USAID

International Media Partnerships Program (IMPP) - Russia

Program Overview

US Agency for International Development (USAID)

IREX in Russia

IREX worked to build independent media industry associations in Russia from 2001 to 2004 and has had a presence in Russia since 1968.

Media Sustainability Index 2006 - Russia

Contact Russia IMPP

For more information about Russia IMPP please contact mdd@irex.org, or visit the IREX Russia Website at www.irex.ru.

The International Media Partnerships Program (IMPP) in Russia is a three-year USAID funded program that fosters the growth of a diverse range of professional organizations and institutions to support Russia’s media sector through tailored collaborations with their counterparts in the United States and Europe. Through IMPP, IREX helps Russian media industry organizations tackle challenges they face in governance, management, financing, membership, service provision, lobbying, and networking.

Goal

IMPP assists nongovernmental Russian media sector support organizations in becoming sustainable and independent institutions through partnerships with counterparts in the U.S., Europe, and worldwide.

Objectives

Strengthen media industry self-regulation through support of existing and emerging industry associations
Enhance independent media outlets’ capacities to produce socially valuable content, public service formats, and socially responsible journalism
Improve basic professional education for media professionals through international professional exchanges and curriculum development for schools of journalism across Russia

Project Activities

Partnerships Between Russian and International Media Organizations: IREX pairs Russian media organizations with their counterpart international media organizations for mutual staff exchanges. The professional interaction enhances the skills of the Russian partners through practical, on-site collaboration, and the sharing of best practices in the following areas:

Development of professional media associations and industry self-regulation
Development of internal ombudsman or public advocate functions
Development of policy recommendations and improvement of the legal and regulatory environment for Russian media
Technology development and the challenges that it brings, especially in the transition to digital broadcasting
Opportunities and challenges posed by new media technologies, user-generated content, and other industry innovations

Alumni conferences: Conferences for both the Russian and international media organizations will be held throughout the lifetime of the program to consolidate and disseminate knowledge gained through the partnerships. The sessions will address international media themes identified during the partnerships or reflect developments in Russia’s media sector, and will include opportunities for networking and to discuss lessons learned, best practices, and ways forward.

Projects Small Grants Fund: IREX offers small grants to support Russian partners in carrying out discrete endeavors conceived during the partnerships or to support follow-on activities. These might include events, publications or additional training workshops.

Best practices publication: When IMPP concludes, IREX staff will coordinate compilation of best practices gleaned from the exchanges into an online publication for Russian partners who participated in IMPP. The contents will include examples of what partners learned internationally and how they applied new capacity to their organizations, providing guidance for others facing similar challenges.