The global information ecosystem is under threat

Research to Action (R2A) was set up back in 2010 because there was a lack of ‘free to use’ information and advice for the global community interested in effective communication – especially of research. The last 15 years hasn’t been especially kind to this community, despite enormous attention being paid by donors to impact. This week, it was announced that the Communications Initiative, a platform that has for more than two decades provided resources for a global community practising ‘communication for development’, will operate at a reduced level. From March 15th, no new content will be posted to the global website and registration/login functions will be disabled.

Others on the front line of the cuts include independent media, working in an already tough sector to hold those in power to account in the global south and across the world. Journalists are essential bridges and information intermediaries that are so important in the evidence ecosystem.

The most recent target of Elon Musk’s demolition campaign is Wikipedia, as outlined in a piece in the New Yorker and discussed in a google doc hosted by the Knowledge for Development community. Wikipedia is the place where many of us start learning about a topic (and the basis of many undergraduate student essays…..) Wikipedia exists in more than three hundred languages, and there are currently almost seven million articles in the English version. The site, twenty-four years into its existence, relies on a global community of unpaid contributors striving for consensus and objective truth. The content is not monetized, and the site accepts no advertising so the articles rarely devolve into mere clickbait. This is part of the reason why it is in Musk’s firing line.

Times feel dark indeed.

We watch in horror – like so many others – the degrading and dismantling of the global architecture and community involved on the front line of combating poverty and fighting social injustice. The trigger for this was the freezing of USAID funds by President Trump on January 20th 2025. There have been, to date, 114 challenges to President Trump’s orders, but damage has already been done, at scale. The UK government cut its aid budget from roughly 0.5 to 0.3% of gross national income in the immediate shadows cast by the USAID cuts. Elsewhere on the political spectrum, moves to the right across Europe have prompted further cuts e.g. in the Netherlands. This recent piece in Scidev.net describes in detail the human consequences of these cuts.

Here at R2A, it has always been our argument that effective, strategic and purposeful communication and engagement is essential to having impact with research and evidence. And however smart researchers and research managers are – and they are, by definition, super smart – they need support and guidance on how to go about this.

Research to Action has never, in its 15 years of existence, received external funds or grants to support the platform or its global community. We could wear this as a badge of honour or – more honestly – explain that this is because CommsConsult (the consultancy formed nearly 30 years ago to unleash the superpower that is effective communication for social good that owns and hosts the site) has been too busy experimenting, delivering for clients, and learning about what works around research uptake and engagement, to look around for funds.

Instead, we have invested a proportion of consultancy profit into R2A and poured all of our learning onto the platform.

Our ask of you, our global community

We rely on our global community, users and supporters to connect with us, to suggest resources, projects, and organisations that they think we should be bringing to the attention of others. CommsConsult’s clients and ongoing projects are another valuable source of ideas and people doing great things.

We’d like to keep going. In this increasingly tough environment, we’re going to need your help. Not financially, but with increased participation and collaboration.

Specifically, please do: