This 38-page report, commissioned by The Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), covers two communication issues: media literacy — educating the public about the function and responsibilities of the media and how to discern reliable from unreliable or biased news sources — and supporting organisations for media, including journalists’ professional associations. The purpose of the study is to explore the potential for support of these journalism organisations and the role of media literacy in sustaining or strengthening independent media around the world.

The document describes the work of organisations supporting independent media, such as trade unions and professional associations for journalists, and the need for a public educated about the roles and responsibilities of media and their function in a democratic and open society. The breadth of kinds of supporting organisations includes coalitions of regional broadcasters or publishers or both, groups of journalists covering similar topics, associations of media owners, societies of newspaper designers, groups of media lawyers, or clubs for foreign correspondents. Their functions include: fighting for access to information, instituting audience ratings and circulation auditing capacity, setting standards for everything from column sizes to advertising prices, defending journalists’ and citizens’ rights, and scrutinising complaints about the media. The document emphasises that the decision to join together for a media support purpose should be locally made, not imposed by donors or media development professionals.

The report turns to organisation-building and observes that building around a narrow issue is sometimes more successful than around a broad issue, and that adopting an ethics code, many of which are listed online through the International Journalists’ Network, is a common goal of newly formed organisations. It discusses factors used by the Media Sustainability Index (MSI) - a measure of the conditions for independent media in 38 countries - regarding media support institutions, which include the extent of trade and professional association and non-governmental organisation (NGO) activity that supports free and independent media. Journalism and media institutions like these can be key to drawing journalists out of isolation and helping to build the professionalism, standards, and strengths of media professionals. It argues that lack of media professionalism results in public disengagement on crucial development issues, and shows, conversely, that public engagement in media independence can generate a "vibrant non-governmental sector that is vital: organizations that are sensitive, at any moment, to infringements of journalistic rights." Regarding the value of thinking long-term by localising media support, the dismantling of InterNews Russia due to a government mandate serves as an example because, as the office has ceased to function, its assets, resources, and programmes are being passed along to partner organisations and media associations to continue its projects.

Public media literacy is described here as "helping the public access, use, and understand the worth of independent media". The document points out that a focus on building sustainable, commercial media can leave out both the civic education aspect of media literacy and the aspect of teaching the media how to be responsive to public standards. The document suggests that these are currently the job of non-profit organisations. One organisation used as an example of public education is Telekritika, Ukrainian NGO, which uses its website as an information resource location for rapid transfer of news and information to media, for hosted web-based discussions and forums with government, media, global experts, and the general public, and for regular opinion polls. It is also lobbying for media ownership transparency.

The document discusses the CIVICUS Civil Society Index (CSI), a locally administered needs assessment and planning tool for building knowledge and momentum for strengthening civil-society initiatives in considering the relationship of media to civil society. The concern for teaching the media how to be responsive to public standards stems from public perception that media is "an uncontrolled power that shapes politics, public opinion, and the direction of governance." According to results of the CSI, "civil society needs to educate media people in terms of civic literacy." The document states that, as journalists and media owners who violate journalistic ethics or work solely for economic or political profit undermine public trust and challenge the limits of public media literacy, institutions that "promote, explain, and transfer the universally accepted values and worth of good journalism to developing countries require more attention and long-term investments."

The document concludes with the following recommendations:

• US government and non-governmental donor policies and strategies need to be realigned and coordinated to support media freedom and capacity and work jointly on infrastructure development so that sustainable and non-competing institutions receive greater support and work according to universal journalism standards.
• New public and private funding mechanisms are needed to help fledgling media-support organisations develop and succeed. New and existing funders and implementers should work closely with local journalists and other interested groups to help them develop media-support institutions and leadership appropriate for local needs, with membership and action plans that media outlets can afford to and want to support. They should eliminate restrictions that limit support for small and fledging local efforts to develop special-interest associations, while encouraging special interests to collaborate together to earn financial support, and rewarding local and regional solidarity among effective institutions and associations that support growth by sharing money and resources and leveraging social impact.
• Donors and implementers should expand the community of people involved in media-assistance programmes, identifying and partnering with local implementers to assess journalism and information systems in light of locally defined needs. They should also enlist the citizenry - from common people to political leaders, activists to ministers, youth to business people — to develop projects devoted to improving the media they consume.
• Donors and implementers should develop new media-assistance programmes focused on the economic, regulatory, and tax aspects of media development, so that media-support organisations develop along with rising commercial media that may ignore its social role and responsibilities.
• Donors should continue support of NGOs that work in the interest of independent media
• Creation of community-based programmes that address media literacy at local, national, and regional levels and programmes that build the media literacy of youth should receive donor and implementer attention.
• The US government should expand international exchange programmes, to demonstrate to media practitioners from abroad the value of supporting institutions, and recruit hosts who administer the most creative and effective programmes.