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.
Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley. Tech founders in Damascus are rebooting a war-torn country
Discord in Nepal. Were protests against a social media ban dystopian, utopian, or something more complicated?
Why Wikipedia works. Agreeing on source notability, not facts
Rethinking who creates, shares, and sustains local news: why information stewardship is the future. A new report by Commoner Company proposes a radically expanded definition of who informs our communities – and why that matters for the future of civic life in communities across America
Attempts at intimidation delivers the biggest boost in journalism funding. The Hungarian government’s spring offensive against independent media resulted in record-breaking financial support for the very newsrooms the regime tried to intimidate
The untold saga of what happened when DOGE stormed social security. Leland Dudek is the first agency head to speak in detail on the record about what it is like to be thrust into such an important position under Trump. He told ProPublica that he decided to speak because he wishes that “those who govern” would have more frank and honest conversations with the public
Confessions of a Syrian barrel bomber. A colonel in Bashar al-Assad’s air force recounts his role in the campaigns that devastated his country, and his escape after the regime’s fall
In their latest book, A CEO for All Seasons: Mastering the Cycles of Leadership, McKinsey senior partners and best-selling authors Carolyn Dewar, Kurt Strovink, Scott Keller, and Vik Malhotra walk you through the distinct phases of leadership that every CEO must pass through on their way to mastery. Whether you’re an aspiring leader or a new-to-the-job CEO — or even a board member wanting to better steward your company’s performance — this is the concise, hands-on playbook you’ve needed.
The Gaza Project: how a coalition of journalists investigated the killing of Palestinian journalists. Led by the organisation Forbidden Stories, a coalition of international journalists and media outlets is investigating the circumstances behind the killing of Palestinian journalists
Free speech worries mount as ABC pulls Jimmy Kimmel’s show. After Colbert’s cancellation and now Kimmel’s suspension, critics warn that networks are bowing to political pressure on speech
Spotlight on newsroom leadership. The Reuters Institute looks at what newsrooms can learn from other industries
‘Every reporter has an AI story to tell’: tips from an award-winning journalist on the risks of AI. Karen Hao is one of the world’s leading watchdog journalists covering the impacts and potential harms of artificial intelligence
What can news publishers learn from creators? Don’t leave money on the table and think outside the box about business models
Lydia Namubiru on how to tell the story of Sudan. The editor-in-chief of The Continent on how African writers cover Africa differently
40 essential newsletters every journalist should read. Want to keep your finger on the pulse of the journalism industry? Look no further than these best picks for your inbox
Robert Redford (1936-2025), playing Bob Woodward, inspired a generation of journalists to hold truth to power. All the President’s Men is the best movie about journalism ever made, and it’s not even close
Image credit: screenshot from the 16 September 2025 Rest of World article entitled Syria’s quest to build its own Silicon Valley