International Fund to Support Ten Independent Media Outlets in the Philippines

“Independent media organizations in the Philippines have an essential role to play to inform communities across the country about issues that matter for them,” said Ivygail Ong, the International Fund’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. “This group of media outlets is as diverse as the regions and language groups they are serving, and we are proud to be able to support their work.”

The Philippines is a country of 115 million people spread over more than 7’600 islands, speaking more than 180 languages. Historically the Philippines has been recognized for the dynamism and broad variety of its media, reporting in spite of targeted attacks and harassment of journalists and media outlets that are seen as critical. 

The independent media outlets that the International Fund will support are the following: 

Digibrn Media Production (BicoldotPH) is digital news outlet providing local news coverage and content in both English and the local language, Bikol, through its website and social media platforms. The outlet serves a broad audience in the largely agricultural region of southern Luzon, the largest Philippine island.  

CLTV36 is the only regionally owned and operated TV broadcaster in the Philippines. The station broadcasts news, current affairs, and entertainment to its five million cable subscribers, and reaches over 40 million people through its social media channels, mainly in Central Luzon.

Digicast Negros is one of only two locally owned newsrooms in Negros, a mainly agricultural island in the central Philippines. The team broadcasts through its Facebook channel and reaches nearly half a million followers. 

Mindanao Institute of Journalism (MindaNews.com) publishes content relevant to citizens of Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, which has suffered from ethic and religious armed conflict for several decades. Daily coverage focuses on regional news and under- reported topics including regional peace processes, natural disasters and climate change, and business and regional development.‍
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Mindanao Gold Star Daily has gradually evolved from its newspaper-only roots to a multi-channel digital publisher with a local newspaper arm. Gold Star Daily serves a broad audience in Cagayan de Oro City and the surrounding region of northern Mindanao.

Daily Guardian is one of the largest newspapers serving the Western Visayas region, ensuring public access to accurate, verified, and locally relevant information. The outlet is evolving to expand its digital footprint and promote collaborative journalism models.

Probe Productions Inc. is considered one of the pioneers of documentary production in the Philippines, using documentaries as a medium to explore the various facets of social issues and to provide in-depth coverage on corruption, public health, food security, and the environment. Probe Archives is an effort to digitize their video archive of over 14’000 tapes so that they can be accessed by the public.

Oasis Media Group (Palawan News) is the leading news outlet in the archipelagic province of Palawan, publishing daily content on its digital platforms and a weekly in print version. The organization played a key role in informing the public by reporting on the ongoing West Philippine Sea dispute. Palawan News’ follower base has grown to include nearly half of the region’s population of nearly one million people. 

‍_‍‍ColLab by Rappler is a decentralized community platform that is based on the open-sourced Matrix protocol. It offers secure and responsibly moderated chatrooms where people can discuss stories and engage in community conversations shielded from toxicity. The AI-powered platform leverages content archives and user comments allowing media to develop new approaches for broadening and deepening audience engagement. The technology will be shared with other public interest media to build a global federation of independent newsrooms, equipping them to leverage the chat and community-building features to deepen their engagement with their audiences.

The review and approval of these grants was conducted in accordance with the International Fund’s funding processes and procedures including its Conflicts of Interest Policy.

About the International Fund: 

Launched in 2022, the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM) the only global, multilateral initiative designed to support independent public interest media in low- and middle-income settings. IFPIM is an International Organization hosted by France and supported by more than 20 governments and philanthropic donors. The International Fund provides grants to media organizations and ecosystem-level interventions across four focus regions: Africa and the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Eastern Europe. 

The International Fund’s mission is to ensure that people worldwide live in healthy information ecosystems, with access to journalism that provides their societies with information of public interest. To achieve this vision, the Fund aims to dramatically increase the financial resources available to support trustworthy, ethical, fact-based journalism, and to empower a resilient and independent media ecosystem that can work for democracy. 

In addition, the International Fund’s mission is to foster a paradigm shift in how public interest media is resourced, with the goal of ensuring it is independent, inclusive and resilient. To date, IFPIM has supported more than 140 media organizations in 34 countries.

Media contact: Rosie Vanek,  rvanek@ifpim.org

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