The International Journalism Festival weekly round-up. Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter, by following us on Instagram or Telegram, or by joining us on Bluesky.
Safeguarding media freedom in the age of Big Tech platforms and AI. An OSCE policy manual highlights how the current digital information ecosystem has become increasingly captured in ways that undermine media freedom. It underscores the need for democratic state intervention, based on the rule of law, to ensure an enabling environment for independent and pluralistic journalism
Silenced: my brave friend who stood up to a tyrant. Natalia Antelava pays tribute to a journalist who was killed after daring to challenge the Uzbek president [article published on 28 October 2007]
Mapping news creators and influencers in social and video networks. A RISJ report on how the trend towards online and social media news influencers is developing in 24 countries around the world
Why Follow the Money is giving away 20K euros. The team behind Shadow Fleet Secrets has decided to donate the Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism prize money to two investigative media organisations that are working under extreme circumstances: Slidstvo.info from Ukraine and the Russian outlet iStories
The push to get international reporters into Gaza. Even after the ceasefire, Israel has blocked members of the press from entering
It’s time to promote your audience engagement lead to editor-in-chief. The modern EIC role demands more than journalistic instinct and news judgment; it requires fluency in data, technology, and product development
Investing in independence: financing media freedom in Central and Eastern Europe. Can a new blended finance vehicle attract more capital into the media sector in CEE? A report by FT Strategies, commissioned by the Center for International Private Enterprise and the Center for International Media Assistance
Delta turned 100 this year. The CEO, Ed Bastian, talks to McKinsey senior partner Eric Kutcher about leading through geopolitical uncertainty and what it takes to keep ahead in one of the very toughest industries in a new episode of McKinsey’s Inside the Strategy Room podcast.
What American journalism needs to learn from Hungary. Independent media’s unrelenting coverage of rising authoritarianism under Viktor Orbán offers many lessons for American journalism in the ‘gilded age’ of Trump
The 2025 Index on International Media Freedom Support. The IMFS Index ranks 30 countries on how actively they support media freedom beyond their borders through diplomatic, funding and safety initiatives
Why doesn’t anyone trust the media? Anatomy of a credibility crisis
Journalism is the oxygen of democracy: how Sudan’s information crisis reflects a global reality. When information is withheld from those who need it most, other human rights violations quickly follow
FixEd podcast: leadership lessons from Raju Narisetti. To avoid “better sameness” and aim for meaningful differentiation, balance micromanagement with long-view strategy, make decisions, and mentor people in the age of AI
Top Substack writers depart for Patreon. The Why I’m Leaving Substack post is the new Goodbye to All That
If the product is news: the i Paper case study. The case for tighter newsroom and product collaboration – and a radical approach to building news organizations for the future
Finding — and building — your professional community to strengthen investigative journalism. Journalism is a competitive and demanding profession. Building trust-based relationships, strengthening professional collaboration, and solidarity don’t just provide support — they make your work better and increase your chances of success
Photo credit: Anya Schiffrin, co-Chair (with Natali Helberger) of the Media and Big Tech initiative of the OSCE policy manual entitled Safeguarding media freedom in the age of Big Tech platforms and AI, at #ijf25 by Diego Figone