Finding a way to make journalism sustainable is tough enough these days. But finding how to support investigative journalism – which can be expensive, time consuming, and carry substantial risk – may be the media’s toughest challenge of all.
As businesses, media organisations have responsibilities that are broadly similar to those of other companies. The term ‘footprint’ is often used to reflect their economic, environmental and social impacts. What is particular to media organizations is that they can also be considered to have a ‘brainprint’: the impact and influence they have on society through their content.
This brainprint means that content can affect attitudes, behaviours and public opinion, which poses additional responsibilities on media organizations towards society.
With freedom comes responsibility, and responsibility requires ethical decision-making. Media organisations that abide by ethical standards of disclosure will inevitably build trust and reputation, which are key success factors in a rapidly changing and challenging environment.
As a charitable non-profit, MakanDay strives to make its editorial content accessible to the widest possible audience.
What distinguishes MakanDay from the research departments of classical media?
The establishment of investigative centres in recent years has been a step in the right direction. We also see the need for media houses to maintain research departments. Extensive research allows newspapers, radio and TV stations to create exclusive content that distinguishes them from competitors.
MakanDay, on the other hand, strives to make complex issues and its content accessible to as wide an audience as possible, including media organisations, at liberty to re-publish our work, as long as they credit MakanDay as the source of the content.
How is MakanDay funded?
MakanDay is non-profit. This means that its directors do not benefit from any dividends that may accrue and over and above operational costs, all revenues are ploughed back into the further development and capitalization of the organisation.
Funded predominantly by grants from charitable foundations as well as through contributions and subscriptions from sponsors, MakanDay is therefore less dependent on sales and advertisements.
Collectively, support from membership subscriptions, donations, and charitable grants, ensures our long-term independence.
A large part of our funding is borne by foundations. Why do we need membership fees?
It is only through the funding of our sponsors that we have the independence that we need for our work in the long term. Funding by foundations is mostly project-related and therefore limited in time. Grants from foundations are therefore always associated with certain uncertainties. For this reason, our goal is to attract as many funding members as possible.
You pretend to be independent. But you are financially bound to the foundations. Is this a problem?
We do not accept money from people who want to dictate to us how we have to work. No one will influence our editorial work.
We accept contractual funding from various foundations and organisations. These commitments give us security and guarantee journalistic independence from politics and business. We want to provide the necessary transparency to make the independence of our work verifiable.
How do you measure the success of your project when there are neither reader numbers nor sales?
We want to disclose the structures of grievances and to initiate discussions in this way. Discussions that help society become more worthwhile and fair are important to us. If our research is successful on a regular basis, then our project has been successful. Our success is also amplified by the extent of the debate stimulated by our content. The greatest success comes when a particular grievance is resolved.
In which channel people come into contact with our research is of no major relevance to this success: be it in print form, under the label of one of our media partners, or on our own website. It could equally be on a social network or on the street. What is important is to reach the people with our research, and to inform them. Not in which medium the people learn about our news.
Important news and information is now spread so quickly and in so many ways that it is often difficult to identify the original author.
We are happy when many people take our educational offer – as more and more people help to make our society transparent. This, in our view, can be one of the most enduring successes of any journalist’s work.
Independent journalism needs independent funding
To our understanding, the core of journalism is to shine a spotlight in the dark corners of society’s recesses. It is not simply about uncovering abuses by delving into mounting political and corporate corruption the abuse of power by politicians, or the widening gap of rich and poor and social inequality. It is equally, about pointing to possible solutions.
In order for us to work, we need people to support us. You will also become a member of the research team and thus enable the work of investigative journalists at MakanDay.
We are convinced that without independent and critical media, our everyday freedoms, and our inalienable democratic rights, are under increasing threat.
Fellowships
MakanDay develops investigative journalism by imparting investigative skills to others in the media through fellowships and workshops. Fellows join us from across the country, where we also encourage the establishment of regional investigative hubs.
MakanDay’s Code of Ethics
All MakanDay Media Centre journalists abide by the following code of ethics. The purpose of distributing news and informed opinion is to serve the general welfare.
Journalists who use their professional status as representatives of the public for selfish or other unworthy motives violate a high trust. Journalists uphold the right to voice unpopular opinions and shall at all times defend the principle of freedom of the media in relation to the collection of information and the expression of comment and criticism. MakanDay Media Centre workers therefore pledge to abide by the following ethics:
- The public has the right to know the truth. Therefore journalists have a duty to report the truth either as representing objective reality or representing what the source says fairly, accurately and objectively.
- Story headlines should be fully warranted by the contents of the articles they accompany. Photographs and telecasts should give an accurate picture of an event and not highlight an incident out of context.
- MakanDay Media Centre will respect the confidentiality of sources to whom they have pledged anonymity.
- Only fair methods should be used to obtain news, photographs and documents except where overriding public interest justifies the use of other means.
- We regard as a grave professional offence, the acceptance of bribes in any form in consideration of either dissemination or suppression of information.
- MakanDay Media Centre shall promptly rectify any harmful inaccuracies, ensure that correction and apologies receive due prominence and afford the right of reply to persons criticized when the issue is of sufficient importance.
- MakanDay Media Centre shall be aware of the danger of discrimination being furthered by the media, and shall do the utmost to avoid facilitating such discrimination based on among other things, race, sex, religion, political or other opinions of national or social origins.
- Secondary employment, political involvement, holding public office, and service in community organisations should be avoided if it compromises the integrity of employees of MakanDay Media Centre.
- Plagiarism is dishonest and unacceptable.
- MakanDay Media Centre shall respect the moral and cultural values of the Zambian society, in so far as they do not violate international legally binding statutes of basic human rights of freedom and association.
- MakanDay Media Centre shall respect people’s privacy unless public interest demands otherwise.
