During the COVID-19 pandemic, media outlets across Nigeria plunged into a financial crisis. Many newsrooms in the country laid off reporters or reduced the size of their print editions, while still others slashed salaries or stopped publishing altogether.
These are just a few of the many challenges afflicting the media in Nigeria today. “Many people no longer buy hard copies of newspapers so print patronage has gone [down]. This is because people have migrated to digital media,” said Lekan Otufodunrin, managing editor of the Media Career Development Network.
In an effort to help Nigerian newsrooms increase their editorial independence and financial sustainability, the Media Development Investment Fund, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, founded the Nigeria Media Innovation Program (NAMIP) in February 2022.
Raising the bar
NAMIP is a multi-year initiative providing funding, expert coaching and technical assistance to newsrooms. It does so through workshops on product development, community calls and mentorship, said Deji Adekunle, NAMIP’s program director.
The initiative has “encourag[ed] experimentation with new business models and products,” Adekunle noted: “Our support helps newsrooms diversify their revenue streams, develop financial strategies and reduce their dependency on a single source.”
To help ensure that newsrooms work to achieve their goals, a coach with NAMIP pays regular visits to the newsrooms to ensure implementation. The program also organizes a monthly community call to discuss issues affecting media organizations and review their activities.
WikkiTimes
For Haruna Mohammed Salisu, financial sustainability was not an immediate priority when he founded WikkiTimes in 2018.
Salisu managed many tasks himself when he launched the newsroom, he recalled. He would scrape together funds to compensate writers for the site, and struggle to find money to pay for domain names and hosting packages.
“[Initially,] we firmly believed that public interest journalism should always be financially supported by non-profit organizations. This stance is rooted in the recognition of the significant challenges faced by newsrooms, especially in developing countries, in maintaining robust investigative journalism while also relying heavily on advertising revenue as a primary income source,” said Salisu.
Taking part in NAMIP helped challenge this perspective for his newsroom, as it prompted them to explore alternative revenue streams to ensure sustainability. The program has helped Salisu realize that journalism can thrive as a business while steadfastly upholding its core mission of holding [those in] power accountable.
NAMIP's strategic role in helping position WikkiTimes for financial independence has been paramount to its editorial independence. “Without financial autonomy, editorial decisions may be susceptible to external pressures or influences, compromising the integrity of the journalism produced,” said Salisu.
Solacebase
Abdullateef Jos, the editor-in-chief of Solacebase, has found it difficult to get his outlet on a solid footing. With a team of four staff and three freelancers, he struggled to pay his employees on time and regularly did not have the resources to fund critical investigative stories.
“Honestly, there was no business development strategy before joining NAMIP,” said Jos, adding that this might have been due to the little priority he placed on sustainability efforts.
Since participating in NAMIP’s 2022 cohort, Jos has been able to grow his team to nine full-time staff reporters and six freelancers. “Within a year, we now have [more than one] stream of revenue generation and we are presently on the right track of revenue sustainability,” said Jos.
Looking ahead
NAMIP has also identified a growing need for editorial strategists and product development professionals, launching their Media Product Fellowship to cultivate this talent.
The fellowship, which is designed to build the product thinking, execution and business development capacity of newsrooms, pairs trained fellows with coaches attached to their newsrooms in a bid to drive results.
NAMIP also aims to foster future collaboration among media organizations, and help newsrooms adapt to evolving challenges in the media landscape. Editors from the different participating outlets are able to meet one another and discuss ways they can collaborate or work together in the future to further achieve desirable results in Nigeria’s media landscape.
“The concept of NAMIP has come at the right time, when media organizations need them most,” said Otufodunrin.
Photo by Sunday Abegunde on Unsplash.
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