Working Together to Shape the Media

Opportunities for groups concerned with democracy, equity, culture, technology and communication
CIMA: Center for International Media Action
February 2011

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
There’s a lot going on right now in the realm of media policy and infrastructure in the United States.
Government initiatives, funding bubbles, nonprofit programs and community projects are buzzing around
such topics as “digital public media”; “the future of media and information needs of communities”;
“broadband adoption”; “arts and social change”; and “community radio.” At the same time, media outlets
and nonprofits are reconfiguring in an economic downturn. Advocates and communities are responding with
urgency to policy developments, business deals and grant opportunities affecting the development of the
internet, journalism, culture and communication.

Efforts to increase equity and meet community needs may be urgent, but they are confronting deeply
entrenched, systemic problems and persistent historical trends. What does it look like to tackle immediate
policy and activist campaigns while working for profound, time-consuming, long-term political, economic and
cultural transformation?
This brief report, “Working Together to Shape the Media,” brings together observations and
recommendations from dozens of organizers, nonprofit researchers, advocates, network-builders and
funders working at the intersection of media and social change.

Key findings:
1 There is a potentially powerful movement to develop communications, information, and cultural
systems that can advance democracy, equity, justice and the rights for all to have healthy, thriving
communities. Significant assets and strengths among existing organizations can be leveraged
through strategic partnerships.
2 This collective potential is restricted when critical components of the movement remain under-
resourced. National and regional organizations working for media in the public interest need to
invest in community-rooted partners who have the information, relationships, history and expertise to
effectively reveal community needs, generate innovation and implement solutions.
3 Urgent short-term activities need to be linked into a longer-term framework. Rapid-response, tactical
coalitions and campaigns need to be paired with activities for sustaining and growing this movement.

Specific recommendations for funders and organizations:

 allocate budget lines for longer-range activities within short-term campaigns, events and projects
 develop collaborative assessment tools, community research capacities and partnerships
 resource “people’s scholarship” – knowledge, analysis and theory developed by practitioners
 invest in cost-saving infrastructure shared across nonprofits
 build capacity within community-rooted groups and under-resourced areas
 integrate arts into policy development and social change work

This publication was developed by CIMA: Center for International Action, an organization that between 2003 and 2010
focused on strategy-development and alliance-building support for groups concerned with equity and rights in media
and communications policy. The research was conducted for CIMA’s internal planning; the summary report was written
to contribute to conversations among our allies and partners.

For more information on this report, contact Aliza Dichter, liza @ mhcable.com
 Working Together to Shape the Media
Opportunities for groups concerned with democracy, equity, culture, technology and communication

TABLE OF CONTENTS

pp. 1-3... Executive Summary, Table of Contents, Introduction

pp. 4-7... What We Heard: Views on the Field

• Hot topics and trends need to be handled in a longer-term context

• Energy is concentrated on short-term activities over long-term work
• Critical movement components are under-resourced
• Media-change work is part of a potentially powerful democracy movement

pp. 8-10... Recommendations: Strategic Investments for Long-term Strength

1. Allocate a percentage from current budgets for longer-range components

2. Develop international alliances and knowledge
3. Build capacity in existing/emerging work, and in underrepresented locations
4. Generate “peoples' scholarship” - analysis and theory by/for practitioners
5. Integrate art at every stage of community and policy development
6. Support collaborative action research
7. Improve how groups work together

pp. 11-12... Appendix: Research methods, sources, publications referenced

For more information on this report, contact Aliza Dichter, liza @ mhcable.com
Working Together to Shape the Media
Opportunities for groups concerned with democracy, equity, culture, technology and communication.
CIMA: Center for International Media Action
February 2011

INTRODUCTION
There’s a lot going on in the realm of media policy and infrastructure in the United States.

National Stimulus grants are funding local broadband projects that aim to close digital divides.
The old public broadcasting model is challenged from all sides as the categories and institutions
of “public media” are reorganized. After a 10-year grassroots campaign, the federal government
passed the Local Community Radio Act, creating new opportunities for community radio across
the United States. The Federal Communications Commission has launched a program
investigating “The Future of Media and Information Needs of Communities....” on the heels of
think-tank reports and community forums on the same topic.

