E VA LUAT ION R E P OR T

Executive summary
LebanonMedia Viability in Lebanon: Supporting alternative media
on their path to economic sustainability

dw-akademie.com

Background
Lebanon is suffering from political paralysis and economic decline. In the last
three years, several long-established media outlets have closed and many media
workers have lost their jobs. There is alack of investment and little opportunity
for reform. Lebanon’s once diverse media landscape is shrinking d­ ramatically—
except for the online sector. The core
media development problem is the poor
quality of reporting in the country, which
affects the entire population. In addition,
marginalized groups, such as refugees
and migrant workers, are discriminatedagainst in traditional and social networks
and unable to access information relevantto them.
The BMZ-funded DW Akademie projectin Lebanon is expected to run for threeyears, from January 2020 to December
2022 with the goal of supporting “alternative media in Lebanon, including citizen
media dealing with public issues, operate

in an economically sustainable manner.”
As part of the program “Freedom of Expression and Media Development in theMiddle East/North Africa,” the country
project contributes to a common regional overall objective of supporting “youngmen and especially women in the Middle
East and North Africa, including refugees, to emancipate themselves throughgreater freedom of expression and participation.” The project cooperates with two
implementing partners (Maharat Foundation and ARPCA-Al Jana), one cooperation
partner (a local non-governmental organization, Utopia), and members of the regional DW Akademie alumni network.
The evaluation draws on DW Akademie’s
standards for planning and conductingevaluations according to OECD/DAC criteria, with a particular emphasis on theefficiency criterion. The aim is for DW
Akademie to gain additional informationthat can be implemented in the strategy

development of any follow-up projects.
The management annex is designed as aseparate confidential internal document
to the evaluation report. The overarchingquestion is: “How functional is the cooperation management in achieving the development policy objectives?”
The evaluation was conducted from November 2021 to April 2022; the field mission in Lebanon took place from 6 to 13
February 2022 in Beirut and Tripoli. The
evaluation design follows the basic ideaof method triangulation, thus both quantitative and qualitative methods wereused, and the data and information fromdifferent sources (project documents, interviews with DW Akademie team, members of partner organizations, trainers,
and beneficiaries on site) was combined.

Project evaluation results
Relevance: The objective of this DW Akademie project corresponds to the greatest
need, but also the greatest potential forchange, in the strategic area of professionalism and economic sustainability.
Strengthening the viability of emerging alternative media outlets in Lebanon is very
relevant to all stakeholders involved. It also
corresponds to the needs and potential forchange in the strategic area of social participation, especially in terms of refugees
and youth. The project makes an important contribution to gender equality by addressing gender issues and implementing
gender components with the partners.
The developmental objective of the project is in line with the objectives and guidelines of the BMZ and DW Akademie. The
objectives of the implementing partners—
Maharat Foundation and ARCPA-Al Jana—
are consistent with those of the development measure; a high degree of harmony
can be observed here. The project’s relevance is thus “comprehensively fulfilled”.
Coherence: The evaluation found that theDW Akademie’s project measures are consistent with the international and national

