Media Cooperative Consultant

Media Collective/Cooperative Consultancy - Terms of Reference

Coordinates with: Capacity Building Activities Officer 

Start - End Dates: 31-07-2023 till 31-10-2023

Introduction

Anti-Racism Movement (ARM) is a local NGO established in 2011 by a group of local activists who work together with migrant workers to secure social, economic, and gender justice for all migrant workers and racialized groups in Lebanon. We work for a just society where all migrants enjoy decent living and working conditions.

Project: Media Cooperative/Collective 

A media monitoring report, that came out in 2021 in collaboration with MCC,  presented an analysis of news content produced around migrant workers during the political, economic, and health crises in Lebanon. It exposed biased, manipulated, and false representations of migrants with a common racist dimension.

MCC seeks to facilitate the setting up of a migrant-led media collective/cooperative that aims to counter those depictions, reclaim the narrative and offer truthful and relevant reporting. The aim is to take a multimedia approach and produce a variety of relevant media content. It will provide a platform for voices not often found in establishment media and investigations. The collective seeks to challenge the profit driven model of traditional media organizations, dependent on funds from corporations & wealthy influential individuals and instead, implement a participatory, transparent and democratic model, in pursuit of public interest. It will also create a support network and community of journalists, artists, content creators, filmmakers and photographers alike.

Purpose and Scope of Work: 

The purpose of this consultancy is to facilitate the creation of a migrant-led media cooperative or collective. The consultant will lead a number of consultations with migrant communities to identify and assess the problem at hand and then collectively, with migrant workers, develop a prototype for the media collective/cooperative.                               

Responsibilities & expected deliverables:

• Co-create methodology and curriculum 
• Prepare training material in collaboration with MCC staff on principles of cooperative models. 
• Facilitate a number of workshops with a group of migrant workers
• Training and coaching a team of migrant women on the structure of cooperatives as well as the principles of a media collective
• Present different models for the cooperative in relation to the structure, governance & decision making
• Present analysis of existing media cooperatives & collectives with an in-depth look on its benefits and limitations
• Co-lead discussion on media representation of migrant workers in Lebanon

ARM commits to:

• Provide support with relevant material and content to the consultant to understand the context
• Provide logistical support to the consultant to carry out the training sessions