“Internet freedom” and “access for all” are the high stakes for nonprofit and community-based
coalitions engaged in a series of current policy struggles. Media and telecom conglomerates are
jockeying to be able to control networks and wealth. Media jobs, media outlets, libraries,
governments and nonprofits of all types are operating with rapidly shrinking public and
philanthropic money.

The economics and ecology of media are being reconfigured, raising a “transform or die”
challenge across the commercial and nonprofit spectrum of journalism and culture.

These may be urgent times for advocates, media-makers and community groups working on
these issues, but they are confronting deeply entrenched, systemic problems and persistent
historical trends. The immediate goal may be to influence a policy change or shape a media
project. But if the purpose is meeting community needs through the media of the future,
important questions lie before us: How to shift the role of corporations in our democracy? How to
increase equity and reduce poverty? How to undermine age-old systems that disadvantage
people on the basis of wealth, race and other social status?

What does it look like to tackle immediate policy and activist campaigns while working
for profound, time-consuming, long-term political, economic and cultural transformation?
This report summarizes ideas we’ve gathered in response to that question.

ABOUT THIS REPORT

This research was conducted for CIMA: Center for International Media Action in 2009-2010 as an
assessment of current opportunities to invest in the long-term impact of groups working for
media and communications systems that serve equity and social justice.
To gather information about the state of movement-building with minimal research costs, we reviewed
existing reports and commentaries by people active in collaborative media-change work, and concluded
with in-depth interviews with individuals deeply involved in intersecting networks. We synthesized our
findings in this report to contribute to ongoing conversations, and welcome comments, feedback and
further discussion. Thank you to all the people who shared their wisdom. Sources listed in the appendix.

“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 3 of 12

 WHAT WE HEARD: VIEWS ON THE FIELD

Hot topics and trends need to be handled in a longer-term context

There are current “buzz” areas among funders, nonprofits and governments
Government initiatives, funding bubbles, nonprofit programs and community projects
are currently focused around such topics as “digital public media”; “the future of media
and information needs of communities”; “broadband adoption”; “arts and social
change”; and “community radio.”

Groups need to anticipate a drop-off in support and interest for hot topics
Many groups and media projects have been drawn into current hot areas, but funder
interest may not be sustained, and government agendas shift with political change.
Because they have experience developing and sustaining through scarcity, people
and groups with long histories in this work can provide longer-range perspective.

Fast-moving policy debates can miss necessary community data

Public-interest organizations and think tanks can quickly get involved in public
debates, but may lack capacity to develop stakeholder-informed research. Without
collaboration with community-rooted groups and participatory researchers, the real
stories and information are easily missed or misunderstood.

“Hot” issues can draw attention away from other longstanding problems
Issues of harmful or negligent media representation remain a top concern for
marginalized communities, but those issues are not getting systematic, strategic
attention from media-advocacy groups. Local social-justice groups report that efforts
to engage them in media or telecom policy can conflict with other community needs
and political priorities. With the speed of technological change and convergence,
current media/communications projects can't afford to ignore rapidly approaching
issues such as privacy and surveillance, biotechnologies, health impacts of
technologies and the changing role of government agencies in media development.

Government initiatives can spur groups to think proactively

Arts organizations and independent media groups whose past approach to the media
future was to try and prepare for it, are now engaged in trying to shape it, creating new
opportunities for collaboration. Discussions on current policy positions can include
consideration of how and whether governments are developing long-term policy.

Concentration and contraction are reshaping the media-change field

The economic squeeze is consolidating the nonprofit sector as groups close down and
donors refocus on a chosen few. There are predictions of reduced funding for
advocacy and waning interest in nonprofit “infrastructure.” Media grant-makers expect
the demand for media funds to increase, though media remains a tiny fraction of
philanthropy. Arts and independent media organizations are disappearing, amid an
online flood of unpaid, self-produced content. The search is on for income streams.
“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 4 of 12
 WHAT WE HEARD: VIEWS ON THE FIELD

Energy is concentrated on short-term activities over long-term work

There is national coordination and collaboration on current campaigns

Based on our scan of event reports, most coalition activities and advocacy/organizing
gatherings over the past two years appear to be primarily tactical and ad-hoc
reactions to government and corporate actions. Groups are adding new media tactics
and alliances to immediate social justice fights. But it's hard to budget the time for
deep relationship building and collective analysis within future planning. Organizers
urge that attention to longer-term work is needed to maximize collective strengths.

Rapid-response information-sharing and coalition action has increased among groups

working on media and telecom policy at the federal level. Shared policy priorities have
potential to ground even more effective long-term coordination among groups
representing community media, independent media, creative producers, technology,
arts and culture – if leaders can invest the time and resources.

There's a need for more cross-sector analysis and strategizing

Gatherings oriented to movement-building and larger social goals feed collective
inspiration, rejuvenation, skill-sharing and campaign development, but there are
relatively few cross-sector events designed specifically for long-term analysis and
strategizing. Crossing sectors can include bringing folks together across different
issue areas, diverse political approaches and specialties of science, arts, advocacy,
education and change-making.

Future planning is challenging in a context of rapid and disruptive technological and

economic change, but may be more possible through collective analysis that brings
together people with diverse approaches. Issues of personal and community safety,
content storage, and environmental impacts are some of the related issues not always
given consideration within media and communications advocacy work.

Connections across networks and movements rely on a few “bridger” people

In addition, a small core of very active people participate in many points of intersection
among media and social-change networks and events. Relationships, knowledge and
bridging efforts among diverse sectors may be mostly located in these individual
leaders. The sustainability and growth of movement networks may require broadening
who is invited to participate in events, including both current and emerging leaders
from organizations.

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 WHAT WE HEARD: VIEWS ON THE FIELD

Critical movement components are under-resourced

National groups are missing key partners needed for success

Without networks that can sustain community relationships over time, public-interest
groups and people within government can’t develop policies based on good, locally-
specific information, nor effectively develop or evaluate projects to change local
conditions.

Economic and geographic imbalance weakens national networks

Leadership and resources in the nonprofit and media sectors are concentrated in a
few urban regions on the coasts, with a shortage of information, influence, funding and
support organizations in rust-belt, rural, non-coastal United States and other low-
income communities, especially outside big cities.

Personal connections, politics and social privilege remain factors in money flow
Observers see grants going primarily to groups that fit a certain “professionalized”
approach, and to those few organizations that have established relationships as
favorite grantees of particular funders. Money and jobs for people who come from
community/justice work tend to go to those who have more in common with the
dominant players (i.e., are white, male, and/or have academic credentials).

Valuing the grassroots doesn’t necessarily equal investment

Community-rooted groups may be prized as partners, and credited for inspiration or
knowledge, but that doesn’t typically result in actually routing financial investment and
control of resources or decisions to those groups.

Similarly, the increasing nature of media and art in prioritizing communities and
collaboration is not reflected in the current dominant ways of funding arts and media.

Knowledge-exchanges among local and national advocates are appreciated by all

who have participated, but there’s concern that new relationships result in skilled
individuals from communities moving on to larger/national groups, rather than bringing
back skills to build local capacity and infrastructure.

“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 6 of 12

 WHAT WE HEARD: VIEWS ON THE FIELD

Media-change work is part of a potentially powerful democracy movement

Key to unlocking this power, according to movement observers, is for groups to think
differently about their assets and to invest in developing strategic partnerships. Media-
change groups can connect with a much wider range of allies through big frameworks
around democracy and equity, and also by providing mutual support and value.

Libraries, nonprofit technologists, progressive PR groups, independent media

producers and community arts centers are constituencies for media policy and
infrastructure work – as well as sources of expertise for media advocacy groups.
Community organizations can benefit from technology and infrastructure support –
and in return provide valuable knowledge and practices for discovering policy needs
and ideas from their communities. Evaluation research, e.g. on broadband projects,
can be designed to provide useful data to practitioners and communities as well as
meet funder and policymaker obligations.

