Media Development Indicators

The Media Freedom Indicators (MDIs) were conceived in 2006 by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The MDIs are theoretically based on five UNESCO declarations on Promoting Independent and Pluralistic Media (Windhoek Declaration and those of Almaty, Santiago, Sana'a and Sofia). They do not prescribe a fixed methodological approach but provide a "toolkit", offering an inclusive list of indicators and methods from which selections can be made according to the particularities of the national context.

By the end of 2021, 24 MDI country reports based on the MDI framework have been publishedand several further assessments were ongoing.

The MDI framework identifies five principal media development categories: media regulation; media plurality; the media's function as a platform for democratic discourse; professional capacity building; and infrastructure. 

These five categories are further divided into 21 sub-categories (so-called "issues"), 50 key indicators and 190 sub-indicators. The country reports based on the framework typically comprise around 100 pages. 

A research team of international and local researchers evaluates all key indicators, focusing on aspects that are crucial in the regional context. In order to gain information about the indicators, the researchers use various methods: The desk research includes the analysis of laws, policies, third party and press reports and surveys while the field research normally comprises group and individual interviews, regional and thematic focus groups, consultative events and conferences as well as questionnaire-based surveys and media content analysis. 

Both the amplitude of the whole assessment and the use of methods depend on the time frame and the available financial resources. 

UNESCO is a specified UN agency whose declared purpose is to contribute to peace and security by promoting international collaboration through education, science, and culture. It was founded in 1945. Today, it has 193 member states and 11 associate members.