Problem

In many emerging democracies, the government or its friends own all the printing houses. Newspapers can be silenced at will. And the impact is more than one-off censorship: publishers are deprived of sales and advertising revenue – income that can make the difference between survival and closure. A printing press can radically change the fortunes of an independent newspaper. It can overcome censors, give stability and provide a new source of revenue.

The Gift

Your gift will go into our loan pool to help independent publishers buy printing presses and printing equipment. In 1996, SME was Slovakia’s only independent daily newspaper when it received MDLF’s very first loan. SME was barred from every printing house in the capital Bratislava but with MDLF financing it bought its own printing press and broke the government's control over what news the public could read. Your gift will keep the presses rolling for newspapers like SME, helping independent publishers provide the objective news the public needs to know.