# Key recommendations ### General Recommendations 1. **Encourage Broad Participation in Consultations:** * Emphasise the importance of organisations participating in consultations both individually and within coalitions to increase the impact of submissions. * Highlight that the more times certain points are mentioned in submissions, the higher the priority these points will have.
2. **Promote Joint Inputs and Coordination:** * Encourage organisations to submit joint inputs as supporting files, ensuring a unified approach to advocating for key points.
3. **Use Advocacy Tools Effectively:** * Advocate for the distribution of a master resource document and toolkit to support advocacy related to the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and Democracy Shield. * Ensure that submissions, even individual ones, are shared widely and that they align with a collective advocacy strategy.
4. **Raise Awareness Around Key Dates:** * Take advantage of significant dates such as World Press Freedom Day (May 3rd) and News Media Day (September) to amplify advocacy efforts and coordinate contributions.
5. **Engage Non-Traditional Stakeholders:** * Actively reach out to groups not typically involved in media advocacy, including advertisers, corporate donors, and those investing in digital infrastructure, to ensure long-term security for alternative spaces.
6. **Leverage Media and Journalists:** * Create opportunities for journalists and media outlets to contribute to the advocacy efforts, particularly through publications that address the core issues raised during the consultation process.
7. **Strengthen Long-Term, Proactive Advocacy:** * Focus on developing long-term strategies for media advocacy, ensuring a broader and more sustained impact on policy changes.
### Specific Recommendations for policy engagement 1. **Emphasise the Global Scope of Support:** * Ensure that global support, including for the European neighborhood, is considered in negotiations and advocacy, ensuring comprehensive international engagement.\
2. **Focus on Urgency and Timing:** * Acknowledge the urgency of the pre-negotiation phase of the MFF process and the importance of submitting inputs promptly to influence decision-making.
3. **Ensure Comprehensive Input from All Stakeholders:** * Encourage all relevant stakeholders, including those from diverse regions, to contribute to the consultation process, ensuring that all viewpoints are represented.
### Recommendations for Advocacy and Outreach 1. **Create Joint Contributions for World Press Freedom Day:** * Formulate joint contributions for World Press Freedom Day to address the current media landscape, using the master resource document to guide the messaging.\
2. **Develop Long-Term Campaigns for Media Advocacy:** * Use the opportunity provided by events like News Media Day in September to foster a proactive media campaign that addresses the evolving challenges faced by the media sector.\
3. **Engage with Non-Usual Stakeholders:** * Seek collaborations with sectors such as corporate donors, advertisers, and digital infrastructure developers to build long-term, secure funding for independent media initiatives.\
4. **Promote Cross-Border Collaboration:** * Encourage collaboration between media organisations across different countries, especially those in the MENA region, to promote shared learning and mutual support.
### Sector-Specific Recommendations 1. **Provide Targeted Media Support:** * Prioritise media support initiatives that focus on the specific needs of journalists and media outlets in conflict zones or areas with limited freedom of the press.\
2. **Develop Emergency Funding Mechanisms:** * Establish rapid response funding mechanisms for media organisations in crisis situations to ensure they can continue operations during emergencies or conflicts.
3. **Enhance Security and Protection for Journalists:** * Update tools and resources to protect journalists in conflict zones, including advanced training in digital security and anonymous reporting techniques.
4. **Strengthen Media Freedom Advocacy:** * Advocate for the decriminalisation of defamation laws and strengthen the protection of journalists in regions with restrictive media environments.