Where is the money? How international development is failing democratic communication

The document asserts that international development funding for media is critically insufficient, stagnating at approximately 0.3% of annual expenditure. It links this lack of investment to the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, citing examples in the UK, Colombia, Kenya, and Indonesia. WACC calls for an urgent increase in media development spending based on principles of transparency, social cohesion, and inclusivity of marginalized voices.

• Misinformation and disinformation have had severe real-world consequences across various regions, including contributing to the Brexit referendum outcome in the UK, undermining the peace accords plebiscite in Colombia, threatening violence during Kenya's 2022 national election, and fueling hate against Rohingya refugees in Indonesia.
• Analysis of overseas development assistance (ODA) funding flows from 2010 to 2019 by the Centre for International Media Assistance indicates that funding for media-related activities remained stagnant at 0.3% of total annual international development expenditure, amounting to between USD 200 and USD 300 million out of roughly USD 200 billion.
• Existing initiatives like the Media Freedom Coalition and the International Fund for Public Interest Media are insufficient, as grassroots media partners continue to face significant difficulties in accessing ODA funds.
• WACC advocates for a significant increase in media development spending based on three principles: the recognition of accountable communication as a fundamental right, its necessity for social cohesion (including the community media sector), and the requirement for inclusivity of marginalized groups such as youth, Indigenous and racialized communities, and vulnerable women.

APA

Rowley, S. (2024). Where is the money? How international development is failing democratic communication. World Association for Christian Communication. https://waccglobal.org/where-is-the-money-how-international-development-is-failing-democratic-communication/

Chicago

Rowley, Saskia. Where is the money? How international development is failing democratic communication. World Association for Christian Communication, 2024. https://waccglobal.org/where-is-the-money-how-international-development-is-failing-democratic-communication/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Rowley |first1=Saskia |title=Where is the money? How international development is failing democratic communication |publisher=World Association for Christian Communication |date=25 March 2024 |url=https://waccglobal.org/where-is-the-money-how-international-development-is-failing-democratic-communication/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{rowley2024where, author = {Rowley, Saskia}, title = {{Where is the money? How international development is failing democratic communication}}, publisher = {World Association for Christian Communication}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://waccglobal.org/where-is-the-money-how-international-development-is-failing-democratic-communication/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }