About Us

The Journalism Value Project is on a mission to demonstrate the need for support for independent non-profit media in Europe in order for them to become more financially viable. We believe that the in-depth journalism these media provide gives value to society and to democracy.

The project is run by and for non-profit independent media organisations, including members of Reference – the European Independent Media Circle, and Netzwerk Recherche.

The survival and success of our organisations are linked to the success of our overall sector. There are big challenges for independent media, but there are big opportunities too. We believe we can only solve these together. So we need to understand what’s working, what’s not, share these insights, and based on this, advocate for more support where we need it.

About the project

The Journalism Value Project has 3 main parts:

The Survey: An in-depth survey of the state of European independent media, led by Netzwerk Recherche, the results of which will be published in November 2024.

The Loop: A 26-part series of podcasts and a number of articles, where members of the Reference network share best practices, go in-depth on key issues for independent media, and share their biggest lessons learned. Publication of this content will be ongoing until the spring of 2025.

The proposal: Building on the first two parts, we will publish a white-paper and host events to engage funders, politicians, and civil society stakeholders in uncovering the value of independent media, and how they can better be supported, thus creating a viable, pluralistic, vibrant independent journalism ecosystem in Europe.