التمويل الأجنبي أفسح المجال لحرية التعبير خارج الضغط السياسي

التمويل الأجنبي أفسح المجال لحرية التعبير خارج الضغط السياسي

حوار مع ديانا مقلد: صحافية ومنتجة أفلام لبنانية. غطت بعض الحروب والنزاعات من أفغانستان والعراق واليمن. تعد من مؤسسي موقع "درج".

 

سأجيب من خلال تجربتي في "درج". بالنسبة لنا، التمويل جزء من مشكلة الإعلام لأنه يقترن بضغط تحريري وسياسي، وبالتالي تحرير المؤسسة الإعلامية يكون عبر نموذج إعلامي غير ريعي وقابل لأن يكون منتجًا، سواء عبر إعلانات أو اشتراكات وغيرها. أقصد أن الأمر ضروري لتأمين استقلالية المؤسسة على المستوى التحريري من تبعية المال السياسي الذي يشكل المعضلة الكبرى في عالم الصحافة اليوم.

من هذا المنطلق، كان خيارنا وخيار مؤسسات ناشئة مختلفة في أكثر من دولة عربية، هو اللجوء إلى مؤسسات مانحة كمرحلة انتقالية، ثم فيما بعد سنصل إلى مستوى الاستقلال المادي من خلال "نموذج عمل" (business model) يؤمّن مداخيل للمؤسسة ويضمن استمراريتها.
 

الحال أن بعض مؤسسات الإعلام البديل تمكنت من تأمين مداخيل محدودة عبر اشتراكات أو إقامة أنشطة ربحية، أو تقديم خدمات تقنية وإنتاجية تساهم في تأمين ربح للمؤسسة، وهذا لم يكن ممكنًا لولا الدعم من مؤسسات مانحة ساهمت في تطوير بيئة العمل. بمعنى، كان كثيرون يعملون على قاعدة أنهم "منظمات غير حكومية" (NGO)، وهذا يجعل المؤسسة ريعية غير قادرة على الاستقلال ماديا. وعلى هذا الأساس، صار من الضروري أن تطور أي مؤسسة إعلامية نموذجا قابلا لربح المال من أجل ضمان استقلالية التحرير.

 

 ما أود التركيز عليه، وأنا أجيب على سؤالك، هو أن اللجوء إلى مؤسسات مانحة ليس مفتوحًا. وبمعنى آخر، فإن خيارات التمويل -بالنسبة لنا في "درج"- محصورة في جهات غير سياسية وغير حكومية وغير فارضة لأي أجندات أو ضغوط تحريرية، وهذا ما اعتمدناه، وأي تعاون مع مؤسسة يمكن أن تفرض علينا رؤية تحريرية أو سياسية؛ لا نقبله.
 

التعامل مع مؤسسات مانحة أمر دقيق لجهة اختيار تلك المؤسسات من أجل ضمان أن يكون التمويل متحررًا من الضغط السياسي، وهي على كل حالٍ ليست كثيرة، ولا تملك موازنات ضخمة، لكنها بالتأكيد تعطي هامشا واسعا للعمل المهني، الأمر الذي يمكن أن نلمسه في تجارب إعلامية مختلفة. 

هذا النموذج -بالتأكيد- أعطى مساحات أوسع لتناول قضايا من خارج الانقسام السياسي والأهلي في المنطقة العربية، سواء ما يتعلق بقضايا الحريات الفردية والعامة، أو على مستوى القضايا السياسية التي يدور حولها انقسام كبير في مجتمعاتنا.

 

العلاقة مع التمويل يجب ألا تكون عشوائية، فاختيار المؤسسات المانحة أيضا يجب أن يكون دقيقًا. من خلال تجربتي، لا تفرض المؤسسات المانحة أجندة محددة.. صحيح أنها تحبذ قضايا بعينها، لكن هذه القضايا هي نفسها التي دفعتني للتوقف عن العمل في مؤسسات إعلامية تقليدية، وأعني بها السقف العالي في التعاطي مع قضايا الحريات العامة والفردية، وقضايا الحقوق السياسية والجندرية، وقضايا حرية التعبير.. هذه القضايا توجد في صلب الانقسام السياسي عربيًّا، والتمويل يتحكم بها بحسب الجهة.

كي أختصر ملف التمويل الأجنبي، فإني أجد هذه التجربة -أقصد التمويل القادم من مؤسسات مانحة غير سياسية وغير حكومية وغير فارضة لأجندات تحريرية- قد سمحت لتجارب إعلامية بأن تكون متحررة من الضغط السياسي التقليدي، وأكثر حرية ومهنية في التعبير عن قضايا أساسية في المنطقة العربية.

 

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