We invite you to check out the full festival programme on the website, but to provide a taster we have prepared the following brief overview. By clicking on +info► you can link to full details of each session, and then add it if you wish to your personal festival day-by-day agenda on your computer or smartphone.
10:00 – 11:00 > Centro Servizi G. Alessi | other topics
First lessons from the Journalism Innovation Project +info►
First lessons from the Journalism Innovation Project: how to innovate under fire and avoid ‘shiny things syndrome’. This panel will mark the publication of the second Journalism Innovation Project report from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford. The report examines three international newsrooms – Rappler in the Philippines, the Daily Maverick in South Africa, and The Quint in India – as they work to prove that fiercely independent journalism can find both loyal audiences and sustainable business models, even when confronted by external threats. Each of these news organisations is not just pushing the boundaries of the business and practice of journalism through audience-centred reporting and creative storytelling that punches well above its weight in terms of impact, they have also been forced to respond innovatively to serious external threats. They’ve found themselves in the sites of orchestrated disinformation campaigns with links to strongman politicians, they are being targeted with ‘slap-suits’ designed to chill their journalism – in what Time Person of the Year and Rappler CEO Maria Ressa calls the ‘weaponization of the legal system’ – and they operate in fragile democracies where journalist safety is a major concern. Central to these newsrooms’ success is their commitment to the “mission” of public-interest journalism. Their innovative responses to press freedom threats and the unintended consequences of digital transformation provide inspiration and guidance for journalists and news publishers internationally. Julie Posetti recently spent a month embedded in these newsrooms for the Journalism Innovation Project and she will present her findings during this session. She will be joined by Rappler’s Executive Editor and CEO Maria Ressa, The Quint’s CEO Ritu Kapur, along with Temple University’s Aron Pilhoffer. All three featured in Posetti’s first report from the Journalism Innovation Project which highlighted the need to combat ‘shiny things syndrome’ and develop models to support sustainable journalism innovation.
10:00 – 11:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Priori | data journalism
Google News Initiative: data journalism for local newsrooms +info►
Whether you’ve tried data journalism once or twice before, or you’re more than familiar with the process, this session will reconnect you to a range of tools that can help identify, analyse and visualise a story. How might local news organisations tell stories based on data for their communities, and how can open source tools, some supported by Google, help? This session will point to a variety of tools and will help you leave with new examples and new skills. Organised by Google.
10:00 – 11:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello | business models, funding & start-ups
Funders confidential +info►
How do some of the world’s most prominent foundations focused on supporting media and journalism make their decisions on who or what to fund? What do they really look for? Which ideas energise them and which don’t convince them? Why do they say no to your proposal? Join the European Journalism Centre and the Journalism Funders Forum and get up close and personal with decision makers from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Luminate, Rudolf Augstein Stiftung and Open Society Foundations.
10:00 – 11:00 > Sala San Francesco, Arcivescovado | investigative journalism
How newsrooms can incorporate open-source investigation techniques +info►
2018 was the year open source investigation went mainstream. Bellingcat made headlines around the world with its investigation into the Skripal case and MH17. The New York Times won an Emmy award for its coverage of the Las Vegas shooting and broke major investigative ground with its reporting on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and links of the perpetrators to Mohamed Bin Salman. Open source reporting by the UC Berkeley Human Rights Center Investigations Lab has helped shed light on human rights abuses in Syria, Yemen, DRC, Cameroon and Myanmar. OCCRP – a key contributor to the Panama and Paradise Papers – continued to use mixed method investigative approaches to report on money laundering, organized crime and corruption around the world. Much of this work has been carried out using transparent processes and publicly sourced content that are accessible to investigative reporters around the world, yet integrating open source investigation methodologies into newsroom practices and processes remains a challenge. In this panel, some of the world’s leading practitioners will shed light on their own open source investigation experiences, providing deep insights on how collaborative and open investigations work, and strategies for integrating these collaborative approaches into existing newsrooms. In addition, panelists will address the key opportunities and challenges for developing successful open source investigation, including: i. collaboration and crowdsourcing: what potential does open source investigation have for a deeper journalistic engagement with audiences ii. open source investigation and storytelling: how can open source investigators effectively communicate their transparent process and findings in a way that is easily accessible to audiences iii. security and preservation of content: how should journalists working on open source investigations assess and mitigate security risk, and how can investigators ensure open source content does not disappear due to platform takedowns iv. emergent technologies: what tools for discovery, collaboration and analysis are most useful for newsrooms looking to develop open source investigation capacity? What new technologies are emerging to deal with new challenges (like deepfakes) v. training and growing the field: what resources and training is available for journalists who want to learn more about open source investigation and incorporate these techniques into their work? By highlighting the diverse perspectives of the panelists, participants will come away with a greater understanding of both how open source investigations are carried out, the opportunities that such a collaborative approach can provide for strengthening investigative reporting, and strategies for integrating new tools and technologies in their newsrooms. Organised in association with Meedan.
