Needs assessment: Information Integrity in Middle East and North Africa

At-a-glance structure

Phase	Purpose	Core outputs
1 – Evidence consolidation	Pull together fragmented public, private and internal evidence before new primary research begins.	Consolidated evidence review; programme/actor mapping; evidence-gap note; KII focus note.
2 – Targeted KIIs	Use the evidence review to focus interviews on agreed gaps and high-value questions.	KII findings summary; priority needs/opportunities matrix; strategic hypotheses tested.
3 – Donor analysis and funding opportunities	Analyse, map and prioritise donor entry points, funding landscape and collaboration opportunities.	Donor mapping and prioritised entry-point recommendations.
4 – Recommendations	Translate insights into clear TRF programming, donor, partnership and innovation opportunities.	Final report; strategic recommendations brief; landscape map and annexes.

Background and Context

The Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF) works to promote free, fair and informed societies by strengthening information integrity and protecting civic space, particularly in contexts where independent media and civil society actors face significant constraints. Across the Middle East and North Africa, media ecosystems are shaped by misinformation and disinformation dynamics, declining trust, restrictive legal and political environments, financial instability, and fast-evolving digital information behaviours.

TRF seeks to undertake a needs assessment to inform future programming, partnerships and donor positioning in MENA. The revised assignment should retain the original ToR’s focus on information integrity, independent media, civic space, partner and donor scoping, and programme design, while placing greater emphasis on consolidating the extensive body of evidence already available across public sources, internal TRF knowledge, partner intelligence, donor reports, programme learning and practitioner insight.

This assignment is therefore intended to move beyond a conventional needs assessment. It should first consolidate the fragmented evidence already available on information integrity, independent media, civic space, media sustainability, audience behaviour, Media in Exile, content creators and innovation in the MENA information ecosystem. Only once this evidence base has been consolidated should the assignment move into targeted key informant interviews (KIIs), focused on agreed priority questions where primary insight can add the greatest strategic value for TRF.

The assessment should adopt a systemic analytical approach and integrate gender, youth and inclusion-sensitive analysis throughout. It should also recognise the distinctive roles played by traditional independent media organisations, Media in Exile actors, content creators, podcasters, civic-tech and media-tech innovators, donors, intermediaries and civil society actors within the wider information space.

Purpose and Objectives

The overarching objective of this assignment is to generate a consolidated, evidence-based understanding of the needs, opportunities, risks and ecosystem dynamics shaping information integrity, independent media and civic space across the MENA region. The assessment should identify where TRF can add most value through future programming, partnerships, donor engagement and strategic positioning.

Specific objectives

• Consolidate and analyse existing evidence from public, private and TRF-held sources on information integrity, independent media, civic space, donor programming, audience behaviour, media sustainability, Media in Exile, content creators and innovation in the regional information ecosystem.
• Identify key knowledge gaps and strategic questions where the evidence base is weak, fragmented, contested, outdated, geographically uneven or insufficient for programme design.
• Undertake targeted KIIs and consultations once the initial data review is complete, focusing interviews on agreed priority areas where primary insight can add the greatest value.
• Generate deeper analysis around priority knowledge gaps: the economic value of journalism; information integrity and FIMI as regional and global security issues; audience needs and willingness to support independent media, particularly through diaspora support; Media in Exile ecosystems; content creators and new information actors; and regional innovation in technology and start-up solutions in the information space.
• Map relevant programmes, actors, partners, donors, innovation models and funding approaches to identify gaps, duplication, opportunities for collaboration and potential areas of comparative advantage for TRF.
• Produce actionable recommendations to inform TRF’s programme design, donor positioning, partnership strategy and future investment decisions.

Scope of Work & Methodology

Phase	Purpose	Key Activities & Methodology	Outputs
Phase 1: Evidence Consolidation and Gap Analysis	Establish what is already known, where evidence is thin, and which questions should be tested before primary research begins.	Synthesize public, donor, programme, TRF and partner evidence across the priority analytical pillars in Annex A. Map relevant programmes, actors, donors, partners and innovation models across the region. Identify evidence gaps, assumptions and priority questions for validation with TRF. Agree which gaps require targeted KIIs before Phase 2 begins.	Consolidated evidence review. Mapping annex. Evidence-gap note. KII focus note for TRF validation
Phase 2: Targeted KIIs and Needs Assessment	Test, deepen and challenge the priority findings agreed after Phase 1, without duplicating information already available.	Conduct focused KIIs and consultations with agreed stakeholder categories. Explore practical implications for programme design, donor positioning and partnerships. Test assumptions on audience demand, media sustainability, information integrity, Media in Exile, creators and innovation. Identify priority needs, risks and potential TRF entry points.	KII findings summary. Needs, risks and opportunities matrix. Tested strategic hypotheses. Initial programme and partnership implications.
Phase 3: Donor, Partner and Innovation Scoping	Prioritise the donor, partner and innovation entry points where TRF has credible added value.	Map donors, intermediaries, networks, coalitions and relevant funding mechanisms. Assess potential partners across independent media, Media in Exile, civil society, creators, digital safety, media-tech and civic-tech ecosystems. Identify collaboration opportunities, gaps, duplication and areas of comparative advantage. Prioritise realistic funding and partnership entry points for TRF.	Donor and partner landscape map. Prioritised entry-point analysis. Partnership opportunity assessment. Innovation landscape annex
Phase 4: Strategic Recommendations	Convert the evidence, consultation findings and landscape analysis into decisions for future TRF engagement.	Synthesize findings across all phases into a clear set of strategic options. Prioritise programming, donor, partnership and innovation opportunities. Set out short-, medium- and longer-term options, including implications for TRF investment and business development.	Final report. Strategic recommendations brief. Donor engagement recommendations. Final maps and annexes.
Cross-Cutting: Inclusion Analysis	Ensure gender, youth, diversity and inclusion shape the evidence review, KIIs, analysis and recommendations.	Assess participation, leadership, visibility and access barriers affecting women, young people and minoritised groups. Analyse identity-specific risks, safety concerns and access to resources, networks and decision-making spaces. Identify opportunities for gender-responsive, youth-inclusive and intersectional programming.	Inclusion reflected in evidence review, KII tools, analysis matrix and final recommendations.

