Millennium Challenge Corporation recognizes the importance of a free press to the economic and democratic development of a country. A free press increases political transparency; educates citizens, enabling them to make informed decisions; provides information to consumers that leads to competitive pricing; and gives citizens an outlet through which they can voice opinions and ideas. A commitment to a free press is an investment in the long-term progress of any society.

MCC Indicators and Press Freedom

Countries must demonstrate a commitment to press freedom to be eligible for an MCC Compact. Freedom of the Press is a component in three of MCC's Ruling Justly Indicators:

• The Civil Liberties indicator measures country performance on freedom of expression and belief, association and organizational rights, rule of law and human rights, personal autonomy, individual and economic rights, and the independence of the media and the judiciary.
• The Political Rights indicator measures country performance on the quality of the electoral process, political pluralism and participation, government corruption and transparency, and fair political treatment of ethnic groups.
• The Voice and Accountability indicator measures country performance on the ability of institutions to protect civil liberties, the extent to which citizens of a country are able to participate in the selection of governments, and the independence of the media.

MCC Programs Promoting Freedom of the Press

MCC is assisting those countries that have identified press freedom as an area needing improvement. MCC "Threshold Programs" engage with local media, NGOs, and government entities on taking the steps necessary to creating an environment where the free press can thrive.

Malawi (Component Total: $850,000)

Malawi's program strengthens oversight and increases transparency.

• Train journalists and media professionals
• Establish a Media Council

Training was recently conducted for 45 journalists in investigative reporting, focusing heavily on how to “follow the money” and write well-researched articles on financial issues. Approximately 50 additional journalists from major print media have received training in investigative reporting since 2007.

Moldova (Component Total: $4 million)

Moldova’s program strengthens the monitoring capacity of civil society and mass-media.

• Improve transparency and facilitate public scrutiny of government performance by NGOs and mass-media.
• Build positive NGO/Government partnerships and support NGO capacity to provide effective policy analysis to successfully advocate for continued policy reform.
• Improve the quality and quantity of investigative journalism.
• Launch a mass media and NGO campaign to increase public knowledge and understanding of the social • and financial consequences of corruption, etc.

Tanzania (Component Total: $3 million)

Tanzania’s program builds the nongovernmental sector monitoring capacity.

• Train and mobilize civil society monitors at the national and local levels with an emphasis on enhancing the role of women in the process.
• Train journalists in investigative reporting.
• Since the inception of the journalist training program, a total of 208 journalists have received training on investigative
  journalism skills, and together they have produced more than 350 articles on corruption issues. Newspapers are for the first time publishing in-depth, heavily-researched investigative pieces on corruption.

Ukraine (Component Total: $9.82 million)

Ukraine’s program expands media and civil society monitoring of anti-corruption activities.

• Develop public surveys to collect anti-corruption data and increase the number of NGO-initiated anti-corruption reforms.

• Increase the role of the media and investigative journalism through increased exposure of corruption by the media and an increased number of investigations due to media exposure, among other activities

• The first national competition for Best Investigative Journalism was held with 462 submissions resulting in 82 prizes in 25 regions.

In addition, the MCC works to ensure the free flow of information regarding details of the implementation of its compacts and projects around the world. Working closely with local and international media, MCC's transparent practices complement the work of a free, open press.