Supporting independent media in a rapidly changing landscape
Become part of a free digital platform to support independent media in competing for audiences and revenues.
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Independent media has been rapidly outpaced by digital platforms capturing global advertising and subscription revenues with AI-powered reach. This threatens democracy by weakening fact-based media.
The MVA helps independent media compete more effectively for audiences and revenue, preserving their crucial role in holding power accountable and supporting informed decision-making.
Better decisions
Data-driven decisions for media success and growth
Just as the facts are essential for audiences in making informed decisions, they are also essential for media outlets to survive and thrive. The MVA supports data-informed decision making with a focus on embedding data into daily and weekly routines.
Turn data into action
With so much data available, it is essential to identify what is relevant and actionable. The MVA enables segmentation of data and action-driven alerts, so that media outlets can be inspired frequently by how others, with similar market and organizational characteristics, behave.
Data pooling
Pool data, protect privacy, and learn from global insights
MVA Insights pools data using third-party services from multiple organizations, allowing independent media to learn from global trends in a safe and anonymous way. The MVA safeguards individual performance data and bases comparisons on market characteristics, not between outlets in the same country.
Recognizing excellence, finding solutions
Connecting independent media with the right support
Many organizations offer investment, funding, and tools to support independent media, but finding the right partners is challenging. The MVA simplifies this by connecting media with the right solution providers, including funders and program implementers, via the MVA Solutions marketplace.
The MVA data universe
MVA Insights: automated, data-driven analysis for media outlets
MVA Insights uses proprietary automation and publicly available analytical tools to make informed suggestions based on minimal media outlet input, focusing on:
- Context
- Characteristics of the primary country/region and the type of media outlet.
- Availability
- The accessibility of their output.
- Resonance
- How well their content connects with audiences.
- Performance
- Organizational efficiency and success metrics.
- Effectiveness
- Their ability to define and uphold vision, mission, and values.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Many organizations offer investment, funding, and tools to support independent media, but finding the right partners is challenging. The MVA simplifies this by connecting media with the right solution providers, including funders and program implementers.
How is the MVA governed?
The governance structure of the MVA will be led by a Steering Committee, consisting of the Funders (USAID and Microsoft), which provide strategic input, and the Lead Implementer (Internews), which manages MVA operations. This Committee is responsible for achieving the objectives of the MVA and makes day-to-day decisions about the MVA’s operations.
The MVA will also establish an informal advisory board for broader input from representatives of media outlets, media support groups, and academia. The Advisory Board will meet and provide feedback and advice to ensure the MVA is iterated and run with integrity, openness, and transparency; that it meets the principles of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accountability (“DEIA”); that its work is innovative and useful in an equitable measure to MVA stakeholders. Other governance structures are still being defined and organized, but the MVA will adhere to principles of broad engagement, consultation and transparency.
How is the MVA currently supported?
The MVA’s development is well-documented and the MVA team are currently rolling out guidance on how to effectively put it to use. This includes documentation describing how MVA Insights works and also (later on this year) how to integrate with MVA Solutions. Options for reaching a (human) support desk are also available.
In what jurisdiction does the MVA operate?
The MVA is a global initiative. Its implementation is led by non-profit Internews, with headquarters in California, USA.
Who controls user data and how do users manage it?
As the lead implementing organization of the MVA, Internews is responsible for ensuring the MVA’s compliance with relevant data protection principles and practices.
Internews and the MVA Partners are working towards a governance structure that ensures no organization will have preferred access to or insights from the sector’s use of the MVA when it goes live — including Internews. Until launch, anyone registering their interest in the MVA will become known to all MVA Partners, so we can avoid duplicating outreach efforts and so we can learn as much as possible about users’ needs as we progress with building the MVA.
Data will be stored in Microsoft Azure. The Azure customer data protection page states that “Microsoft does not inspect, approve, or monitor applications that customers deploy to Azure. Moreover, Microsoft does not know what kind of data customers choose to store in Azure. Microsoft does not claim data ownership over the customer information that’s entered into Azure.” This is an industry standard practice.
User data is managed in accordance with all data protection regulations and data residency requirements applicable in each of the countries where the MVA operates, such as GDPR for MVA users in the European Union.