Community-rooted groups offer significant resources to the collective work thanks to

the accountability, knowledge and legitimacy they draw from deep relationships to
place and people.

Some of the media-movement assets raised in our research:

 Expertise in models of collaboration and participation, now desired by a
wide range of media groups, can be learned from community-rooted media, arts
and activist groups and their histories.
 Predictions on future widespread political and economic problems can be
forecast from knowledge held by organizations dealing with current problems in
low-income communities, as those can be the earliest visible sites of economic,
policy and environmental trends. Media arts, games and artists can provide
venues for long-term scenario planning and visioning potential futures.
 Documentation, media and public relations (PR) skills are strengths among
independent media, arts and progressive communications groups that can help
get out advocacy stories and messages.
 Lessons for building strategic alliances across difference can come from
the national media-change coalitions and organizations that have been
developing “beltway-grassroots” partnerships, practitioner-academic links and
cross-sector media justice networks.

“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 7 of 12

 STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS NOW
THAT CAN BUILD LONG-TERM STRENGTH

We identified seven approaches where investments now of money, time and other
resources have potential for long-term impact.

1 Allocate a percentage of current project budgets for longer-range

components
So, for example, when conducting outreach to mobilize people on immediate policy
campaigns (e.g., speaking out for “net neutrality”), activist groups also need to plan
activities to build capacity for future enforcement and protection in that area. Or
when spending grants for digital inclusion projects, community radio groups or
public media and arts initiatives, the start-up work needs to include planning and
investment for how the projects will sustain and evolve, even with drop-off in
funder or government support.
Supported with time and information, leaders who are developing a specific policy
position or new media project can take into account a broader set of related
issues, such as how the media they are advocating for deal with online identity,
intellectual property, content control, personal tracking, outlet accountability, etc.
To maximize value and impact of meetings and other events, it’s worth setting
aside some time and money to enable strategic preparation and also follow-up,
and for more information-sharing and intersections among different gatherings,
participants and events.
Funding needs to sustain groups not just projects, to allow for flexibility in
responding to conditions.
Sharing technology and other cost-saving and collaborative infrastructure can
reduce expenses and increase effectiveness, especially for smaller groups,
opening up resources.
Identifying interim outcomes for long-term goals may help overcome funder or
organizational resistance towards putting resources into time-consuming longer-
paced work.

2 Develop international alliances and knowledge

U.S. advocates and organizers need to connect with international and
transnational groups for systemic change on the media and technology
environment. Media-change groups need to be able to link with global justice
movements for strategic policy collaborations, not just messaging support.
Technology development, internet policy, copyright and other media issues are
increasingly transnational, as are the global corporations who dominate media and
communications worldwide.
“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 8 of 12
 STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS NOW
THAT CAN BUILD LONG-TERM STRENGTH

3 Build capacity in existing work, emerging work, underrepresented locations

National campaigns and agendas can’t succeed without more money, attention,
influence and information going to communities in interior (non-coastal) states,
rural regions, rust-belt towns, Indian Country and other low-income areas. Bigger
groups need to advocate for and direct funds to community-rooted groups.
Updating technology capacity in groups with long local histories may be more
effective and efficient than trying to build community-organizing capacity into new
tech projects. Similarly, when a policy issue or particular constituency is hot,
resources and leadership can be directed to existing groups and people with
histories working with that issue rather than creating new groups for new
opportunities. Larger groups need to beware of trying to create new programs on a
hot issue without first partnering with, resourcing and supporting groups who have
already been working that issue.
While administration costs need to be kept minimal, funders and larger groups may
need to spend some resources to make sure lower-income and community-rooted
groups can access grants and other opportunities (for example, providing technical
assistance, good outreach, communications). It may cost some money to make
sure that the rest of the money flows differently.

4 Generate “peoples’ scholarship”— analysis and theory by and for

practitioners
Programs are needed to resource the production, dissemination and influence of
deep-thinking work by non-academic community members, media practitioners
and organizers. Activists need time and money to work on creating broad strategic
frameworks that intersect a range of communications and social issues; national
and global policy development and organizing work (e.g., human rights,
surveillance, intellectual property, cultural policy, public infrastructure, et al).

