Analysis of the Role of External Funding for Sudanese Media in Times of War
Sami Abdel Halim Saeed
Introduction:
Following the outbreak of war in Sudan in April 2023, like many other public and private sector institutions, media outlets and journalism were immediately disrupted when fighting began in the capital, Khartoum. Shortly after, all media institutions faced destruction, looting, and occupation. Media professionals, especially those known for their support of democracy and opposition to military dictatorship, were systematically targeted. As a result, the vast majority of journalists fled the country without prior planning. In light of this, a significant wave emerged, with new media outlets—funded either by the warring factions or their international supporters—seeking to recruit these journalists. However, by that time, these factions had not yet succeeded in attracting highly experienced and influential journalists. Even if they managed to secure some, they could not fully achieve the desired outcomes from them. Consequently, the intensity of coercion—whether through enticement or intimidation—escalated, alongside strict censorship of journalists’ positions, particularly targeting influential figures, including those who openly rejected the war and refused to participate.
In such circumstances, independent media institutions in Sudan face significant challenges, severely undermining the ability of the media sector to provide trustworthy content that serves the public interest. Therefore, foreign funding—particularly from international organizations—became the only viable path for some media institutions to continue producing journalistic content amid the polarized and conflict-driven local media environment, which has been increasingly financed by warring factions.
Framework of This Discussion:
This analysis focuses on Sudanese national media, with an emphasis on independent media institutions, excluding official, party-affiliated, or political alliance media. It also excludes media led by individuals via social media platforms or similar channels.
When referring to "funding" or "financial grants," this discussion refers to the financial support provided by organizations aiming to promote democratic principles, human rights, good governance, and sustainable development. This does not include profit-based funding with interest rates, such as loans offered by national or international financial institutions. The funding referred to here is tied to program implementation (financial grants), not financial funding tied to interest rates.
This discussion avoids naming specific media or funding institutions.
First: Context Analysis - The State of Media After the War’s Outbreak:
The general context of journalism and media in Sudan after the outbreak of war in April 2023 is founded on a few key realities, summarized as follows:
• The collapse of national and private-sector media institutions.
• Weak media performance in response to war conditions.
• Increased political polarization, significantly affecting the unified message of peace, reconciliation, coexistence, and societal solidarity.
• A scarcity of national and international funding for the media sector.
Second: Media Funding During Wartime:
It is important to recognize that funding or support, whether local or foreign, can take various forms. For the purposes of this discussion, media funding is categorized into three main areas:
(a) Financial Funding:
This involves supporting journalism and media work that addresses specific issues. In this case, the funding is directed towards particular topics or journalistic messages. It also includes financial support for journalists who, due to their work or their profession, find themselves in situations requiring financial assistance. There are numerous examples of such cases.
(b) Technical or Professional Support:
This type of support relates to improving the media production environment. It may include training and capacity-building initiatives, often provided by international organizations interested in journalism. This type of support also covers the provision of journalistic tools and specialized services, such as electronic applications, legal aid for journalists, drafting national laws, and producing research, studies, and policy papers. Support may also come in the form of investigations into the killing, arrest, torture, or disappearance of journalists, often led by professional media unions, such as the International Press Institute.
(c) Political and Media Advocacy:
Journalists, particularly those working in state-owned media institutions, may face detention or dismissal from their jobs during wartime. In such cases, international organizations interested in journalism offer political and media support by organizing campaigns in defense of affected journalists and institutions.
The discussion will now focus primarily on financial funding, with brief attention given to technical and political support. Regarding financial funding, we will delve into two types: national (including self-funding) and international, with particular emphasis on the latter.
National Funding:
The political context has clear implications for the funding of journalism and media. At the national level, local funding institutions have collapsed, and private sector investment in journalism and media has deteriorated. The war has created a highly restrictive environment for media freedom, drastically reducing opportunities for local funding. In the context of political competition, local funding is often influenced by intense political polarization, meaning that the most readily available funding often comes from institutions supporting the war or the warring factions themselves. The challenges faced by local journalism during wartime have led many prominent voices to move abroad, opening the door to external funding for exiled journalism or "diaspora journalism."