What control do users have over who can access their data?
MVA users choose who can access their data. These choices can range from allowing access by all logged-in users (e.g., an organization wanting to be found in the MVA Solutions marketplace), to only sharing data with specific people or organizations (e.g., sharing financial and capacity updates with media development organizations). Some data will be used for anonymized benchmarking (e.g., the average number of pageviews per visit on an investigative journalism website) but never in a way that reveals any individual media outlet’s identity or location. MVA users will always be in control of how their data is shared – or not shared.
How are you ensuring that the MVA is secure?
Security of data within the MVA is a very high priority. The MVA has been built by organizations that are highly experienced in creating secure digital platforms; it relies on Microsoft’s proven technologies; its implementers have experience across all sectors of media, in most markets and environments, and understand the security needs of media organizations — including those operating amid extreme interference.
Can the MVA be used by media outlets operating in the most hostile environments?
Personally Identifiable Information (“PII”) in the MVA is encrypted. Great care is being taken to enable the protection of PII related to media outlets and users operating in hostile environments. One of the primary aims of the MVA is to help independent media survive where they are under greatest threat.
The MVA does not benchmark media outlets on a per-country basis. Instead, it offers benchmarking according to characteristics of media outlets (e.g., hard news) and markets (e.g., low press freedom).
You will still be able to see your data in full, of course; and if you want to, you’ll be able to share any of it with partners you trust. But nobody will be able to trace your data back to you or your target country — unless you decide otherwise.
How accessible is the MVA?
We know that some MVA uses will have intermittent and unstable access to the Internet, and that in general we want pages of the MVA to load quickly and efficiently. The MVA has therefore been designed with this in mind. It has also been developed to deliver alerts containing useful information and insights without users needing to log in. In addition to this, the MVA will comply with two US-based frameworks that help ensure wide accessibility: the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 508 Guidelines.
How does the MVA ensure that its operations are ethical and promote diversity, equity and inclusion?
In line with the USAID Policy Framework (2019), the MVA strives to Do No Harm (DNH). In practice, this means minimizing risk to users and integrating a proactive conflict sensitive approach in the design and implementation of this activity.
The MVA aims to promote a non-discriminatory, inclusive, and integrated development approach that ensures that all people, including those who face discrimination and thus may have limited access to a country’s benefits, legal protections, or social participation are fully included and can actively participate in and benefit from development processes and activities.
The MVA has been designed and continues to be further developed and updated, to support media by and for women and other communities who are subject to disproportionate levels of risk and underrepresentation.
History of the MVA
November 2021
December 2021
The MVA is announced conceptually by The White House as part of the Presidential Initiative for Democratic Renewal.
2022
After discussions between USAID, Internews and Microsoft, the organizations endorse the concept and agree to join the project as Funding partner and Technology partner.
March 27 2023
March 29 2023
The Biden administration cites the MVA in its abiding comments to Promote Democratic Renewal Abroad; supporting Free and Independent Media.
March – November 2023
More than 1000 journalists, editors, content producers, and other media makers have register an interest in the MVA and hundreds participate in surveys, consultations, and user experience testing with Internews and Microsoft to develop the MVA platform.
January 2024
User acceptance testing of the MVA platform.
February 1 2024
Beta phase of the MVA begins; a Shaper Cohort of 37 media outlet professionals start to use the MVA platform and feed back on their findings to the MVA Product.
April 18 2024
The MVA team showcase the MVA’s capabilities at International Journalism Festival Perugia – MVA catches attention at Perugia International Journalism Festival – Media Viability Accelerator | MVA.
3 May 2024
• MVA Minimum viable product achieved.
• Soft launch of MVA on World Press Freedom day. For the first time, partners of Free Press Unlimited, Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD), Internews, IREX, SembraMedia and Thomson Reuters have access to the platform for the first time.
3 May 2024
June 4 2024
MVA Forward funding opportunities for independent media, media support and Solution providers become available under the Annual Program Statement.
August 16 2024
The MVA becomes available in Spanish as well as English.
September 26 2024
MVA public launch and launch of MVA Solutions for the first time.