Change as mission: forged in the Global South
Change-Centric Journalism is a proposition strongly informed by the practice of journalism in some of the most hostile and resource-deprived nations in the Global South. Journalism’s intense struggle to survive here has grounded it an implicit awareness of its role in democratization, social justice and development.
Outlets in Global Majority communities had to navigate the changemaking space because, in many cases, there was no alternative. Some journalists have operated in closed regimes where the very act of doing journalism turns them into human rights defenders. Maria Ressa, journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner from the Philippines, stands as a prominent example.
In places where regime change has taken place, as in South Africa with the fall of apartheid, outlets have become deeply involved in the transitional justice process. Their accounts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission helped stir national conversations about past atrocities and, in doing so, forged new social contracts.
Change is also ingrained in the DNA of some of the best journalism in Latin America, where large majorities have lived too often under the mandates of strongmen, oligarchies and mafias. This, coupled with its ranking as the deadliest region to be a journalist, has shaped a strong sense of mission among colleagues.⁹
Journalism in the Global South has evolved not despite inequality, but because of it. In contexts where citizens cannot rely on the state for protection or welfare, access to credible, local information becomes a matter of survival. In these settings, the value of journalism can only be understood in relation to the urgent needs of audiences. The right information may be the difference between health and illness, stability and eviction. In remote areas, reporting harassment during land disputes via community radio might be the only way to deter forced displacement.
This deep awareness of journalism’s civic function has led many digital outlets in the Global South to state their explicitly. Ecuadorian outlet GK says on its website that their goal is to “change society, set the media agenda and make the world a better place”.¹⁰ Mutante, from Colombia, sees their participatory journalism “as a tool for social change”, in the same way that Agencia Mural from Brazil wants their stories about underserved neighbourhoods of Sao Paulo to be “relevant, useful, so that everyone can feel part of the same reality and capable of transforming it”.¹¹,¹²
In the Global North, news outlets that are adopting a conscious and strategic mindset around impact do not shy away from the goal of driving change either. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism identifies itself as a mission-driven organisation with a role in changemaking.¹³ The mission statement reads:
We think a lot about the role that our journalism plays in society, and how it contributes to social change. Journalism doesn’t change anything on its own – but it is often a key part of a much bigger array of people, organisations and action that does.
⁹ CPJ. (2024). Latin America was the deadliest region for journalists in 2022. Retrieved from https://cpj.org/2023/01/latin-america-was-the-deadliest-region-for-journalists-in-2022/
¹⁰ GK. (2025). Qué es GK?. Retrieved from https://gk.city/que-es/
¹¹ Mutante. (2025). Somos Mutante. Retrieved from https://mutante.org/somos-mutante/
¹² Agencia Mural. (2025). Nasce a Agência Mural de Jornalismo das Periferias. Retrieved from https://agenciamural.org.br/institucional/nossa-historia/
¹³ The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. (2025). Impact. Retrieved from https://www.thebureauinvestigates.com/about-us/impact