10:00 – 11:00 > Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni | disinformation
Nutrition labels for news: how can standards help our media ecosystem? +info►
Is quality information like quality nutrition? Can we map the building blocks of useful information online without further censorship? Is building a nutrition label for credible content a feasible concept for the future? And more broadly, can we agree on scientific and systematic ways to assess the credibility of information and whether they can be applied at scale? The Credibility Coalition, an interdisciplinary community committed to improving our information ecosystems and media literacy, explores these questions through collaboratively-structured definitions and shared results from tests for content credibility. One way to start getting at the complexities around separating the credible from the questionable elements of a news post is to think about how to express informational quality as a nutritional label. The label includes markers to differentiate fact from opinion, possible commercial or political influences, and a list of sources. As Matt Stempeck described it while studying this issue at the MIT Center for Civic Media, “…the goal is to make information about the news available to individuals who would like to benefit from it. The rollout of FDA nutrition labels on food packaging in 1990 in the United States did not force individuals to eat differently, but it did provide critical dietary information for those consumers who sought it.” We think this model will prove useful in helping develop universal credibility standards as well as allowing the public to understand our work in a simpler way. At the same time, it avoids complete censorship or a polarizing value assessment of the content, letting opinions stand as opinions in context. CredCo leads, along with other leaders in the field, will discuss all of this as well as the methodology behind the initiative’s work and its innovative and unique approach to combating misinformation. We will also discuss practical applications within the framework of the W3C Credible Web Community Group. Organised in association with Meedan.
11:00 – 12:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello | other topics
“Fair and balanced” or “False equivalence”? +info►
In an era when politicians around the world are promoting false narratives and accuse anyone who fact-checks them of being “fake news,” it is a journalist’s responsibility to continuously point out lies, or has ardent fact-checking become too politicized? When we repeatedly criticize, do we risk becoming partisan? The press needs to be truthful yet even-handed, but in an era when lies travel around the world faster than the truth can get out of bed, do journalists need to leave behind old models of “both sides” journalism and give audiences a “truth sandwich” instead?
11:00 – 12:00 > Centro Servizi G. Alessi | other topics
Tech companies hiring journalists to … be journalists +info►
Apple, LinkedIn, Flipboard… more tech companies are hiring journalists to do precisely that — be journalists. They’re curating news, reporting original stories and giving editorial direction to news feeds that are no longer the sole domain of algorithms. What have they learned working in Silicon Valley? How do technologists and journalists work together? Where are the new career opportunities for journalists in tech?
11:00 – 12:00 > Palazzo Sorbello | other topics
Memory and justice: the case of Syria +info►
With the definitive victory of Bashar al Assad, a question weighs on the future of Syria. Will there ever be justice for the thousands of people killed, disappeared or tortured? On what memory will Syria be able to base its future? Sara Afshar, author of a documentary about the documents on which an international trial of Assad could be based, Syrian lawyer Anwar al Bunni, who wants to bring Assad before an international criminal court for his crimes, and Hadi al Khatib, who is building a virtual archive of the testimonies of the revolution, will discuss these and other issues. Moderated by Francesca Caferri.
