Mediabridge: upcoming platform for stories from underreported regions

The world is full of groundbreaking stories that remain untold in Europe, despite their potential. Closer collaboration between media in the global South and European media could release that potential. Our solution is Mediabridge.

Since spring 2019, Denmark-based International Media Support, Indieframe and Danwatch have been working to build Mediabridge with finanical support from Google Digital News Initiative. Mediabridge is a digital platform under development that will connect media outlets in the global south with the global north around news-breaking and investigative stories produced by local journalists in conflict areas or hard- to-reach regions of the world where few European correspondent preside. Mediabridge is not a media outlet – but a space for instigating collaboration between media outlets globally around untold groundbreaking stories.

Mediabridge is still in its piloting phase and open for comments and input that will strengthen the platform. Between them, the three organisations behind Mediabridge already have strong media networks in countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Syria, Brazil, Somalia, and Yemen, but are currently working to grow the number of media outlets that will collaborate on the platform. The structure of the platform provides an expertise and a network that helps to safeguard the journalistic quality of the stories that make it onto the platform.

If you are a media outlet interested in being a testing partner on Mediabridge by contributing with or accessing stories, contact Henrik Grunnet, IMS, at hgr@mediasupport.org or Jesper Nymark at jn@danwatch.dk.

Aim of Mediabridge
The idea behind Mediabridge is for media to collaborate around bringing compelling and essential documentation from conflicts around the world to the attention of the public. With Mediabridge.org, the gap between media working in hard-to-reach areas will be bridged with their European counterparts and their collaboration will be mutually economically beneficial. While media outlets in the Global South will have a new source of income by sharing their stories for collaboration and publication, Mediabridge will help media in the Global North gain access to quality content from under-reported regions at a lower cost. These story pieces will enable European media to capitalize on the exclusive content through an increased number of subscribers and increased interest from advertisers, in addition to the significantly reduced costs connected to the production.

It is fully anticipated that Mediabridge.org will ultimately be a platform that satisfies the demand for untold stories from European media and will offer an accessible and safe online collaborative space where content can be developed, co-financed and shared.

Mediabridge’s core features include:

• Virtual newsroom: A space to upload and find collaboration proposals, pitches, documentation, photos, videos & data
• User validation: Based on vetting criteria defined by IMS and Danwatch, and a proven track record of activities on Mediabridge.
• Content verification: Systematic screening of geolocation and access to metadata, helping to establish the origin and reliability of content.
• Reputation System:Rating of collaborations from both global South and Europe.
• Digital safety:Encryption of content and users’ data and ready-made contractual terms to mitigate risks of security breach and content misappropriation.
• Knowledge sharing: Spreading and improving professional journalistic standards.

For more information: To register as a testing partner or for more information, please contact Henrik Grunnet, IMS, at hgr@mediasupport.org or Jesper Nymark jn@danwatch.dk with copy to Gohar Khodjayan gk@mediasupport.org.

Mediabridge.org is being developed by International Media Support (IMS), an international non-profit organisation working with media in 40 countries across four continents, Danwatch, a Danish award-winning independent media and research centre specialised in investigative journalism on global issues, and IndieFrame, an independent digital distribution platform that brings the content creator and media actors together.