Call for Proposals to promote Media Activism and Counter Disinformation and Polarization

Deadline: 19-Feb-24

The Albanian Media Institute is seeking project proposals aimed at building the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) in urban and rural areas to promote media activism and counter disinformation and polarization.

Objectives

Specific objectives:
- Engaging CSOs in the BP region to actively contribute to the generation of EMI practices in urban and rural areas
- The mobilization of CSOs in BP to participate in the education of citizens on the instrumental role of free media, ethical standards in journalism, the threats that polarization and misinformation pose to stability in the region
- Mb issues for CSOs in providing knowledge, platforms and instruments to exercise their rights for a reliable and responsible media
- Support for CSOs to promote gender representation and underrepresented groups in media reporting
- To enable the participation of local CSOs in regional networks that lead to the exchange of knowledge and experiences, the multiplication of successful practices of media activism
- Enable knowledge transfer on project design, implementation and grant management between established CSOs operating in regional centres/capitals and rural-based CSOs with potential for local impact but less developed capacity.

Funding Information

The budget for this call for proposals is 46,500 Euros.
The requested project grant must be between min. 7,000 and max. 15,500 Euros.
The duration of the project should be between 9 and 18 months.

Expected Results

Increasing the number of civil society driven EMI solutions made available to citizens
Citizens in urban and rural areas better understand the role of the media, the professional standards in journalism, the ethical standards that media reporting must meet to be considered reliable.
Citizens understand the threat and act against polarization in the media
Citizens demand high-quality media content, content without disinformation, learn and use the mechanisms available at the local/national level to express their needs and expectations from the media, actively contribute to the formation of the professional media environment.
CSOs develop capacities to design, manage and promote media activism and EMI projects
Rural CSOs were established through cooperation projects with more experienced organizations

Activities

Educational activities: Workshops, trainings, camps, hackathons, planned to lead to specific actions of citizens that address topics from the broad EMI spectrum, including but not limited to professional media standards, ethical standards in journalism, media social media and content moderation, hate speech and propaganda, disinformation, polarization, mechanisms for citizens to influence the quality of media reporting, mechanisms of change in local communities.
Communication activities, such as the production and distribution of media content, podcasts, campaigns, gender equality and minority media reporting. The focus of media content should be on promoting media education and knowledge about the role of professional and independent media, standards of professional media reporting, the importance of ethical media reporting, regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms and the ways in which citizens can influence the their media environment using them. etc.
Development of accessible EMI resources (publications, guidelines, glossaries, didactic tools) based on best practices at regional, EU and global level.
Public activities such as public debates, panels with expert discussions, gatherings between citizens and journalists aimed at the exchange of knowledge and opinions and discussion between relevant actors on current developments for media freedom, EMI, safety of journalists, representation of women in the media, representation of minorities and marginalized groups, etc. at local, national and regional level.
Small-scale studies at the local level, related to a better understanding of media use, the main sources of polarization, understanding the levels of media literacy of the rural population, the situation of men and women in the local media, etc. The studies must be justified, related to the project activities and must not be a dominant part of the project.
Well-informed advocacy actions encouraging citizens to exercise their right to demand professional and reliable media and equal representation: letters sent to media editors, CSOs, policy and decision makers, representatives of the international community, networks of civil society organizations civil society, local CSOs, media; organized visits to public institutions, media bodies, regulatory and self-regulatory bodies focused on special issues known by civil society and citizens, street actions, art exhibitions, media campaigns, recommendations of developmental and promotional policies, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

The call for proposals is open to CSOs in Albania.
The call is open to both individual applicants and partnerships established between developed CSOs based in urban areas (centres and larger capitals) and grassroots local groups operating in smaller communities and rural areas. Priority will be given to partnerships.
The eligibility criteria for the applicant and co-applicant are as follows:
- The applicant
  - CSO is a legal entity established and registered in Albania according to national law and regulations.
  - CSO operates mainly in the field of media, freedom of expression or digital technology, or education, human rights or gender equality, which is evident from its founding documents.
  - The CSO has been actively operating for at least one year (i.e. at least 12 months prior to the date of publication of this call for proposals).
- Co-applicant
  - CSO is a legal entity established and registered in Albania according to national law and regulations.
- Note about project partnership:
  - The call will be open to both individual applicants and partnerships established between developed CSOs based in urban areas (centres and larger capitals) and grassroots communities operating in smaller communities and rural areas. Priority will be given to partnerships.
  - Partnerships between countries are not the subject of this call for proposals.
  - An individual CSO may apply as an applicant only once and may act as a co-applicant in other project(s) of this call.