This archive report was first published on 11 July 2019.
On July 10, 2019, the United Kingdom announced a new Ksh 1.9 billion (£15 million) aid package to help promote media freedom in developing countries around the world.
The aid package includes two programmes: one to help independent media outlets in countries such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, and Sierra Leone develop better business models, and another to encourage community groups and journalists to work together to develop strong, independent media outlets in countries where journalists have historically enjoyed less freedom.
According to Reporters without Borders, 2018 was the worst year on record for violence and abuse against journalists, with over half of the journalists deliberately targeted and a 15% increase in killings since 2017.
Speaking at the Global Conference for Media Freedom in London, International Development Minister Harriet Baldwin said, “At a time when journalists are attacked in record numbers, and too many independent media organisations are collapsing or threatened by political interests, today’s aid package could not be more crucial.”
The UK government's aid package aims to give media experts, charities, the private sector, and academics the power to pioneer bold new approaches to keeping media outlets free and independent, and to give them the power to report the truth.
