It has been decided to provide funds to eligible private media outlets this year in a single payment under the “Guidelines for Providing Financial Assistance to Media”. According to these guidelines, which outline the criteria for all private media outlets except Public Service Media to apply, funds are typically distributed in 3 payments. One of the most important prerequisites for receiving financial assistance under these guidelines is that the media outlet must be a registered entity, and if it’s a broadcast media, it must be operating with a license.
Any media outlet that has been providing uninterrupted service for 3 years is eligible to apply for this grant. The conditions that need to be met to apply are outlined in Article 5 of the guidelines. These include having a means for the public to interact with the media outlet, publishing a code of ethics and conduct, fulfilling tax-related responsibilities, contributing to the pension scheme, and conducting salary-related transactions for employees through a bank.
Additionally, the guidelines state that if the responsible party of the media outlet has an outstanding debt, they must be in the process of repaying it. According to the guidelines, if an entity operates multiple media outlets including broadcast media and print/online media or those operating under the Newspaper and Magazine Act, they can submit a proposal for one media outlet from each category.
A dedicated online portal has been established to manage the entire process from proposal submission to fund disbursement. Applicants can see their temporary points in real-time as they submit their proposals. The portal is designed to allow applicants to provide additional information after their proposal has been evaluated, and it also allows interested parties to file complaints about any media that has submitted a proposal. Complaints received at this stage will be reviewed and addressed by a committee comprising a member of the Broadcasting Commission, a member of the Media Council, a member of a media association, a member from the Ministry of Finance, and a member from the Ministry of Information and Technology.
Furthermore, the guidelines state that the total points awarded and the total amount of funds to be received will be publicly visible, and the funds will be deposited into the media outlet’s account within 7 days of the proposal evaluation completion. To be eligible for financial assistance under these guidelines, a proposal must score at least 60 points. The guidelines also specify the areas and criteria for point allocation and the point values. The formula for distributing the allocated budget of 27.9 million rufiyaa is also provided.
This marks the first year that financial assistance is being provided to private media outlets from the state budget, and it is the President’s pledge to include this assistance in the state budget annually. One of the main purposes of providing such assistance is to help private media outlets become financially self-sufficient and operate as independent media free from influence. Another objective is to make journalism a field or industry where responsible and trustworthy job opportunities are created, alongside the production of creative content, reports, and news.
