Laxmi Parthasarathy and Michael Gordon
April 12, 2018

Ashoka has partnered with the Center for Social Impact to understand the new media landscape being forged by social entrepreneurs. These individuals work closely with their communities to address problems ranging from malicious actors sowing disinformation or hijacking media for nefarious purposes, to a lack of well-trained local journalists, and local citizenry having limited opportunities for public engagement. Based on a deep analysis of fifty Ashoka Fellows whose primary aim is addressing problems associated with media, the report shows the five overarching goals that unite their work and the various approaches they have adopted to achieve them.

The five overarching goals include:

1. Improving the infrastructure and environment within which the media operates
2. Improving standards of reporting to strengthen the quality of journalism
3. Ensuring the media is a vehicle for civic engagement
4. Making the media a self-sustaining business
5. Increasing media literacy by providing the public with diverse and representative content.

This work points the way toward stronger trust between communities and the media.

Download the full report: The Bottom-Up Media Revolution (.pdf)