Pluralistic Media for Democracy

The team from Okraj, a man and two women, sit in a podcast studio with laptops and microphones.

Through strategic support for innovation, business sustainability and audience engagement, the Pluralistic Media for Democracy (PM4D) programme is empowering media organisations to continue their critical role in upholding democracy and fostering informed public discourse across Europe.

The Pluralistic Media for Democracy (PM4D) project focuses on three key objectives aimed at strengthening local, regional, community and investigative media across Europe:

The lack of capital in this sector is being addressed by offering financial support through a Media Pluralism Fund to media organisations. Through two rounds of open and competitive calls for proposals, €1.4 million was distributed to 46 media outlets across 16 European countries. Having received 246 applications from 31 countries, the needs for this type of financial support are extremely high. The project ensures these organisations can sustain their work by providing funding that enables them to continue delivering diverse and independent news.

The financial support is complemented by enhancing the resilience, pluralism and editorial independence of the supported media. Through capacity-building and mentoring, the project equips these media organisations with the tools and expertise to overcome challenges and sustain their independence. By supporting their long-term sustainability, the programme aims to create a resilient media ecosystem that can resist political or commercial pressures, allowing local media to continue serving the public interest. These initiatives help media outlets contribute effectively to civic participation and democracy.

Finally, by having such a diverse collective of media partners, PM4D aims to create a network of media across Europe that allows local, regional and investigative media outlets to exchange experience. The project ensures that successful strategies and lessons learned are shared across Europe.

Learning materials

Learning to iterate on and maximise new innovations, as well as taking ideas to market – in short, an entrepreneurial way of thinking – is key. The Pluralistic Media for Democracy programme emphasises peer-to-peer knowledge exchange and creating a sense of community between peers to enhance motivation.

Audience engagement and community building PowerPoint

pluralistic media for democracy audience engagement and community building presentation september 17, 2025

The aim of the PM4D programme is to revive the local media landscape with measures to build resilience, independence and sustainability by improving their capacity in innovation, business strategies and audience engagement, underpinned by  financial support. Ultimately, it is helping contribute to building an enabling environment where a pluralistic and independent media landscape in the EU can exist.

Pluralistic Media for Democracy (PM4D) is an innovative project implemented by Journalismfund Europe and IMS, funded by the European Union.

Case story: Okraj

Jan Žabka, co-founder of the Czech media outlet Okraj, talks about the online publication’s startup phase, goals and future ambitions. Okraj is a new local media focusing on investigations, analytical features and in-depth articles on politics, the environment and social issues in the Moravian-Silesian region.

Iryna Vidanava, a Business Viability Adviser at IMS (International Media Support), explains how IMS enhances the viability of media by helping outlets to reach and engage niche audiences and to diversify their business models.

Okraj launched in January 2024 with support from the Local Media for Democracy programme and is participating in the ongoing PM4D programme.

Press releases

Additional resources

a group of Sri Lankan journalists interview a woman

Viability

IMS enables pockets of public interest journalists, content producers and media to survive and thrive in their local contexts and operate effectively. It is a constant process of reviewing the audience, content and business aspects of good journalism work.

We provide support based on local demand to develop capacities so media partners can reach and engage different audiences and work towards functioning business models and strengthened organisations.

A group photo showing participants of the Local Media for Democracy Festival

Pluralistic Media for Democracy fact sheet

This brief fact sheet provides details of the objectives and results of the Pluralistic Media for Democracy project.