Lebanon Media Recovery Fund (2020-22)
Summary of the Lebanon Media Recovery Fund launched by the Samir Kassir Foundation (Skeyes), as well as funds established by Facebook and IWMF.
Lebanon media recovery fund
Launched by: Samir Kassir Foundation (Skeyes)
Funding up to its closing on January 31, 2022: USD 764,627
Aims
The aim of the fund was to respond directly to immediate needs but with a focus on laying the foundations for a “stronger media sector tomorrow”. The fund is structured to support the following pillars:
Medical support to wounded journalists, including longer-term needs, such as physiotherapy, prosthetics, medicine and medical equipment, especially those who may not have the right insurance.
Equipment, in case of damaged laptops, cameras, transmitters. This support would primarily go to freelance journalists and, on a case by case basis, to media organizations.
Work environment, in case of damaged offices.
Trauma and psycho-social support.
Investigative work. We believe that we cannot go back to the pre-August 4 media landscape, which was mostly complacent towards those in power, avoiding verifying key information, to look into data and evidence. Today, we have the moral obligation to push the media towards a more robust role in standing up to corruption. Our entire work will be driven by the belief that FREE PRESS SAVES LIVES.
Economic livelihood and resilience of journalists, to provide those in need with the support required to continue their work with dignity and encourage journalists to investigate, question, report and organize for better professional standards.
Design and structure of the fund
Speaking at the 26th October coordination meeting Ayman Mhanna of SKeyes said that the Lebanon Media Recovery Fund is "looking for a leap of faith from our partners”, adding that they are willing to send the money back to partners if they require the fund to operate programmatically with strict objectives.
The fund is “a demand-driven project, responds to clear needs expressed by journalists” adding that he wants to have “the flexibility to shift funding within six pillars."
The fund will operate with total transparency, according to Mhanna.
The only exception will be the names of recipients of psychosocial support and medical equipment, whose identities will be withheld for privacy reasons.
“The fund is based on a robust understanding of the reality of the ground, where local partners have developed lasting relations with the community in Lebanon, sound administrative and auditing practice, flexibility and thinking outside the project outside the project funding box because we need to be demand-driven.”
“The support should not only be focused on the short term. It should contribute to a stronger, more accountable media industry, that can contribute to the vital change that Lebanon needs. It doesn’t mean a media sector that is involved in politics, but a media environment that is better equipped to hold those in power to account, that can ask the right questions, develop its capacities to investigate and reflect citizens’ needs, and journalists who are better equipped to stand up to political bullying through better and more effective organizing.”
Through the Media Recovery Fund, support was provided to a total of 98 journalists, media professionals and direct family members, in addition to equipment and/or financial support for 17 independent, online media and two television stations, as well as a capacity building session for 16 investigative journalists. With its closing on January 31, 2022, SKF received and disbursed an amount of USD 764,627 for the purposes of helping journalists and media face the multi-pronged crises and develop a stronger culture of accountability.
The Media Recovery Fund’s Success Factors
Local Leadership: A Lebanese organisation at the center of program design, outreach to partners, and contact with stakeholders. The project was built on years of engagement with journalists and the media sector, showing that support can be garnered without responding to traditional calls for proposals, relying instead on credibility, transparency, and years of credible records.
Context-Based Emergency Response: The program was based on a detailed mapping of damages following the August 4, 2020 Beirut Port blast, responding directly to emergency medical, psycho-social, and damage-related needs. The program leveraged international support to drive medium- to long-term impact in the Lebanese media sector amid Lebanon’s severe economic crisis.
Wide, Coordinated International Interest: International financial partners and 10 capacity-building partners responded to SKF’s call within three weeks. Trust in SKF’s response placed it at the center of initiatives and facilitated the first organic coordination among all MRF donors, paving the way for broader media development and press freedom interventions in Lebanon.
Solid Foundations for Independent Media: Nascent, independent media received emergency support to rebuild offices and replace damaged equipment, promoting accountability-oriented journalism. The fund’s equipment support initiative enabled 17 independent media outlets to secure most filming, sound, and editing equipment needs, allowing upcoming grants to focus on content production and journalist remuneration.
Cultural Shift in Traditional Media: Traditional media outlets faced a “positive dilemma” of being financially rewarded for producing high-quality, investigative, and accountability-oriented content, increasing the consistency of such reporting on LBCI, Al Jadeed, and MTV.
Strongest Support Signal to Individual Journalists: Individual journalists working for traditional, non-internationally funded media, impacted by the financial crisis and currency devaluation, saw support in the form of tuition fees, private health insurance, housing loan repayment, and reconstruction assistance. This eased financial pressure, reducing risks of co-optation and emigration.
MRF funds breakdown
With the closing of MRF on January 31, 2022, SKF has received and disbursed an amount of USD 764,627 for the purposes of helping journalists and media face the multi-pronged crises and develop a stronger culture of accountability.
In the SKF 2021 annual report, it was reported that the funds had been spent in the following ways:
Human resources: USD 105,122 (13.7%)
Translation and admin costs: USD 24,353 (3.2%)
Web development services: USD 11,500 (1.5%)
Pillar 1 (Medical Support): USD 4,196 (0.5%)
Pillar 2 (Equipment): USD 150,478 (19.7%) - Equipment for individual journalists: USD 31,689 - Equipment for independent media: USD 118,788
Pillar 3 (Damage Repair): USD 43,327 (5.7%)
Pillar 4 (Psycho-social Support): USD 3,075 (0.4%)
Pillar 5 (Investigative Journalism): USD 302,240 (39.5%) - Investigative journalism grants: USD 288,585 - Capacity building for investigative journalism: USD 13,655
Pillar 6 (Livelihood Support): USD 95,336 (12.5%) - Health insurance: USD 30,489 - Tuition fees: USD 54,561 - Housing loans: USD 10,28
For more details please see the Sammir Kassir Foundation 2021 Annual report.
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