norms and standards to which German development cooperation is committed. The
project contributes to the implementationof the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) included in the 2030 Agenda, in particular SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong
institutions) and SDG 5 (gender equality).
With its approach to vulnerable groups,
the project is committed to the principle of“Leave No One Behind” and the “No LostGeneration” initiative. The DW Akademie
project’s measures are closely coordinated with other development cooperation
actors involved in the media sector in Lebanon. The project’s coherence is thus rated
as “overall fulfilled.”
Effectiveness: The impact logic of the project is coherent. The target values of theoutcome and output-level indicators areexpected to be achieved by the end of theproject period. Learning and steering processes, communication and the exchangewith project partners and expert advice
from the project team and international
and local advisers are rated very positively.
Participatory approaches are used intensively in the cooperation with implement-ing partners and other local partners andare highly appreciated by the partners.
By applying a human-centered design, astrong focus is placed on the needs of thetarget group and a high degree of participation is made possible. No measurable
negative impacts have occurred. The project’s effectiveness is rated “comprehensively fulfilled.”
Efficiency: Goals and objectives were developed together with partners in strategic
workshops at the beginning of the cooperation. A capacity development strategy isin place and is assessed as coherent. The
personnel structure of the DW Akademie
project (internal structure) and the officein Beirut (external structure) contribute toa high degree to the success of the project.
The external structure allows for a high degree of flexibility and the expertise of theprofessionals involved allows for a high level of quality in both the advisory services
provided and the project’s implementation. Project management in general, bothsteering and administrative processes, areassessed as very positive and efficient by
all stakeholders. One difficulty in the coop-eration with Maharat Foundation is the lackof clarity in the assigned roles and responsibilities. The project created synergies
through coordination with partners andother development actors. The DW Akademie project can be confirmed to be highly cost-effective with careful use of funds.
With the escalation of the economic crisisand the pandemic, however, the project’s
implementation required a considerably
greater effort, more resources and moreelaborate planning for both the project
team and with the partner organizations.
Limitations include budget cuts, the factthat the partner synergies were not wholly efficient, and that the partners are only
moderately motivated to provide their own
or additional resources for a future-oriented continuation of the joint activities. The
project’s efficiency is thus rated as “overallfulfilled.”
Impact: Relevant project contributions
to medium and short-term impacts canbe plausibly assumed. Based on the data
available and the stakeholder responses,
there is also evidence that results havebeen achieved at beneficiary level, including among vulnerable groups. An impact
assessment in view of the overall development goals is not strongly established within the project’s monitoring system. Relevant contributions to cross-cutting issues
such as gender equality were observed,
and risk monitoring and response is adequate. The impact achievement of the project is strengthened by the fact that models

and approaches set a positive example
and are being duplicated by other stakeholders. The DW Akademie project’s target groups—media professionals, users ofalternative media, and vulnerable groups,
such as young people with a history of migration—benefit from media viability, exposure to international trends, new teaching formats, public participation, and moreinclusive, conflict-sensitive, high-quality reporting. Whether the impact of the project
can be extended to the entirety of Lebanesesociety cannot be conclusively determinedat this point. The project’s impact can thus
be assessed as “overall fulfilled.”
Sustainability: The DW Akademie project
took appropriate measures to ensure thatthe results can be sustained in the medium to long term by both the partner organizations and target groups themselves.
Sustainable approaches in the field of capacity development were developed, andthe strategy was frequently adapted to therapidly changing framework conditions.
The goal of the DW Akademie project wasto support the economically sustainabilityof alternative media, which include community media outlets and organizations thatdeal with topics of public interest. Sustainability is thus a core element of the assignment, which the project and its partners
were able to achieve in the various areas. Ingeneral, the DW Akademie team was deeplycommitted to ownership and do-no-harmprinciples, both important pre-requisites
for sustainability. Active discussions andthe documentation of lessons learned aretaking place, anchored in a reporting system and used for annual strategic meetings. The project’s sustainability is thus rated as “comprehensively fulfilled.”

DW Akademie

is Deutsche Welle’s center forinternational media development,journalism training and knowledgetransfer. Our projects strengthen thehuman right to freedom of expression
and unhindered access to information.
DW Akademie empowers people
worldwide to make independent
decisions based on reliable facts andconstructive dialogue. DW Akademie isa strategic partner of the German
Federal Ministry for Economic
Coopera­tion and Development. We
also receive funding from the Federal
Foreign Office and the European Union
and are active in approximately 60
developing countries and emerging
economies.

CONTAC T

Dr. Laura Moore
Head Research and Evaluation
laura.moore@dw.com
Berlin, Germany
DWAkademie@dw_akademie
DWAkademie
dw.com/newsletter-registration
dw.com/mediadev

The objective of the external evaluation is to provide a constructive assessment of the project results. It does not necessarily align with theperspective and planning of DW Akademie. Nevertheless, all findings were discussed in order to allow lessons learned to be incorporated into
the development of future strategies.