11:00 – 12:00 > Sala delle Colonne, Palazzo Graziani | other topics
Saving the news: ethics and the fight for the future of journalism +info►
Launch of the Ethical Journalism Network’s annual magazine on international media ethics. Join the Ethical Journalism Network’s CEO Hannah Storm and journalism colleagues for the launch of the EJN’s latest magazine on international media ethics. Our panel will feature a discussion between Storm and fellow contributors, Lina Ejeilat, James Ball and Alan Rusbridger, who opens this year’s publication, Saving the news: Ethics and the fight for the future of journalism, with a heartfelt plea for higher ethical standards. “We’ve moved from an age of information scarcity to one of almost infinite plurality. Only those with the highest professional and ethical standards will rise above the oceans of mediocrity and malignity and survive.” “Set aside the politics and ask, what message do we want a skeptical public to believe about journalism? Is it primarily a craft of verification or opinion? Is it there to give a factual basis for debates society needs to have or is it there to push the beliefs of an individual proprietor or editor?” As an organisation with the word “ethical” in our title, the EJN expects to face questions such as these, and about how our aspirations fit with the real-world threats of political pressure, corruption, and even the physical dangers facing journalists and news media. Our panelists will consider some of the answers to these questions, as well as discussing other chapters in the report such as how Ejeilat and her team at 7iber are placing ethics on the agenda in her newsroom and across her organization in Jordan. Ball will expand on his considerations about what the backlash against big tech means for media and Storm will talk about how putting gender on the agenda is essential for the future of ethical journalism. Saving the news: Ethics and the fight for the future of journalism features 20 articles from journalists from countries including Kenya, Honduras, Spain, the Philippines, South Sudan and Mexico. We look forward to welcoming you to the launch, hearing your thoughts and sharing a copy of our publication with you. Organised in association with the the Ethical Journalism Network.
11:00 – 12:00 > Sala del Dottorato | business models, funding & start-ups
Another business model is possible +info►
Membership, subscription, patronage… come hear from startups and media organizations alike how they are re-inventing the way money is being made in the journalism business.
11:00 – 12:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Priori | disinformation
Preparing for the next wave: video fake news +info►
A startlingly realistic new breed of AI-driven faked videos is starting to emerge, circulated by propagandists and other shadowy actors via social platforms. These videos appear to show news events, or public figures speaking, and seem to be published by legitimate news outlets. However, they are in fact highly sophisticated AI-driven video forgeries. This session explores what strategies and technologies news outlets and consumers should be adopting to defend themselves against this frightening new development. Organised in association with Reuters.
11:00 – 12:00 > Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni | media under attack
Media capture in the digital age +info►
Media capture, the control of journalism outlets by business tycoons and their government cronies, has already existed. In the digital age however it takes new forms. This panel will discuss the role of platforms and the new demagogues and the effects these have on media freedom.
12:00 – 13:00 > Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni | other topics
Introducing Google Earth Studio +info►
After testing with partners over the last two years, we’re introducing a new tool called Google Earth Studio. Google Earth Studio is an animation tool for Google Earth’s satellite and 3D imagery. The tool empowers graphics specialists with new ways to leverage Google Earth imagery for storytelling. We’re inviting newsrooms around the world to start using the product for the first time. In this session, you’ll take a look and learn how to get started. Organised by Google.
12:00 – 13:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello | other topics
French panorama: what do the yellow vests tell us journalists? +info►
Since its beginnings in November 2018, the leaderless, anti-establishment and Facebook-born “Gilets Jaunes” movement has repeatedly assaulted the media, both verbally and physically, including by attacking TV reporters at their marches, by protesting in front of the AFP, and by massively turning to so-called “alternative” news sources such as Russia Today France. What lessons can French journalists draw from this loss of trust? And what does the future of journalism look like for four of France’s major dailies: Le Parisien, La Croix, Les Echos and Le Monde?
12:00 – 13:00 > Sala dei Notari, Palazzo dei Priori | #ijf19talks
Fighting back: #ijf19talk by Matthew Caruana Galizia +info►
#ijf19talk by Matthew Caruana Galizia. Moderated by Mario Calabresi. This is the story of what Daphne Caruana Galizia’s family has done since her assassination. The discussion will help journalists and all who support them think systematically and strategically about fighting back against threats and violence.
