The media owned by Prilika Group has received €60,000 from the EU grant LocalMedia4Democracy!

3 Aug

Lika Club, a Croatian media outlet actively delivering news since 2015 in Croatia and beyond, has received significant funding from the European Commission for a new media project.

After winning the European competition eu. Web Awards 2022 last year, organized by EUrid, which was covered by numerous Croatian and international media, including Yahoo Finance, another excellent news arrived from Europe in July 2023.

The Journalismfund Europe and International Media Support have awarded substantial financial resources for 17 media editions across Europe. A total of €524,265 was distributed for 17 media projects, with 82 submissions from 20 European countries.

Only one media outlet from Croatia received funding, the media brand from Prilika Group, for the project of creating a mobile application for Lika Club readers, within the grant program funded by the European Commission under the title “Local Media for Democracy.”

Access to information in Lika is significantly limited

The competition was directed to European regions where it is necessary to care for the public interest in areas “where access to information is significantly reduced.” Given that Lika-Senj County is one of those regions where access to objective information for citizens is significantly limited, and local politicians often bypass public information for citizens, including all media outlets, Lika Club proved to be an excellent choice for supporting quality information for citizens through this project in this Croatian region.

The receipt of funds from the European Union, specifically from the European Commission, for media development and local democracy, is significant news not only for Lika but also for Croatia. Croatian media outlets often face funding problems, as they usually depend on local politicians who influence local media using public funds for their financing, often completely misinforming the public about the real situation in their geographical area. The same applies to Lika. These funds for Lika Club are not just of a financial nature and another reflection of recognition for our work, but also a message to the local community and the Croatian scene of regional media, says Ante Fumić, the owner of Prilika Group.

With the obtained EU grant of €60,000, Lika Club will finance the development of a mobile application for Lika, which will significantly improve the information of citizens and Lika Club readers on a daily basis, in line with modern mobile technology. Additionally, Lika Club received the highest funding among all the other 16 European media projects that received funding, indicating that it was the best-rated project by an independent expert media jury from Journalismfund Europe. Moreover, the EU grant also covers workshops on media literacy to further explain more information about media reporting and the project to interested citizens. A total of five workshops will be held by the Lika Club editorial team, which will be promptly announced by Prilika Group.

With the received EU grant, Lika Club will finance the development of the Lika mobile application

The project, funded with 60,000.00 euros, focuses on the development of a mobile application dedicated to Lika, which will significantly enhance the information for citizens and Lika Club readers on a daily basis, in line with modern mobile technology. Additionally, Lika Club received the highest funding among all the other 16 European media projects that received funding, indicating that it was the best-rated project by an independent expert media jury from Journalismfund Europe.

Furthermore, the EU grant also covers workshops on media literacy to provide interested citizens with additional information about media reporting and the project. A total of five workshops will be conducted by the Lika Club editorial team, and Prilika Group will promptly inform about them.

Among the 17 supported media outlets, local journalism is promoted in 12 European countries.

In addition to the media brand Lika Club, the following projects from Europe have also received financial support:

The jury selected the aforementioned projects based on their sustainability, innovation, diversity, and feasibility. These were crucial aspects considered by the jury in selecting the winners. Additionally, the jury valued their ability to adhere to fundamental journalistic principles: reliance on facts, accuracy, independence, fairness, impartiality, and responsibility.

Lastly, but not least, the impact of each project on their local audience and communities in relation to “news deserts” was another pillar for the final evaluation.

In order to reduce the spread of misinformation and the emergence of “news deserts,” we provided support for the best projects. I am pleased with the significant interest, but I understand that this interest also points to the issues that these grants address. Local media is an invaluable pillar for strengthening democracy in regions, and we are delighted that there are opportunities for such funding. This support is aimed at better reaching the audience in the current challenging digital environment. May the projects succeed, says a member of the Journalismfund jury.

Furthermore, the organizers of this competition conclude, “Local journalism, by definition, reaches a smaller audience than national or global news. This means that the economic basis for local journalism is usually weaker. It was encouraging to see that, despite this, there are strong local publications throughout Europe. Publications that demonstrate independence, quality, and depth of reporting and can make good use of technological advancement.”

All of this was officially reported by the Journalismfund Europe last Thursday, which you can also find on their website.

This news was created with the support of Journalismfund Europe.

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