STUDY: UNESCO Media Viability Indicators Research Study JAMAICA

Independent Journalism and the State of the Media globally is at the centre of democracies as societies continue to face the challenges of misinformation and disinformation. Adding to those challenges is the issue of Journalism Under Digital Siege which is this year’s World Press Freedom Day theme, stemming from the complications of the digital landscape which has created easy transmission of fake news and cyber security threats to journalists.

The question of media viability must be defined contextually and culturally. As a small island developing state, there is a delicate balance between viability and sustainability. The strategies adopted by media entities in small economies highly dependent on state advertising and who grapple daily with self-censorship complicates the structure of business models.