Deliverables

Deliverable	Description	Requirements
Inception Report and Methodology	Research framework, methodology, source list, stakeholder categories, KII sequencing and workplan.	Include draft tools and proposed decision point after evidence review.
Consolidated Evidence Review and Programme Mapping	Synthesis of public, private and TRF-held evidence, programme learning, donor intelligence and ecosystem mapping.	Include dedicated chapters on Media in Exile and Content Creators.
Evidence Gap and KII Focus Note	Short note identifying proposed areas for targeted KIIs, rationale, key questions and stakeholder categories.	To be validated with TRF before interviews begin.
Targeted Needs Assessment Report	Findings from KIIs and consultations against agreed priority areas.	Cover economic value, FIMI/security, audience/diaspora support, MiE, creators and innovation.
Partner, Donor and Innovation Landscape Map	Practical mapping annex of donors, implementers, intermediaries, creators, innovation actors and potential partners.	Identify gaps, overlap, fragmentation and collaboration opportunities.
Strategic Recommendations Brief	Concise recommendations for TRF programme design, donor positioning and partnerships.	Structure recommendations by independent media, Media in Exile, content creators, information integrity, innovation and donor opportunities.
Validation and Final Outputs	Presentation of findings to TRF followed by final revisions.	Final report, annexes, mapping tables, needs matrix and recommendations brief.

Geographic Scope

The assessment should cover the MENA region, with final country prioritisation to be agreed during inception. The consultant should propose a focused geographic approach after the initial evidence review, taking account of the quality and volume of existing evidence, strategic relevance to TRF, donor and partner opportunities, relevance to the priority knowledge gaps, and opportunities to avoid duplication with other TRF assessments or programmes.

Potential priority contexts may include Sudan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq and Iran, subject to agreement with TRF during inception.

Where relevant, the analysis should distinguish between in-country independent media ecosystems and Media in Exile ecosystems, to avoid conflating different operating realities and support needs.

Required Experience

• Strong desk-based research, evidence synthesis and analytical writing skills.
• Experience conducting needs assessments, ecosystem scoping and programme/donor mapping.
• Knowledge of media development, information integrity, civic space, independent media sustainability, Media in Exile and/or digital information ecosystems.
• Experience conducting research in MENA and/or fragile, restricted or politically sensitive contexts.
• Experience designing and conducting targeted KIIs with media, civic, donor, technology, innovation, creator and regional stakeholders.
• Ability to analyse donor landscapes, programme models, evidence gaps, innovation opportunities and strategic entry points.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate gender, youth, diversity and inclusion analysis into research and programme design.
• Arabic language skills are essential. French is desirable where relevant to the agreed geographic scope.

Timeline and Level of Effort

The assignment should be completed by 31 October 2026, with sequencing structured to allow TRF to review and validate the evidence consolidation before KIIs begin. The current planning assumption is approximately 20 consultancy days, to be refined during inception depending on scope, geography and stakeholder access.

Application Process

Interested applicants should submit a CV, a technical proposal outlining their approach, and a financial proposal. Proposals will be assessed on technical merit, relevance of expertise, feasibility of methodology, understanding of the MENA information ecosystem, ability to deliver an evidence-led and targeted approach, and cost-effectiveness.

• Application deadline 10 August 2026
• Email applications to [email protected]

Annex A: Priority Analytical Pillars

Pillar	Core question
Economic value of journalism	How does journalism contribute to civic, economic and social resilience in the region, and what are the consequences of its absence?
Information integrity and security	How do information integrity threats, including FIMI, affect regional stability, civic resilience and global security?
Audience needs and diaspora support	What do audiences need from independent media, and where is there willingness to support trusted information financially or through networks?
Media in Exile	What role do MiE actors play in preserving independent information, and what support would strengthen reach, resilience and sustainability?
Content creators and new information actors	How are creators, podcasters and digital publishers shaping trust, discourse and audience behaviour?
Innovation and technology	Which regional start-up, civic-tech, media-tech and verification solutions could inform future TRF programming?

Annex B: Stakeholder Categories

Stakeholder category	Examples
Independent media and media civic actors	Newsroom leaders, editors, journalists, media focused civil society actors, legal and digital safety organisations.
Media in Exile	MiE founders, editors, audience development leads, donors supporting exile media, sustainability and safety experts.
Content creators and emerging actors	Podcasters, independent creators, digital publishers, creator networks, media entrepreneurs and platform specialists.
Innovation ecosystem	Civic-tech and media-tech start-ups, verification initiatives, AI-enabled information resilience actors and incubators.
Donors and intermediaries	Bilateral and multilateral donors, philanthropies, funding intermediaries, networks and coalitions.
Audience/diaspora insight	Diaspora community representatives, audience researchers, membership/subscription experts and community media actors.