Our Theory of Change

We have a vision of a more equitable internet where all people, regardless of their language, location or income, can access the most relevant information, evaluate the quality of that information, and make the decisions they want.

The problems we’re trying to solve

Media restriction

Information inequity

AI models unequally affording the needs of Larger World communities

Hate speech and gender-based violence, on- and offline

Whom do we work with?

Human rights and gender equality activists

Journalists and journalism students

Technologists

Researchers and academics

Civil society organizations

Fact-checkers

What are our long-term goals?

Improved access to and reliability of critical information during elections, democratic transitions, public health emergencies and natural disasters.

More resilient crisis-response mechanisms, especially in underserved environments.

More equitable and inclusive AI models centering the needs of diverse communities.

Safer and more inclusive online media ecosystems.

How do we achieve our goals?

We codesign large-scale community impact programs and deploy them in key moments of exception.

We are developing Check into a state-of-the-art open-source software solution for thousands of users around the world.

We produce context-informed research that allows us to fine-tune more inclusive and representative AI models.

We are growing Meedan into a sustainable and resilient organization.

Core priorities

The pillars of our framework

Our organizational Theory of Change is centered on four core priorities:

Community impact programs

We codesign and implement large-scale community impact programs by creating and sustaining high-impact, multistakeholder coalitions that fill major information gaps in some of the world’s most underserved environments. We provide support for on- and offline skill development in media literacy through:

• Training and capacity-building initiatives.
• Emergency funds.
• Events and retreats.
• Safety funds for physical and mental health.

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Check, our flagship product

We are developing Check, our state-of-the-art flagship software solution, and making it available to beneficiaries around the world. Check makes it possible to collect questions on messaging apps, analyze content with AI and disseminate high-quality information, especially during crises, elections and other exceptional events. To prioritize mental health and reduce the risk of secondary trauma for Check’s users, we also develop interfaces and workflows that help protect against excessive exposure.

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Context-informed research

We facilitate coordinated investigations into, and documentation of, violations of human rights, instances of mis- and disinformation, and issues of race, gender or class violence. We do this by working with our partners to produce and analyze context-specific datasets about local online content. With these datasets, we create more representative and inclusive AI models and develop new insights that benefit journalism while bolstering response efforts and academic research.

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Organizational health and sustainability

We are growing Meedan into a sustainable and resilient organization by designing and implementing better business strategies that drive growth while staying faithful to our core values. Our people-first approach is informed by a culture of inclusion and equity, and we are motivated by a sense of moral responsibility for the societal and environmental impacts of our policies and activities.