International Funding:
External funding, the second funding option, requires careful analysis of its conditions and procedures. A portion of international institutions are influenced by the war, and political polarization can affect the external funding they provide, as mentioned earlier regarding local funding. Independent media institutions that seek long-term funding must analyze the suitability of these funding sources and decide whether they align with their journalistic mission.
Opportunities for International Funding:
It is essential to note that international funding faces significant challenges due to both local and global divisions between the warring factions. Every day, the war generates new political alignments that directly impact media support and funding. Although some may exploit the media to serve wartime agendas, it is incorrect to assume that every organization funding media outlets seeks to impose its own agenda. Many reputable international organizations have no interest in controlling editorial lines, aside from encouraging recipients to address core issues related to journalistic work.
The Nature of Funding Provided by Reputable Organizations:
Several global entities work to promote universal values such as global peace, peaceful coexistence, support for developing nations, equality, environmental protection, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. International organizations overseeing these values operate under strict rules and regulations.
Global trends sometimes align with national policies aimed at fostering these same principles, which leads to funding provided either to national governments or independent civil institutions. These funds are tied to clear performance standards, requiring measurable results.
International funding for the media has become increasingly critical as traditional media industries decline due to technological advancements, among other challenges. In 2018, UNESCO estimated that international donations to protect press freedom amounted to around 450 million globally. However, media assistance organizations, such as the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), based in the U.S., suggest this funding should be doubled to 1 billion annually. Although international funding for Sudanese journalism remains untracked, it likely constitutes a small portion of this global total.
Principles and General Values Related to Media Financing During Wartime:
There are "values and principles" that can be found in various documents related to professional discipline, and these principles and values influence media financing during times of war. Additionally, there are global "objectives" shared by institutions concerned with journalism. To achieve these objectives, some institutions strive to provide the necessary support to make these goals attainable. By reminding ourselves of these values, principles, and objectives, we aim to emphasize that financial grants or the pursuit of them to support local and global media is a process governed by global rules and regulations.
(1) Some values and principles governing funding:
• The source of funds should not be connected to international crimes or violations of international human rights law. Media institutions may face international sanctions if it is found that these funds are part of money laundering or if the media institution, operating under such funding, participates in a war media campaign or contributes in any way to serious human rights violations.
• The granting institution should not be subject to international sanctions by a recognized international organization.
Regarding principles related to the Sudanese context: Local media is often tied to the values it advocates or the objectives it seeks to achieve. Media associated with sustainable peacebuilding and respect for human dignity and rights is governed by values such as ensuring that funding is not linked to war, its parties, or its supporters or financiers, as war is a direct violation of peace and a threat to human dignity and rights.
Regarding the standards required by funding institutions: These institutions often demand a level of implementation tied to financial auditing, assessing the impact of activities, and their ability to change concepts, policies, and realities, among other factors.
(2) Some global objectives related to media support: Among the key objectives justifying the support of journalism:
• Freedom of the press and its independence are global objectives. The movement to support press freedom and independence draws legitimacy from the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which establishes the right to freedom of expression, access to information, thought, and belief (Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights). Often, professional organizations and international human rights organizations concerned with freedom of expression and the press provide support to protect these objectives.
• Global peace and human rights: Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights explicitly prohibits war propaganda and hatred. It bans any call for national, racial, or religious hatred, and any other acts considered as incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence and human rights violations.
(3) Requirements for accepting financial grant applications: Funding institutions often require media institutions seeking financing to submit a comprehensive plan with a schedule of specific activities and timeframes. They must also identify mechanisms to monitor outcomes and the impact of implementation through periodic reports.
