USAID Cooperative Agreement Award No. 72011518-CA-00001
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INTERNEWS CENTRAL ASIA MEDIA PROGRAM USAID Cooperative Agreement Award No. 72011518-CA-00001 QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT JANUARY 1, 2019 – MARCH 31, 2019 Dmitri Surnin Dylan Gray Regional Director, Europe & Eurasia Director of Grants and Contracts Olimpieciu 1, Office 36 PO Box 4448 Vilnius, Lithuania Arcata, CA 95518 tel. +370 (677) 42 408 tel. +1 (707) 826-2030 [email protected] [email protected] 1 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................ 3 Highlights/Impact ................................................................................................................................... 3 Background/Context .............................................................................................................................. 4 Project Activities ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Objective 1: Improve media capacity to provide balanced, informed and unbiased reporting on key policy and public interest issues .................................................................................................... 9 1.1. Increase supply of fact-based, balanced information through local content ................................ 9 1.2. Strengthen professional development of media practitioners across traditional and “new” media platforms ........................................................................................................................................... 12 1.3. Strengthen management and financial viability skills of independent media ............................. 13 Objective 2: Increase media and information literacy among youth and adults to become critical consumers and producers of information .......................................................................................... 14 2.1. Strengthen media literacy skills to improve citizens’ ability to evaluate information critically and competently .................................................................................................................................... 14 2.2. Increase citizens’ ability to engage with and produce news and information ............................. 17 Objective 3: Improved legal enabling environment for media ........................................................ 18 3.1. Support efforts to improve legal and regulatory environment for media .................................... 18 3.2. Support independent broadcasters to advocate for and ensure their equities in the digital switchover process ................................................................................................................................. 20 3.3. Access to public information is increased for all media and journalists ..................................... 20 Challenges/Lessons Learned ................................................................................................................ 20 Collaboration with Host Country Governments and Other Donor-Funded Projects (USG and International) ........................................................................................................................................ 21 List of Attachments .............................................................................................................................. 22 Annex 3. Press Clippings ................................................................................................................. 23 Annex 4. Public Communication Materials ................................................................................... 24 Annex 5. Gender Reporting ............................................................................................................. 33 Annex 6. Media Critics Boot Camp Agenda .................................................................................. 35 2 Executive Summary The Central Asia Media Program (MediaCAMP) aims to improve content quality and audience engagement, strengthen media outlet financial sustainability, increase media literacy, and strengthen the enabling environment in Central Asia. The overarching program goal is to develop a more balanced information environment in Central Asia to increase openness among youth and adults for differing ideas, opinions and perspectives and in turn increase their engagement in civic participation. The program will run from October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2023. MediaCAMP’s activities are implemented toward three objectives: • Objective One: Improve media capacity to provide balanced, informed and unbiased reporting on key policy and public interest issues; • Objective Two: Increase media and information literacy among youth and adults to become critical consumers and producers of information; • Objective Three: Improved legal enabling environment for media. Highlights/Impact Regional • To launch its media literacy component, Internews hired a team of producers and selected a cohort of media critics (see next bullet) in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. Additionally, Internews relaunched Newreporter.org with new design, more robust content featuring two brand new sections: on media critique and on media literacy. The sections were populated with nearly 23 stories in less than two months; these Russian-language stories generated over 175 thousand views. • To create national pools of experts who can analyze media, publish critiques of media that hook the public, and spark change within the media community, Internews trained 15 highly- experienced journalists and editors from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as media observers/critics in the first ever Media Critics Boot Camp in Almaty. This annual training event laid the groundwork for MediaCAMP’s future work in advancing media critique in the region. Kazakhstan • To increase balanced and relevant content in Kazakhstan, Internews shortlisted 16 production projects, which focus on most pressing issues of public concern. At least three of these project target audiences under 25 and at least half of projects proposed bilingual content in both Russian and Kazakh. • To ensure community interest and buy-in in the planned Inclusive Lab, Internews circulated an online questionnaire among representatives of 51 organizations and individual experts to collect their ideas for topics. The respondents placed the environment as the most pressing. • Internews selected three key Media Training Partners in Kazakhstan to administer its rigorous journalism and part of its management-training programs. The partners will conduct video production training, training on multimedia storytelling and middle media management academy. The training programs will combine face-to-face and distance learning. 3 • Internews selected 7 finalists to receive grant support for media and digital literacy projects. Most are past participants of media literacy activities under USG-funded Access to Information Program. Grants will support production of educational materials and multimedia tools for university students and school children. • To launch its activities in improving the legislative environment in Kazakhstan, Internews selected its Media Law Partner. The Legal Media Center brings past advocacy experience to the project and will primarily focus on monitoring and analyzing existing legal norms and practices in the country. Tajikistan • On March 5, 2019, Internews introduced the MediaCAMP Program in Sughd oblast (Khujand) located in the north of the country and shared with local organizations key activities, goals and objectives of the program. • On February 5 and on March 5, 2019, Internews held focus group discussions with 22 representatives of media outlets and NGO community in Dushanbe and of Khujand to get their input into the topic for Inclusive Content Lab in Tajikistan. • Internews submitted an official notification to the Supreme Court through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of its intent to hold a study tour, requesting that the Supreme Court nominates judges to participate in the study tour. The letter is currently under review by the MFA’s Department of Information, Press, Analysis and External Relations, and the response is pending. • Independent panelists selected eight applications as semi-finalists for content production grants. Finalists will be selected in April. • On March 18, Internews reviewed three applications under Activity 1.2.1. Thematic and skills- based training for media practitioners. CSO Khoma was selected as the lead partner to organize both TV production and multimedia storytelling schools. Uzbekistan • During this quarter, Internews reached out to officials in Uzbekistan with a proposal to hold high-level meetings about the organization’s registration in the country. Internews also updated its registration package for the second submission scheduled for April. Furthermore, Internews reached out to one existing and one potential partner in Uzbekistan, who shared analysis and insight into the media legal environment and overall situation in Uzbekistan. Background/Context Kazakhstan • The most important development during the quarter was the unexpected resignation announcement by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. After three decades in power, he stated that his country now needed "a new generation of leaders." In a televised address to the nation on March 19, Nazarbayev, 78, the last Soviet-era leader still in charge, said he would retain key