5 Integrate arts and artists at every stage of community development, policy

development, organizing, planning and change — not just for messaging
Culture and stories can create social conditions for change. Art can be used to
draw out and develop community knowledge, ideas, agendas, frameworks.
Opportunities, tools and process for creativity and expression can fuel
collaboration and planning within and among groups. Science fiction, arts and
games can envision potential futures. Consider art not just a propaganda tool, but
integral to transformation.

“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 9 of 12

 STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS NOW
THAT CAN BUILD LONG-TERM STRENGTH

6 Support collaborative action research with communities and nonprofits

Groups seeking to produce community needs assessments, broadband project
evaluations or other research can partner with community-rooted groups and
participatory researchers who can help draw out actual community experience
We heard demand for three media-related research initiatives — areas that need
resources for groups to work together with skilled researchers:
field mapping: organizers want more analysis of the political landscape,
mapping of the players and assessment of opportunities to collaborate and
leverage assets
research mechanisms at the community level — including skills, partners,
methods and money — are the only way to get information that is critically
needed to inform both policy work and social change strategies
shared assessment tools and metrics: developed by and for independent and
community media and for establishing media and technology evaluation
standards that are grounded in democracy, equity and social goals.

7 Improve how groups work together

We heard about persistent problems in how groups are relating, and the need for
change, although this research didn’t bring specific solutions to the surface.
Challenges needing solutions:
Competition for funding continues to limit how well groups communicate and
coordinate
 Additional work is needed to enable “Beltway” groups – federally focused,
national public-interest advocates – to shift their internal culture and to
collaborate better with social justice groups and local partners
Funders who support public-interest media need to overcome their tendencies
towards secrecy and separation, and shift towards transparency and
collaboration
Inviting more than one representative from each organization to a gathering
can increase the numbers of connections among groups and expand the
core of networked people

This report will be posted online at –––––––––––.

We welcome discussion and collaboration as we continue to work with these ideas.
-February 2011 CIMA Board of Directors: Nolan Bowie, Aliza Dichter, Seeta Peña Gangadharan
“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 10 of 12
 APPENDIX
To conduct our field assessment with minimal research costs, CIMA used a three-part approach.
See below for list of specific sources and groups referenced for this report.

RESEARCH PROCESS

1. A brief study of convenings where concerns about media intersected with social justice
activism. Dr. Seeta Peña Gangadharan conducted this research, using a web scan to
identify the stated types and goals of recent (2008-2010) gatherings focused on media-
change, and categorizing the events based on host, sponsor, attendee or observer
descriptions. A “snowball” method was used, starting with known groups and events over
a wide range of media/communications work and expanding from there. The purpose was
to extract who the convening served and to what end, resulting in a general analysis on
the visibility and frequency of collaborative, long-range strategy events.

2. A synthesis of recent (2009-2010) published commentaries and reports, recorded panel

discussions and focused conversations on the state of public-interest media, community
arts and social justice movements (sources listed below). To update our understanding of
the landscape of alliance-building and funding for media-movement work, Aliza Dichter's
summary reports focused on identifying common themes and specific recommendations.

3. Four in-depth stakeholder interviews with “special respondents” – network-builders we

had identified to have broad connections across national media, arts and justice
movements. The research questions were developed with support from Elsa Rios of
Strategies for Social Change and interviews were conducted and then written up by
Joyce Klemperer of that organization, who had not known or worked with CIMA or any of
the interviewees in the past.