In most cases, especially for large, long-term funds, financial grants are awarded through open competition, typically announced publicly. In grant and funding plans, funding objectives are generally outlined and detailed through specific activities. The media institution applying for funding must also outline expected outcomes. These expectations are discussed with the granting institution so that both parties agree on how to achieve these goals through the proposed project.
Transparency: Transparency is a crucial requirement for maintaining integrity and credibility. It is important for the institution receiving funding to disclose, with each activity, the source of the funding, the amount, and the projects objectives. A lack of transparency leaves room for speculation and assumptions. Transparent funding institutions often require recipients to mention the funding source and make it visible on their website, ensuring that the granting institution’s logo is displayed in all activities. While exceptions may arise due to political or security considerations, these are usually undesirable unless necessary for the safety of the media institution and its staff.
Third: External funding and its impact on media during wartime:
(1) Monitoring some effects on the media landscape: International grants to civil society organizations and institutions working in the media sector have played a significant role in filling the funding gap caused by war and the collapse of national institutions and private media sectors. After the initial shock and disorganized migrations and displacement, media institutions began to gradually re-establish their presence in the public sphere. As a result, new media centers and press organizations emerged around institutions funded by international donors. Thus, it can be said that international funding has contributed significantly to the survival of many media institutions, and has facilitated the creation of new media platforms, although the quality and influence of the journalism produced vary.
Due to delays in establishing a comprehensive international stance regarding the end of the war and peacebuilding in Sudan, international donors have also lacked a cohesive vision of the role of media in the peacebuilding strategy. This delay has also slowed the necessary financial flows to strengthen the role of the media.
In producing this paper, short interviews were conducted with media professionals to develop insights into how funding programs impact the establishment of strong journalism capable of confronting wartime challenges through institutions led by professional journalists. Journalists reported that international grants to media institutions after the outbreak of war in Sudan focused on addressing the political, social, and security issues that emerged with the war. Short-term training programs, detached from long-term strategic plans, were offered, and rarely did support aim at producing professional content.
A recurring issue raised by journalists was that media institutions receiving funding often designed their programs according to what they knew about the donor’s plans for a particular phase. As a result, these institutions aligned their strategies and programs with the priorities of the donors, rather than focusing on the real needs of Sudanese media, which involve development, creating awareness, discussing local community issues, and empowering the public to influence public policies.
Nearly a year and a half into the war in Sudan, no comprehensive vision has yet emerged concerning the role of media during wartime or how to develop the capacities of journalistic institutions to fulfill their expected role. This includes establishing agreements on the total funding required and the timeframe for achieving conceptual changes and political breakthroughs.
A report published by Al Jazeera Media Institute in July 2022 about the state of media in Yemen during wartime noted that international funding opportunities did not flow according to clear criteria that ensured fair competition. Furthermore, the newly emerging media institutions were not supported in a way that would ensure their independence and stability. The funding was provided based on non-objective standards, without a clear plan, and access to funding was neither fair nor transparent.
The Journalism Start-up initiative, which analyzed the relationship between international donors and media institutions, studied dozens of independent media companies in developing countries that receive funding from international donors. It concluded that donors prefer to provide short-term grants, allowing these institutions to develop financial sustainability plans. However, some media institutions fail to innovate ways to ensure sustainability and continuity. The support offered is limited to the start-up phase or to helping existing institutions navigate transitional periods, such as the current war in Sudan.
Conclusion: In conclusion, external funding for journalism during the war in Sudan played a vital role in helping media institutions recover, contribute to the emergence of new associations, organizations, and media companies, and stabilize during the interim phase. However, no media institution can rely solely on external funding for long-term stability. While international financial grants serve as a temporary lifeline in the challenging economic climate that affects Sudans journalism market, they remain a short-term solution. The strategic importance lies in using the funding and grants provided by international organizations to establish a sustainable media production process without long-term reliance on external funding.
This vision requires long-term thinking and planning, charting a course for national journalism during and after the war, with clear objectives designed by Sudanese journalists and media professionals.
*Country Director IDEA, Sudan
