Coalitions and Coalition Building to Support Media Freedom: Learning Brief

"Coalitions need to be nurtured and require a lot of diplomacy and tact to bring people together around a common agenda, not least because collaboration doesn't come naturally to media [organisations] in volatile and often highly competitive environments."



This learning brief examines how media coalitions are formed and operated and seeks to identify what determines their successes or failures. Based on the experience of coalitions supported by the Protecting Independent Media for Effective Development (PRIMED) programme in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, the Middle East and North Africa, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the learning brief looks at: what media coalitions are and what coalition-building entails; the impact of the coalitions examined in these countries; what key ingredients seem to influence the effectiveness of media coalitions supported by media development initiatives like PRIMED; and some of the challenges faced by media coalitions.



The three-year PRIMED programme (launched in late 2020 and detailed at Related Summaries, below) was designed to support public interest media content provision in three very different media environments - with a focus on Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Sierra Leone. The programme was implemented by a consortium of media support organisations with expertise in different aspects of media and development. These were BBC Media Action (consortium lead), Free Press Unlimited (FPU), International Media Support (IMS), and Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), with further contributions from Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD) and The Communication Initiative (The CI). Besides supporting the development of public interest media, a key part of PRIMED's work is the documenting and sharing of learning about effective media support in different contexts. PRIMED attempted to answer a number of key questions about independent media and media support, which are explored in a series of learning briefs. The key question for this learning brief is: Which factors are most effective in enabling locally driven coalitions for change to emerge and thrive through externally supported media development efforts?



PRIMED defines coalitions as "A temporary or formal alliance of a variety of actors united by common interest(s) that strives for a shared objective(s) through collective action and advocacy." The term "coalition building" is the process of initiating, establishing, and nurturing a coalition in a way that enables it to work towards its stated objectives.



By documenting and comparing the experiences of media coalitions in the different countries, PRIMED identified the following factors that seem to influence the ability of locally driven coalitions to emerge and thrive through externally supported media development efforts:

• The context - All the coalitions examined formed and evolved in response to events that presented short-lived windows of opportunity to improve or protect the media ecosystem.
• The clarity and focus of coalitions' purpose, role, and objectives and how these resonate with the interests and priorities of their members.
• How coalitions' architecture suit their context and purpose.
• Leadership approaches - While they vary, the willingness of members to make proactive contributions to a coalition and stand up for its goals are key determinants of success.
• The way coalitions evolve - The best results seem to come from taking an incremental approach towards a long-term objective by setting short- to medium-term goals that allow them to respond to opportunities and challenges as they arise and to learn as they go.
• The nature of the role of international partners such as media development agencies and donors - These advisors and funders may yield considerable and often unhealthy influence, but their ability to initiate and, if necessary, drive new coalitions can be crucial. From the outset, they should ensure that coalition members set the agenda and can gradually take over the reins once they have the confidence and capacity to do so.
• A coalition's sustainability, which is closely linked to its ability to remain relevant to its cause while keeping overheads low and relying on members' contributions as much as possible - whether in-kind, material, and/or financial.
• The extent to which stakeholders representing diverse interests are included - A coalition needs to draw on different perspectives, approaches and expertise to achieve its objectives, but these diverse interests need to coalesce around a shared objective.

The brief also highlights some of the challenges faced by media coalitions. Common challenges, for example, include: building trust with government stakeholders; maintaining momentum when, for instance, coalitions are expected to act swiftly on a pressing matter related to the media but can't due to capacity constraints; and being subjected to steep learning curves, where, for example, coalitions have to go back to the drawing board halfway through the programme due to changing political conditions.  



Based on PRIMED's learning journey, the brief offers recommendations for donors, media development agencies, and media coalitions and other national stakeholders. The following are just a few examples:



To donors: Due to the nature of coalitions, enabling them to be effective requires patience and long-term funding to allow coalitions and their backers the flexibility to respond to the inevitable twists and turns along the way. One recommendation is that donors should invest in an incremental change process that measures progress in short- and medium-term steps taken towards long-term goals set by the coalitions themselves.



To media development agencies: Related to the above, media development organisations have a responsibility to make donors aware that change is likely to take a long time and that long-term support for coalitions is best. They should also recognise that their main contribution to media coalition building may not necessarily be money but, rather, the ability and means to: spot opportunities; initiate, convene, and facilitate coalitions where necessary; and provide coalitions with knowledge, advice, expertise, and solidarity via their networks.



To media coalitions and other national stakeholders: Media coalitions should have the confidence to push back if they feel donors and media development agencies are not buying into their agenda and enabling them to lead coalition activities. They should also take inspiration from the coalitions documented during PRIMED's learning journey, as well as many others that have forged meaningful and lasting change.



The learning brief also shares: common methods and tools that coalitions in the PRIMED programme used to build the capacity of coalition members, facilitate dialogue between key stakeholders, and advocate for positive change (Appendix 2); a road-tested model theory of change for coalition-building (Appendix 1); and two short case studies on a media reform coalition and a coalition on the safety of journalists, both in Ethiopia (Appendix 3).