The Media Sustainability Index by IREX

The Media Sustainability Index is conducted by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), which was established by leading U.S. universities in 1968 to administer exchanges with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Today, the NGO is active around the globe while based in Washington D.C. Its stated mission is to help local individuals and institutions to build key elements of a vibrant society.

IREX receives significant amounts of its funding from U.S. federal institutions like the Department of State or the Agency for International Development (USAID). In 2012, approximately 78 percent of the funds received were through awards from the U.S. government.

MSI-reports cover different regions and contain chapters on single countries. The first MSI was published for Europe and Eurasia in 2001; this was followed by reports on the Middle East and North Africa region, Africa, and Asia.

What is IREX's approach?
MSI country scores range from 0 to 4. IREX does not present its findings in a ranking but classifies all countries, depending on their scores, into four broader categories: "Unsustainable, Anti-Free Press" (0-1); "Unsustainable Mixed System" (1-2); "Near Sustainability" (2-3); "Sustainable" (3-4).

For the evaluation, IREX assesses 40 indicators, divided into five so-called objectives:
• Legal and social norms protect and promote free speech and access to public information;
• Journalism meets professional standards of quality;
• Multiple news sources provide citizens with reliable, objective news;
• Media are well-managed enterprises, allowing editorial independence;
• Supporting institutions function in the professional interests of independent media.

Each indicator is rated on a scale from 0 to 4, with 0 meaning that the country does not meet the indicator; and 4 meaning that the country meets all aspects of the indicator. The indicator scores are averaged to obtain a single, overall score for each objective. The overall country score, eventually, is an average of all five objectives.

How is the Media Sustainability Index compiled?
Each indicator is individually scored by members of a panel of between 10 and 14 local experts in each country. Panelists are representatives from the country's media outlets, NGOs, professional associations and academic institutions.

In a second step, all panelists sit down together under the direction of a local moderator who is also the author of the written report, discuss their scores and, if desired, change them. Finally, one IREX staff member reviews the scores and also scores all countries of the respective regional MSI as a final contribution, carrying the same weight as an individual panelist.

For more information, see IREX's web page. For a more detailed analysis of the index, its methodology, its strengths and weaknesses, and how it compares with other indices, see DW Akademie guidebook "Media Freedom Indices - What they tell us and what they don't". More links are provided in the Media Freedom Navigator resources section.