72051823RFI00001 - Investigative Journalism.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

Posting Date: May 17, 2023

Closing Date: May 31, 2023 @17:00 Local Time (LT)

Opportunity Number: 72051823RFI00001

Opportunity Category: Democracy & Governance

To All Interested Individuals and/or Organizations:

The U.S. Agency for International Development Mission to Ecuador (USAID/Ecuador) is conducting market research for a potential prospective activity. This notice has two parts: 1) a

Request for Information (RFI) to solicit input from interested organizations on a draft Activity

Outline for a prospective USAID/Ecuador activity; and 2) a Sources Sought Notice (SSN) to identify potential sources capable of providing the required services.

USAID/Ecuador is in the process of gathering information to support an anticipated design of a potential activity to strengthen local capacity of Ecuadorian investigative journalists, newsrooms, civil society organizations, academia and interested private sector partners, to increase transparency and accountability in all sectors of the society (e.g. public and private sectors, civil society, amongst others) and help produce relevant and rigorous investigative reports on corruption, organized crime and related topics.

The RFI/SSN is solely for information gathering purposes and it is not a Request for Proposal

(RFP), a Request for Applications (RFA), an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a solicitation, or an indication that USAID will contract for the activities described herein. In accordance with FAR

15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers, and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract/agreement.

This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the USG to issue any solicitation or ultimately award of a contract/agreement on the basis of this RFI, or to pay for any information submitted as a result of this request. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI.

72051823RFI00001

If the requirement was to be eventually released in the form of an RFA/ RFP/IFB, it may be synopsized in, but not limited to, the USG procurement information site www.sam.gov, www.grants.gov, and USAID websites. It is the potential responder’s responsibility to monitor the above forums for the release of any further information. It should be noted that responding to or providing comment on this RFI will not give any advantage to any organization in any potential subsequent procurement. USAID/Ecuador will not provide answers to any questions submitted in response to this request.

Your comments are requested to help understand the main challenges in this area, refine a potential intervention and to ensure maximum development impact, resolve a clear development challenge or need, facilitate sound coordination with existing activities, improve or promote relationships with key system enablers, share global best practices with the highest potential local impact and ensure as many voices as possible, interested or with experience in investigative journalism matters, have a say that USAID may otherwise not be able to know of.

Your comments must include information that is publicly available. Please do not submit any proprietary or confidential information. We value concise, issue-specific responses. USAID is looking for responses that take into consideration the current context of Ecuador.

Additionally, this is a Sources Sought Notification (SSN) to identify potential qualified organizations interested in and capable of performing the type of work described below.

Responses to the SSN should be sent using the attachment below and include organization information and past experience working in this subject area and working with relevant stakeholders on the ground.

The following preliminary general objectives and a brief elaboration are proposed for inclusion in the design of this activity:

Objective 1: Collaborative investigative reporting to expose corruption and/or other illegal activities, including but not limited to money laundering, illicit finance, environmental crimes, the use of corrosive capital, organized crime, among others.

Illustrative Interventions: Interventions under this objective could focus on the following areas:

bolstering existing and/or creating new partnerships for investigative journalism (IJ) across

Ecuador (including journalists/outlets operating outside of Quito and Guayaquil); uncovering and reporting on kleptocracy, strategic corruption, and transnational graft; sharing information and learning across activist networks; telling impactful stories in traditional and new/creative formats to galvanize public action; and producing content to hold public and private institutions accountable for investigating corruption. For example, the Activity could invest in building new http://www.sam.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ technical and investigative journalism capacities among existing outlets; supporting freelance journalists and journalism students to identify corruption and trace illicit transnational money flows; fostering IJ networks documenting information related to specific sectoral corruption issues; or building the capacity of journalists to track, expose, and report on corruption across a range of sectors. In addition, the Activity could focus on strengthening IJ networks in Ecuador, but considering any need of regional partnerships that could help strengthen the IJ ecosystem in the country, in order to amplify mutual learning, support, and exchange, or promote the development of joint investigative approaches, as well as collaboration on specific stories, projects, and investigations.

Objective 2: Sustainability of investigative journalism against corruption and other criminal activities improved.

Illustrative Interventions: Illustrative interventions under this objective could seek to address the significant operational, financial, and legal constraints faced by investigative journalists and/or outlets (including independent and nascent media). For example, the Activity could focus on approaches to strengthen the technical, organizational, and fundraising capacities of investigative journalists and/or outlets, and partner with the private sector (where possible), universities and/or regional journalism centers to support the financial sustainability of the profession. Other illustrative activities could seek to bolster the viability of investigative journalists and other media outlets, including diversifying revenue sources, growing their audiences, or developing strategic partnerships. It could also work on strengthening the higher education programs on journalism to improve the technical skills needed to perform rigorous, effective and well-documented investigative reports, and how to manage a strong media venture, including working with directors, general managers, editors, working journalists, journalism students, amongst others.

Objective 3: Protective and responsive ecosystem for anti-corruption reformers and watchdogs strengthened.

Illustrative Interventions: Illustrative interventions under this objective would seek to support actions to minimize the risks investigative journalists face as anti-corruption watchdogs, and to strengthen their digital, legal, physical, and psychosocial safety and security. For example, the

Activity could support efforts to strengthen whistleblowing and reporting protections, anti-

SLAPPsuit (strategic lawsuit against public participation) or vexatious lawsuits legislation, enhance national level protection mechanisms, and support efforts to prevent the erosion of the general operating environment for investigative reporters or publishers of investigative reporting (including laws aimed at weaponizing open government and anti-corruption efforts to target, harass, and undermine anti-corruption reformers). The Activity could also support public awareness and advocacy efforts calling for protection of investigative journalists, civil society organizations, whistleblowers, and individuals under threat for exposing corruption and other types of wrongdoing.

