Grantees 2024
Two media organizations from Switzerland and two from Austria will each receive up to 400,000 euros in funding. The focus of their projects is on new methods to increase distribution channels that are in the public interest.
Reflekt
The Swiss investigative media outlet Reflekt from Bern, which has been regularly uncovering grievances for more than five years and thereby achieving social impact, will receive 300,000 euros in funding. REFLEKT wants to expand its distribution channels (funnel) by working with high-reach hosts to make their investigative research accessible in social videos. Users attracted in this way will then be converted into paying supporters, also via crowdfunding.
“The jury members were impressed by the combination of investigative work with high relevance and the creative translation of investigations into social videos." They were particularly interested in “how host strategies can be used effectively in the future to reach a younger audience with investigative journalism.”
Dossier
The Austrian ad-free investigative media outlet Dossier from Vienna, which has been reporting on corruption, exploitation and abuse of power for more than twelve years, is receiving 390,000 euros in funding. Dossier wants to increase its membership funnel by bringing its investigations to the theater stage.
"By bringing its journalistic work to the stage and thus (back) into the analog world, Dossier is exploring new ways of connecting with its audience and stimulating a deeper engagement with the results of their investigations and its impact on society," highlighted the jury: "If the planned live journalism formats succeed, a completely new journalistic genre with immersive character could emerge and prove a new, public interest-oriented revenue model for the whole sector."
Medienhaus andererseits
The Austrian media organization Medienhaus andererseits from Vienna, where people with and without disabilities have been writing for two years in an inclusive and community-based editorial team for a print magazine, two newsletters and investigative research, is receiving 400,000 euros in funding. Andererseits would like to expand its distribution channels for subscriptions with a newsletter for the “underserved community” of people with disabilities.
The jury was particularly positive about "the submitted project design as evidence of the organization's highly professional approach and strong focus on users." "In contrast to many other media, Andererseits is successful in producing genuine and credible inclusive journalism in line with quality journalistic standards, even if this is more time-consuming and therefore more cost-intensive", the jury explained. "The project therefore not only fulfills an important pioneering function, but also has the potential to offer possible approaches for a more inclusive development of the journalistic sector."
Tsüri
With the Swiss local public interest-oriented medium Tsüri from Zurich, which has been publishing information for a predominantly young target group for ten years, the MFF is entering into a cooperation with a financial contribution of 400,000 euros. Through workshops and prototypes, the aim is to find to find out how newsletter-based reporting on the hyperlocal niche topic of Zurich's housing crisis can help to expand the distribution channel and gain more members.
“Tsüri is so far exemplary for financially sustainable and profitable local journalism based on an authentic and credible narrative,” states the jury in its statement. “Dedicating itself to an even more hyperlocal topic in the future in order to attract additional members is an exciting experiment that few have dared to undertake to date.”
