WPP has made a commitment to be part of the Media Freedom Cohort, making it easier for its clients to send media dollars to responsible news outlets around the world.
The Media Freedom Cohort was established last year by Internews, a non-profit that supports the development of independent news outlets, in partnership with the governments of Canada and the Netherlands. In addition to more than one hundred governments and non-profits that have since signed on to the cohort, businesses including Google, Microsoft, The New York Times and Associated Press have made commitments to one of the program’s three pillars: protecting the safety and security of journalists; advancing freedom of expression; and bolstering independent and diverse media through new funding models and policies.
That third pillar is where WPP has made its commitment. Through media arm GroupM, WPP has pledged to create dedicated marketplaces for domains vetted as part of Internews’ Ad for News inclusion list. Internews has not publicly disclosed which outlets are part of Ad for News, but it was created in partnership with news industry associations in various markets, including News Media Canada, which counts hundreds of daily and community outlets among its members.
WPP will also work on initiatives that educate clients about investing in responsible journalism, as well as add domains from responsible outlets to local media supplies.
“A healthy media ecosystem depends on a thriving news business that supports journalists and incentivises fact-based reporting,” said Christian Juhl, CEO of GroupM. “As the world’s leading media investment organisation, we’re proud to support the work of the Media Freedom Cohort through our global partnership with Internews and commitment to investing in responsible journalism.”
Formally signing on to the Media Freedom Cohort follows an announcement last month that GroupM would be launching “Back To News,” also underpinned by Internews’ Ad for News, which would create inclusion lists, private marketplaces and packages of inventory to encourage clients to re-invest media budgets into responsible published in markets throughout the world.