12:00 – 13:00 > Palazzo Sorbello | diversity & inclusion
Sexual harrassment in the newsroom: #metoo in Egypt +info►
Egypt is near the top the list worldwide when it comes to sexual harassment. For the first time there has been a case in court against an editor. May Elshamy accused her editor of sexual harassment in the newsroom of the online Youm7 website. She has since faced a horrific online and offline campaign for daring to speak up. Will this encourage other journalists to do the same? Or discourage them? How did the #metoo hashtag resonate in the Arab world? Journalists facing harassment inside and outside the newsroom are increasingly speaking up online and also taking legal action.
14:00 – 15:00 > Centro Servizi G. Alessi | social media & messaging platforms
Private messaging apps: best practices for newsrooms +info►
Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook Messenger, Line, and Telegram are used by billions of people around the world, and provide a host of new opportunities for community engagement, sourcing, and distribution. This panel brings together journalists and technologists who have worked to experiment with new content formats, apps and strategies for effective storytelling and journalism using chat-based interfaces. How should newsrooms think about the emergent role of chat apps in their daily work? How can journalists mitigate risk when working with these platforms? What ethical and privacy concerns should journalists have when using these platforms? Equally, in recent years researchers have observed chat apps being used to spread dangerous rumours, fabricated multimedia content and misinformation that has lead to violence and death in countries around the world. With these risks in mind, collaborative journalism and reporting that works to address challenges of information quality and spread in private messaging apps is essential. This panel will also discuss such initiatives in detail, expanding upon the importance of interdisciplinary and human-centered approaches for reporting about and addressing the unique challenges of misinformation that spreads through private messaging apps. Two of our panelists, Tom Trewinnard and Alba Mora Roca, led the award winning 2018 project Verificado in Mexico, which was the first coordinated initiative to to weed out election misinformation going viral on WhatsApp and publish bespoke visual debunks back into the channels where they originated. Verificado further used WhatsApp as a way for audiences to submit claims, links and memes for checking, and we received over 60k messages from our audience in only 6 weeks. The Verificado model is now being explored for other electoral contexts, such as Argentina and India. Redouane Ramdani is the founder of Snipfeed, a chat-based content delivery platform that drives engagement and facilitates discovery of new content. Panelists will share insights from the implementation of this project, the implications that working within and with information from private messaging apps has for journalistic practices and newsroom workflows, and highlight relevant experiences from high-risk and low-technology literacy contexts. Organised in association with Meedan.
14:00 – 15:00 > Sala della Vaccara, Palazzo dei Priori | other topics
Latin America seen from Europe +info►
This is a momentous year for Latin America: with far-right Jair Bolsonaro’s debut as Brazil’s president and Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s in Mexico, the Central American and Venezuelan exodus towards neighbouring countries, a transition in Cuba, the ongoing conflict in Nicaragua and a growing #MeToo movement taking over in several parts of the continent. Yet reporters covering Latin America for a European audience face many challenges in producing balanced stories that go beyond stereotypes, factionalised politics or violence. In this panel, we will talk about these challenges and look at the stories that have worked and those that have failed, starting a conversation about long-term collaborations and how to create links between reporters, fixers and editors, keeping the audience in mind.
14:00 – 15:00 > Sala del Dottorato | other topics
Goodbye news, hello drama: visual forms and post-news journalism +info►
Journalism is crumbling, mainly because people around the world seem reluctant to pay for facts, while they are spending ever more for emotions: from Spotify to Netflix. For journalism, this is the beginning of a new era which could be called post-news—when journalism departs from its dry factual reporting into emotional narratives. In this panel, we’ll explore where journalism meets various art forms, from cinema to literature, from dance to theatre. We’ll hear from those who are already experimenting with new visual, aural, and performative forms of journalistic outputs.
14:00 – 15:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello | other topics
The lessons of EU internet regulation +info►
Europe is leading the world in regulating the internet. In this session we will debate the positive and the negative, the intended and the unintended consequences – the lessons – of that regulation so far. Is it possible for a proponent and a critic of these laws and court cases to agree on a new regulatory regime for the future of the net? Moderated by Natalie Turvey.
