Dragomir Writes About Donor Funding in the Media Industry

Marius Dragomir, the director of CMDS has recently authored an article about the latest trends in donor funding in the media industry, based on an upcoming report by Anya Schiffrin, a member of the Center's Advisory Board. The article entitled "Is Donor Funding Bad for Journalism?" examines how donors funding media outlets may or may not interfere with independent journalism and the freedom of the press.

As Dragomir writes in his article, "the involvement of donors in journalism can be problematic, according to an upcoming study from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York led by professor Anya Schiffrin. Donor funding comes with “guidelines” on what topics should be covered and “suggestions” for story ideas. Some donors give journalists tips about sources that should be included or shunned during reporting. Donors admit that they want their dollars to push their agenda in the media. More than a third of the donors interviewed in Columbia’s study said that over half of their media-related grants are meant to promote or support coverage of “designated subject areas.” The study, which describes the relation between private donors and media as “a marriage of convenience.” is to be published this fall on the website of the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), a Washington, D.C.-based think tank."

Read the article published on Media Power Monitor's website here.