Keeping a free press alive . . .

In countless countries across the world, the continued existence of free and independent newspapers is little short of a miracle.

In economic and material conditions that would drive an editor or manager to despair in the industrialised world, journalists and other newspaper men and women succeed against impossible odds in bringing out their papers.

In dozens of countries they are physically attacked, imprisoned, censured, suspended or harassed for their pains. In others, they are simply left alone to sink beyond a trace, crippled by debts.

This is why WAN has created a Fund for Press Freedom Development to give a chance to even more journalists and managers to continue disproving economics and hopeless adversity in their passion to build newspapers they can be proud of.

The Fund contributes to press freedom development in many ways (see below). If you would like to contribute to this work, click here.

Infrastructure Projects

WAN advises on and helps build the infrastructures necessary for an independent press to develop and prosper. These projects involve the creation of private printing facilities, distribution networks, central newsprint purchase agencies and the establishment of advertising markets, standards and controls.

Privatisation

WAN advises and helps negotiations between governments, publishers and entrepreneurs on the privatisation of press enterprises and of the means of production and distribution, in developing and transitional nations.

Legal Framework

WAN advises on the creation of legal frameworks to safeguard the ethical, juridical and economic interests of a free press.

Networks

WAN is at the heart of a global network of newspaper owners, publishers, editors and commercial managers, for a constant exchange of information and ideas about publishing better and more profitable titles. It tracks and distributes data and other information on trends, innovations and technological developments in the press industry. WAN runs a pan-African electronic network, RAP 21, linking more than 300 media across the continent, with the aim of expanding its global information exchange to newspaper publishers and editors in countries and regions starved of professional information. WAN runs a web operation in Russian and will shortly launch new sites and e-mail bulletins in Arabic and Chinese.

Training and Skills Transfer

WAN runs seminars, workshops and consulting for newspapers, on a non-profit basis and using volunteers from newspapers around the globe, to help independent press development. These activities cover both editorial and commercial issues.

Publications

WAN publishes a wide range of reports and manuals on newspaper publishing, some of them specifically tailored to newspapers in emerging democracies.

Scholarships

WAN regularly provides support to bring key newspaper and training personnel from developing and transitional countries to its events and to its Paris Secretariat for consultations.

Building Organisations

WAN helps create and develop newspaper organisations in transitional and developing countries to defend the collective interests of the independent press.

More information on all these activities can be obtained from Kajsa Tornroth and Virginie Jouan, Co-Directors of Press Freedom and Media Development Programmes, at the World Association of Newspapers: ktornroth@wan.asso.fr and vjouan@wan.asso.fr