A new regional study on public interest journalism in East Africa says independent media organisations across Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda are increasingly turning to multilingual publishing, digital audience engagement, and cautious use of artificial intelligence (AI) to survive mounting political pressure, shrinking civic space, and declining donor funding.

The report, Media Viability in East Africa by RNW Media, an international media development organisation based in the Netherlands, examined how independent media outlets are adapting to rapid changes in audience behaviour, platform algorithms, and funding models while attempting to maintain editorial independence and public trust.

The study identified Addis Standard as one of five regional case studies demonstrating how public interest media are responding to political and financial pressures through innovation in digital publishing, multimedia journalism, and AI-assisted workflows.

“Weathered national political turmoil”

Addis Standard, founded in 2011 as a monthly print publication before transitioning into a trilingual digital outlet, has “weathered national political turmoil while remaining on the frontlines of public interest reporting.”

In Ethiopia, the report recalled that the magazine was forced to shut down its print edition during the 2016 state of emergency, abruptly losing advertising income and refunding advertisers after terminating long-term contracts.

A similar measure was taken in June 2021, when the authority suspended the outlet for allegedly “advancing the agenda” of what it described as a “terrorist group,” a decision later reversed after being challenged.

In April 2025, Ethiopian police raided its office and the home of a senior staff member, briefly detaining three managers and confiscating electronic equipment.

On February 24, 2026, the Ethiopian Media Authority (EMA) said it had “revoked” Addis Standard’s online media registration certificate, citing “repeated violations” of media laws and the dissemination of content it said endangered “national interests”.

JAKENN Publishing PLC, the publisher, contested the decision as unlawful. On April 15, a group of plainclothes intelligence officers forcibly removed Addis Standard’s Managing Editor, Million Beyene, from the newsroom, telling him he was “needed for questioning” before taking him to an undisclosed location.

After two weeks in informal detention facilities in and outside Addis Abeba, he was released to his family and JAKENN’s legal and editorial representatives.

Multilingual digital engagement

The report said the publication’s strategy now focuses on expanding multilingual digital engagement across English, Afaan Oromoo, and Amharic platforms while diversifying income streams through sponsored content, YouTube monetisation, podcasts, and multimedia production.

RNW Media noted that Addis Standard is integrating AI tools to support multilingual production and multimedia workflows while maintaining editorial oversight. The study described the outlet’s “ethical AI-assisted translation and content sharing,” where AI generates draft translations but “human editors retain full control over accuracy, nuance, and final publication.”

The outlet has introduced internal AI governance safeguards developed with ethical AI specialists, stressing that AI is used only as “assistive infrastructure” and not for producing original journalism.

The study highlighted broader challenges confronting independent media in the region, including state pressure and shrinking civic space.

It also cited economic instability and conflict in Ethiopia as factors that have reduced international advertising revenue and made some companies reluctant to associate with outlets known for “robust and critical political commentary.”

Quoting Addis Standard’s position on funding and editorial independence, the report stated: “We needed to look for funding alternatives from places where we’re not required to compromise on our editorial integrity.”

The report documented similar pressures elsewhere in East Africa.

In Uganda, the study said Parliament Watch Uganda (PWU), a civic-tech and parliamentary monitoring platform, operates in what it described as a “politically restrictive environment” where journalists and civic actors face “growing intolerance,” including intimidation and withdrawal of parliamentary accreditation.

The report said PWU has increasingly adopted AI-powered tools, including parliamentary trackers, debt monitoring systems, and chatbots, to improve access to public information and civic engagement.

At the same time, the study noted growing uncertainty around AI regulation and warned that media organisations in Uganda remain vulnerable to “ad hoc restrictions or backlash” while operating in an unclear legal environment.

Another Ugandan case study, Reach a Hand Uganda (RAHU) and its affiliated production agency Sauti Plus, highlighted the impact of donor dependency on media sustainability. The report said the organisations face “heavy dependence on volatile donor funding” amid shifting international funding priorities.

The study quoted staff members describing the uncertainty surrounding donor cuts while insisting that “the work cannot stop just because there is no money.”

In Kenya, the report described similar struggles facing independent outlets such as The Elephant and Africa Uncensored.

The Elephant, founded in 2016 during what the study called a period of “shrinking civic space”, has focused on platform diversification and audience-supported journalism after donor funding declined and paywall experiments failed.

The report also said African outlets face “algorithmic and platform bias” that limits discoverability on major search engines and social media platforms, reinforcing inequalities between global media organisations and smaller regional publishers.

Meanwhile, investigative outlet Africa Uncensored was cited as facing mounting legal and financial pressure, including threats of SLAPP lawsuits designed to delay or suppress critical reporting.

According to the report, Africa Uncensored has responded by expanding its presence across YouTube, TikTok, and other platforms while relying increasingly on audience donations and direct digital publishing to maintain editorial autonomy.

The study concluded that despite financial strain, platform disadvantages, and political pressure, independent public interest media organisations across East Africa continue adapting through multilingual publishing, multimedia storytelling, and ethical AI integration aimed at sustaining audience trust and long-term viability.