14:00 – 15:00 > Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni | investigative journalism
Nationwide collaborations on local investigative reporting in Germany and the UK +info►
Newsrooms at local and national level are facing a financial crisis that means more expensive investigative reporting is under threat. Yet there has never been more need for journalism that holds power to account and reveals corruption and injustice. Come hear from two journalists who have led new collaborative projects that work at the grass-roots with groups of newsrooms to maximise the resources and impact for investigations using the latest digital and data tools.
14:00 – 15:00 > Sala San Francesco, Arcivescovado | media under attack
Eastern Europe: media freedom under threat +info►
Recent murders of reporters in Slovakia, Malta, and Bulgaria have shone a light on endemic problems that journalists in Eastern Europe have been facing for years. But do journalists need to get killed in order for the international community and fellow journalists to start talking about the struggles of independent media in Eastern Europe? The decline of Hungarian media freedom is a good case in point. Prime Minister Viktor Orban hasn’t captured the media sector overnight. It took him years to gain control over the press, a key move in his effort to transform the country into an “illiberal democracy”. While Hungarian journalists have been raising the alarm for a while now, there were very few people outside of Hungary willing to hear them. Until it was too late. Budapest is not alone in its efforts to silence the independent press. Journalists from Bulgaria, Serbia, and Poland have expressed fears about the deteriorating state of press freedom in the region. For example, Bulgaria has the worst media freedom in the European Union, according to the World Press Freedom Index, produced by Reporters Without Borders, where Bulgaria ranks 111th out of 180 countries. The lack of transparency of media ownership, business and political pressure as well as smear campaigns against independent and investigative journalists who dare to expose corruption are just some of the problems which have plagued the media landscape in Bulgaria for years. The plight of media in the other Eastern European countries is not much different. Almost 30 years after the fall of communism, Eastern Europe is still struggling to build a strong and independent press. We would like to start a conversation about the assault on media freedom in this post-communist corner of Europe, a problem that is usually ignored until it’s too late, and look for potential solutions.
14:00 – 15:00 > Sala delle Colonne, Palazzo Graziani | business models, funding & start-ups
News orgs that are doing it differently +info►
Whether it is their ownership structure, business model or editorial focus, more and more news organizations are moving away from the well-worn paths of the past. This panel will feature three news organizations that do things a little differently: two new and one old. How they approach their mission a bit differently, and what we as an industry can learn from them.
15:00 – 16:00 > Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni | social media & messaging platforms
Publishers and platforms: strategies for 2019 +info►
The relationship between platforms and publishers is a defining feature of journalism today. What is the state of the relationship across editorial, data-sharing, product development, and business relations, have things grown worse or improved over the last year, how do different publishers think of different platforms, and what strategies have they developed for making the most of the opportunities platforms offer while containing the risks?
15:00 – 16:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello | other topics
What can blockchain do for news? +info►
The key attributes of blockchain technology – decentralized, immutable and trustless – hold promise for a news media environment increasingly controlled by powerful entities. In this session the speakers will look at how blockchain can contribute to financial sustainability, increased trust and the free flow of information.
15:00 – 16:00 > Sala del Dottorato | media under attack
How to fight back against the censors? +info►
Journalists from Nigeria (Wana Udobang), Turkey (Kaya Genc) and Malta (Caroline Muscat) talk about how to fight back against attempts to censor reporting, what works and doesn’t work as well as what is happening in their countries. Moderated by Rachael Jolley. Organised in association with Index on Censorship.
15:00 – 16:00 > Sala San Francesco, Arcivescovado | other topics
Parachute journalism: is development reporting a thing of the past? +info►
The practice commonly known as “parachute journalism”, i.e. dispatching journalists to a country for a relatively short period of time to cover a story, is a controversial type of reporting. But journalists agree that bringing in local knowledge is key to producing solid reporting. Featuring grantees of The Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme (IDR), this panel discussion will look at innovations and challenges journalists are facing with development reporting. Is it just Western reporters objectifying the challenges of poorer countries? How can we allow marginalised communities to tell their own stories? The Innovation in Development Reporting Grant Programme (IDR) is a media-funding project operated by the European Journalism Centre (EJC).
