Nick Benequista

Senior Director, Center for International Media Assistance

Nick Benequista is senior director of the Center for International Media Assistance (CIMA), a global thought leader on issues of media development, the digital public sphere, and democracy. 

As senior director, Mr. Benequista guides CIMA’s efforts to support and strengthen media assistance initiatives and to raise the visibility and improve the effectiveness of independent media development throughout the world. Since 2006, CIMA has convened working groups, commissioned research reports, and held events highlighting the indispensable role independent media play in fostering democratic societies.

Mr. Benequista draws from his extensive experience in international media development, applied research, democracy support, and journalism. He has been a foreign correspondent in three countries, including as Mexico City bureau chief for Bloomberg News. He has overseen policy oriented research projects around the globe with the UK’s Institute of Development Studies and Canada’s International Development Research Centre and has been an advisor and consultant to multilateral organizations such as International IDEA and UNESCO. He is the author and editor of numerous publications, including International Media Development: Historical Perspectives and New Frontiers, and Confronting the Crisis in International Media: A Role for International Assistance. He holds a PhD in media studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MPhil in international development studies from the University of Sussex.