As news media in the US and Europe come under increasing pressure, Financial Advisor looked at how MDIF (formerly MDLF) successfully combines social impact and financial returns by investing in independent news businesses in countries with a history of media oppression.
Thomas Kostigen, a columnist for Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch and a best-selling author, noted the importance of the mission – independent news in transitional societies “promulgates democracy, freedoms, education and a more free-thinking electorate” – and highlighted the fact that media businesses in emerging and frontier markets can grow quickly as “there is a hunger for news and information as never before”.
He took a close look at how the organisation operates, from its insistence on gaining a detailed understanding of client businesses to the challenges posed by the digital transition, as well as outlining its “unique and sophisticated approach to raising capital”.
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