16:00 – 17:00 > Sala del Dottorato | other topics
Can thematic newsrooms help fill the public-interest gap? +info►
There have always been battles about what journalism is, and who should be allowed to call themselves a journalist. Some want to put up razorwire around the profession, and others are more comfortable with free movement… (Don’t panic: this isn’t a panel leftover from 2005 asking “Are bloggers journalists?”) For a long time, funders and civil society tried different methods to persuade or incentivise journalists to cover public-interest stories they cared about – through training, handbooks, pitching stories, offering fellowships, or providing funding. Some went further, by setting up investigative organisations to provide evidence to journalists (like The Sentry), or integrated journalists and journalistic framing into their work (like Global Witness). But over the past 3 or 4 years, a few have changed tack, and are investing directly in funding, launching or incubating thematic units staffed and run by journalists, and producing independent investigative journalism on these same public-interest issues. Not everyone is comfortable with what they see as a blurring of formerly clear boundaries between journalism and advocacy – while others see this as a natural part of the field. We’re going to walk these border areas with three expert guides: – one funded by a donor to cover modern slavery within a major newspaper – another incubated by an NGO to conduct independent investigations into illicit financial flows – and the last, a wholly-owned but editorially independent journalism unit inside an environmental campaigning organisation A little background reading for the curious: – 2009 Nieman Lab/UPenn series on “NGOs and the news” – 2011 paper by Hunter, Van Wassenhove, Besiou, and Van Halderen on ‘The Agenda-Setting Power of Stakeholder Media’ (and a 2017 follow-up) – 2016 paper by Dr Ella McPherson on ‘Source Credibility as ‘Information Subsidy’: Strategies for Successful NGO Journalism at Mexican Human Rights NGOs’ – 2018 book extract by Anne Koch (GIJN) on ‘How Journalists, NGOs Can – & Should – Collaborate’
16:00 – 17:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello | media under attack
Jamal Khashoggi: born 13 October 1958 (Medina) murdered 02 October 2018 (Istanbul) +info►
The death of Jamal Khashoggi was more than the murder of a journalist. It has undermined the axis with Saudi Arabia on which Donald Trump’s United States had built their entire Middle Eastern policy, it has set aflame once again the struggle for dominance in Sunni Islam between Erdogan’s Turkey and MbS’s Saudi Arabia and it has sent a message of terror to dozens of Arab dissidents. These issues and others will be discussed by three speakers who have followed the case closely and who knew Jamal Khashoggi personally. Moderated by Francesca Caferri.
16:00 – 17:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Priori | other topics
Inside the mind of a hacker: why all journalists need to care about digital security +info►
Reporters working on national security or with sensitive government sources obviously need to keep hackers out of their online accounts. But in reality, all journalists, including sports, tech, fashion, climate and any other beat should take their digital security seriously. Hackers often don’t care who you are, only what you may have access to or whether you’re vulnerable. Using his direct relationship with sources in the criminal underworld, Joseph will provide insight on what motivates different types of hackers, how they choose targets, and what that means for all journalists. Opportunists, targeted attackers, and those looking to tarnish a media outlet’s reputation all operate in different ways. The session will include live demos of how hackers often carry out their attacks, from digging up your old, exposed password, to stealing your current one. The good news is that there are several simple things journalists can do to lock down their online accounts, while not massively impacting their work flow. This session will also include those concrete tips.
16:00 – 17:00 > Sala dei Notari, Palazzo dei Priori | in conversation
In conversation with Inna Shevchenko +info►
Activism, feminism and the fight for human rights, also against authoritarian regimes. Plus the use of the body as an instrument for impactful activism. Interview of Femen leader Inna Shevchenko. Moderated by Barbara Serra.
