO.

A Black woman wearing a blue and pink top and pink hair wrap is seated at a table looking at the camera. She has glasses, is behind a microphone and a card in front reads Yeama S Thompson, SLENA — Yeama S. Thompson is the first female director general of the Sierra Leone News Agency (SLENA).

A Black man in a white shirt and blue jacket sits at a table to speak at a microphone under bluish lighting. A glass of water and name card reading Dr Idriss Mamoud Tarawallie, Media Action are in front of him. — Idriss Mamoud Tarawallie, BBC Media Action's country director in Sierra Leone, speaks on the World Press Freedom Day conference panel, 2 May 2022. Photo courtesy of UNESCO.

A woman with black hair smiles as she looks slightly away from the camera. She is wearing a black top and is seated at a table behind a microphone and pitcher and glass of water. The card in front of her reads Sheetal Vyas, — Sheetal Vyas, founding executive director of the International Fund for Public Interest Media. Photo courtesy of UNESCO.

A white man with white hair and white beard gestures while sitting at a microphone behind a table. He wears a striped shirt, dark patterned tie and dark blue jacket. — Guy Berger of UNESCO moderates the session. Photo courtesy of UNESCO.

The panel at World Press Freedom Day is supported by the PRIMED (Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development) consortium led by BBC Media Action, with funding from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.