RE/SOURCES

Much thanks to the following individuals for their time and thoughtful reflections

• Caron Atlas, Fractured Atlas

• Catherine Borgman-Arboleda, independent consultant
• Nolan Bowie, Harvard Kennedy School
• Helen Brunner, Media Democracy Fund
• Jessica Clark, Center for Social Media, Knight Media Policy Fellow
• Dharma Dailey, Deep Tech, McGannon Communications Research Fellow at
Fordham University
• amalia deloney, Media Action Grassroots Network, Main Street Project, Media
and Democracy Coalition, and Knight Media Policy Fellow
• Diana Nucera, Allied Media Projects
• Jeff Perlstein, independent consultant
• Rachel Kulick, sociologist/independent media researcher
• Belinda Rawlins, The Transmission Project

“Working Together to Shape the Media“ February 2011 ---- Page 11 of 12

PUBLICATIONS REFERENCED
“1+1=10: A new equation for social change” 2009 (Robby Rodriguez, Building Movement Project)
http://buildingmovement.org/pdf/Theory_of_Everything.pdf
“2010 Funder Conversation: Media Grantmaking, The State (and Future) of the Field” (Grantmakers in
Film + Electronic Media, Media Democracy Fund)http://www.gfem.org/node/952
“2020 Vision and Information Policy: Considering the Public Interest” Spring 2011 Syllabus (Nolan
Bowie, Harvard Kennedy School) http://www.hks.harvard.edu/syllabus/2011/884/DPI-685.pdf
“Can Technology throw a party and save the whole Universe?” July 2010 (Ana Willem, Alternate Roots)
http://alternateroots.org/node/1272
“Community-Based Arts Organizations: a new center of gravity” 2009 (Ron Chew. Americans for the Arts
& Ford Foundation) http://www.americansforthearts.org/
animatingdemocracy/pdf/reading_room/New_Center_of_Gravity.pdf
Creative Change 2009: A Social Justice Retreat in Colorado. (Opportunity Agenda)
http://opportunityagenda.org/files/field_file/CreativeChange2009Report.pdf
“Hacking the Policy Space” July 2010 (Helen De Michiel, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture)
http://www.namac.org/node/25183
“Funding Media, Strengthening Democracy: Grantmaking for the 21st Century” March 2010 (Peter B.
Kaufman, Mary Albon, Intelligent Television; Grantmakers in Film and Electronic Media)
http://www.gfem.org/node/873
GFEM: Highlights from 2009 Media Grantmaking Conversation, The State (and Future) of the Field
http://www.gfem.org/node/577
“Investing in Impact: Media Summits Reveal Pressing Needs, Tools for Evaluating Public Interest
Media” May 2010 (Jessica Clark, Tracy Van Slyke; Center for Social Media, The Media Consortium)
http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/sites/default/files/documents/pages/Investing_in_Impact.pdf
“Learning Community Conference Call: Arts, Culture and Social Change” [AUDIO] May 2010 (MAG-Net)
http://mag-net.org/content/listen-media-justice-leaders-talk-art-culture-and-social-change
Media Consortium 2010 meeting http://www.themediaconsortium.org/2010-meeting-notes
“Media Justice Fund Final Evaluation Report,” 2009 (Catherine Borgman-Arboleda, ActKnowledge)
http://www.fex.org/assets/436_mjfevalreportall12292.pdf
"Media Justice Through the Eyes of Local Organizers" Sept 2009 (Dharma Dailey, Media Justice Fund)
http://www.fex.org/assets/418_hjmjflocalorganizers2.pdf
“The Nonprofit Quarterly’s Study on [U.S.] Nonprofit and Philanthropic Infrastructure” July 2009
http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/images/infrastudy.pdf
“The Nonprofit Institutional Dilemma” Jan 2010 (Rosetta Thurman)
http://www.rosettathurman.com/2010/01/the-nonprofit-institutional-dilemma-and-more-on-the- future-of-
infrastructure-organizations/
Online report-backs and reviews of the 2010 Allied Media Conference
http://alliedmediaconference.org/news/AMC2010-report-back
“Snapshot Of Foundation Support For Feminist Gender Justice Media” 2010 (Ariel Dougherty, Media
Equity Collaborative) http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org/snapshot-of-foundation-support-for-feminist-
gender-justice-media/attachment
“US Social Forum and the arts: some analysis to think about” July 2010 (Charleston Rhizome by way of
Gwylene Gallimard, Alternative Roots) http://alternateroots.org/node/1315

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