Objective 4: Technical support to design, conduct and publish relevant and rigorous investigative reports.

Illustrative Interventions: Help with the technical capabilities, adequate software (and/or hardware, where appropriate) to produce responsible, fact-based and rigorous investigative reports. This may include training on data-driven journalism processes, new communication tools, amongst others. The provision of result-oriented grants could also be a component that helps produce informative and in-depth investigative pieces that remain relevant amongst the public in general.

RFI QUESTIONS

USAID is seeking input regarding relevant actors and approaches that would best enable investigative journalists to collaborate on local (and potentially, cross-border) reporting on corruption and other criminal activities in Ecuador. We are also seeking recommendations on how to best strengthen the network, skills, and viability of investigative journalists in the country, and provide risk mitigation strategies and protection for locally-based and regionally-oriented journalists who encounter risks to their safety based on their professional activity.

All organizations (including individuals not affiliated with organizations) are strongly encouraged to provide information and comments by the closing date and time noted on the cover page. Responses should not exceed 5 pages (Calibri font type; size 12; 1.5-space). We would particularly value comments in response to the following questions

(you may choose to respond to all or some of the questions below, having the 5-page limit into consideration):

1. Are the objectives outlined above on point and appropriate for the Ecuadorian context? Can they be further refined? Is there anything that should be removed or added?

2. What role does investigative journalism play in exposing or deterring corruption in

Ecuador? How would you recommend making it more effective in doing so?

3. Based on the current coverage or reach of investigative journalists in Ecuador, where should the program interventions take place? Is there an urban/rural divide when it comes to coverage, and if so, how could the program maximize its investment?

4. How feasible is it to grow a network of investigative journalists in Ecuador

(including journalists/outlets beyond Quito and Guayaquil) that can collaborate on reporting projects? What kind of resources are needed to grow and sustain networks of IJs? How necessary and important is it to connect them with other journalists across borders to report on broader regional or cross regional issues?

5. What challenges exist at the country and regional levels that affect the ability of investigative journalists to perform their jobs? What are the key capacity gaps of investigative journalists that potential USAID programming could address? Do these challenges impact women and men journalists differently? City-based and provincial journalists? If so, how?

6. In your experience, what have been the most successful approaches to support investigative journalism in Ecuador? What challenges and opportunities do you anticipate might be associated with increasing the skills, capacities, and networks of investigative journalists in Ecuador?

7. What kind of actors, notionally or specifically, would you want to see involved in the collaboration proposed by this project? Are there actors already doing this type of work?

8. Should this project focus more on working with existing IJ centers or working with new and emerging initiatives? Can you recommend independent journalists, independent media, or existing centers that should be included in such an initiative?

9. What are the main sectors or public interest areas that require greater collaboration among investigative journalists (as well as with other groups in civil society) in Ecuador?

10. Who are the key audiences that investigative journalism should target in Ecuador?

What kinds of strategies should be used by investigative reporters to reach those audiences?

11. Are there existing protection and legal mechanisms in place to safeguard locally-based and regionally-oriented journalists from harm that should be included in such an activity?

12. Are there successful models for strengthening the organizational and financial viability of IJs and public interest media that the activity should consider?

13. Is investigative journalism in Ecuador, at this time, resonating with local publics?

Are there particular approaches that should be explored for publication and distribution of investigative journalism to increase access, conform with different consumption habits, and make it more resonant?

14. The activity seeks to demonstrate innovative models to catalyze private sector engagement where possible, and where it would not compromise the integrity and independence of journalists. Is there a role for the private sector in such an initiative and are there successful private sector interventions currently engaging with IJs in Ecuador?

15. What is the current context of independent/freelance journalists in relation to working/partnering with small, medium and/or large outlets to produce investigative reports? How could USAID support better collaboration/inclusion practices?

Please address your responses, either in English or Spanish, to USAID/Ecuador -

Democracy & Governance Office, and send them to Miguel Atuesta

(matuesta@usaid.gov), no later than the closing date shown above. Please include the title: “USAID/Ecuador: Investigative Journalism RFI”.

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTIFICATION

USAID/Ecuador seeks the following information about the interests and capabilities of organizations to potentially implement the objectives described in the RFI. Responses to this section should be concise and are not included in the 5 page limit in the previous section, RFI

Questions.

Annex A.: GENERAL INFORMATION:

(Not part of the 5-page limit for the questions, but please limit this section to no more than one page)

Name:

Email:

City/Province/Country:

(If you are responding as a member of a Local Entity)

Name of the Organization:

Location:

Website:

Point of Contact (if different from the respondent):

Email address of the Point of Contact (if different from the respondent):

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Please indicate the definition that best describes you/your organization:

____ Freelancer

____ Independent consultant

____ Journalism student mailto:matuesta@usaid.gov

____ Local Entity: a Local Entity is defined as a corporation, a nonprofit organization, or another body of persons that:

(a) is legally organized under the laws of;

(b) has as its principal place of business or operations in;

(c) is majority owned by individuals who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of;

and

(d) managed by a governing body the majority of who are citizens or lawful permanent residents of Ecuador.

____Other - Please indicate: _________________________

ORGANIZATIONAL CAPABILITY:

If you are responding as a member of a Local Entity, describe your organization’s capability to implement an Investigative Journalism activity in Ecuador.

PAST PERFORMANCE:

If you are responding as a member of a Local Entity, describe your organization’s experience working in relevant subject areas. Please describe any previous projects, period of performance and the amount of funding managed.

With regards, MIGUEL ATUESTA

Administrative Agreement/Contracting Officer

USAID/Ecuador

[END OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION]

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)