New guidelines have now been drawn up for long-term Norwegian support for free media in developing countries.The objective of support for free and independent media is to support efforts to achieve greater transparency, democracy and good governance, including the fight against corruption.

- We want Norway to be a driving force in efforts to promote free and independent media, said Minister of International Development Hilde F. Johnson.

“Free media are essential for good governance. Good governance is vital for promoting development and eradicating poverty. The new guidelines are the start of a major effort in our support for free media,” she said.

The objective of the new guidelines is to help strengthen the legal and professional status of the media in Norwegian partner countries. This support should not only promote media diversity, relevance and availability, but also help to ensure that the media have access to information, have the opportunity to check information, sources, etc., and are able to be accountable.

The guidelines apply to all Norwegian support for the media in developing countries, but will primarily be concentrated on Norway’s partner and main partner countries.

• Applications concerning national and regional measures should be directed to the Norwegian foreign service missions.
• Applications from Norwegian NGOs and from international organisations requesting support for non-national measures should be directed to Norad.
• Applications from individual journalists and other media professionals and applications for support for global measures should be directed to the Press, Cultural Relations and Information Department (PKI) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The guidelines