16:00 – 17:00 > Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni | business models, funding & start-ups
The business of news: what every journalist should know +info►
More and more journalists are being asked to step into roles that previously were the sole domain of the business side. The Guardian’s membership scheme is run by a journalist. More and more newsrooms are investing in audience development teams. And many journalists are moving into product or tech-related roles. Yet, journalists by and large rarely have the experience or training they need to fill these roles. This panel will offer practical tips and resources to allow journalists to get a solid footing and understand this new world.
16:00 – 17:00 > Centro Servizi G. Alessi | AI/audio/video/voice/VR
VR in journalism +info►
VR journalism immerses the viewer in a way that journalistic reporting can’t quite achieve. However, some people think VR journalism can’t take it up – is it the new medium or is the hype already over?
16:00 – 17:00 > Sala San Francesco, Arcivescovado | disinformation
The impact of disinformation on human rights +info►
The Internet, and in particular, social media, increasingly impact how people’s worldviews are shaped. In this panel, human rights and digital rights experts will address, in an engaging interview style panel, the impact of disinformation on human rights on freedom of expression but also on refugees rights (e.g., identify, security and freedom), platform accountability and the role of the media. Experts will also discuss how measures to foster the accountability and responsibility of platforms in the struggle against disinformation must not undermine data protection, privacy and freedom of expression, and must respect the right to anonymity. The speakers will present global examples of governments introducing measures which allegedly try to tackle online disinformation when in fact the objective is to suppress dissent, monitor and control the digital space. Speakers will also address the need for honest and positive communications efforts by the media and by political groups that promote civil discourse. Organised in association with Access Now.
17:00 – 18:00 > Sala del Dottorato | other topics
Facing the challenges of a datafied society +info►
Facing the challenges of a datafied society: how journalist, activists and hackers can make sense of datafication. The contemporary datafied society is hybrid in nature: information technology, policy makers, activists and participatory publics all converge in shaping today’s mediated landscape. Making sense and interpreting these elements comes with new challenges for journalists whose role it is to help citizens understand the mechanisms of today’s democracy and its potential abuses. The Snowden revelations and the Cambridge Analytica scandal, among others, have deeply impacted our understanding of the contemporary digital area, such as mass surveillance, the role of algorithms, and the perils of the data economy. These cases, among others, also exhibit some of the complex hybridization processes journalism is going through, both on a practical and on a cultural level. New players like hackers and activists entered the journalism field either through collaboration with journalists or by creating new tools, strategies and standards. In both cases they introduce new themes and debates into the news agenda. This panel, composed of academics and practitioners, will explore the role of journalism in shaping debates and issues about the datafied society and highlight some of the most successful examples of today’s hybrid journalism.
17:00 – 18:00 > Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello | other topics
Ethical and social impact of technology +info►
The ethical and social impact of technology, and the role of journalists and media in it. The session will consider what the social impacts and ethical implications are of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, how to investigate them, the relevance of ensuring a proper, equitative and fair development of these technologies and the role of journalists and the mass media in it.
17:00 – 18:00 > Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni | media under attack
Murdered journalists: their reporting lives on +info►
A deadly mix of corruption, state capture and organised crime has killed journalists Daphne Caruana Galizia in Malta, Jan Kuciak in Slovakia and Javier Ortega and Paul Rivas in Colombia. Three different international cross-border projects have shed light on their murders and have continued their reporting. Meet “The Daphne Project”, “Death on the Border” and “Unfinished Lives, Unfinished Justice”.
18:00 – 19:00 > Teatro Morlacchi | in conversation
Youth activism: mass mobilization through social media +info►
Having survived one of the worst mass shootings in America, students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, reacted immediately by mobilizing to prevent such an atrocity ever happening again. Through a smart use of social media they created the March For Our Lives movement to put pressure on politicians to change gun possession laws. After a March 2018 rally in Washington DC that was one of the biggest youth-led demonstrations since the Vietnam war era, they organized a tour across America to invite young people to register for the vote. Jaclyn Corin and David Hogg, survivors of the Parkland mass shooting and among the founders of March For Our Lives, will talk about their experience, about how a mass movement can be created by using social media networks, and about the commitment of young people to really change things.
21:00 – 22:30 > Teatro Morlacchi | theatre shows
An evening with Roberto Saviano +info►