The global media landscape is grappling with a deepening crisis as traditional media business models struggle to keep up with digital innovation. But those situated in the Global South face compounded challenges, including market failures, infrastructure deficits, and fragile democracies – making it increasingly difficult for media outlets to remain independent.
In response to these challenges, the Gordon Institute of Business Science (Gibs) partnered with Daily Maverick to launch its inaugural Executive Programme in Media Leadership: Strengthening Media Leaders in Africa.
“Media sustainability is not just an industry concern, it’s actually an imperative,” said Michael Markovitz, head of the Gordon Institute of Business Science Media Leadership Think Tank during the virtual launch of the Executive Programme in Media Leadership on 15 April 2025.
Markovitz, who was joined by Daily Maverick CEO Styli Charalambous, underscored the democratic urgency of an initiative such as this one to prevent the collapse of public interest journalism.
The first of its kind
“We’re investing in leadership and professional development, addressing the sustainability of public interest journalism and building strategic influence,” Charalambous explained
The four-month programme, designed to equip participants with crucial leadership skills necessary to transform and sustain their media organisations, stems from a mutual origin of the lack of accessible leadership development opportunities tailored to the unique realities and economic pressures faced by African media.
“We’ve recognised this challenge that at the heart of the crisis, journalism is a public good, but it’s wrapped inside a business motive,” said Charalambous. “That brings some complexity and challenges that are very specific to the industry.”
The course marks an intervention in the African media landscape to invest in training media leaders on the ground. While policy-focused efforts by the Gibs Think Tank have been instrumental in advocating for fairer media ecosystems, Markovitz emphasised the need for immediate action.
“We need to do something urgent, a practical immediate intervention that helps emerging media,” he said, stressing that the lived realities of operating in a low resource, high pressure and often very politically sensitive environment, such as those operating across the continent, were beyond the scope of theoretical frameworks or case studies from the Global North.
Read more about the leadership program : HERE
