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.
The initial and very partial 2026 side events programme is now online. Many more side events are still to be added. The definitive side events programme will be online in April. Information on how to propose a side event is available in the FAQ on the festival website.
2026 is the 20th anniversary of the festival. We will host a big party to celebrate this special occasion on the closing night of the festival (Saturday 18 April). Everyone (speakers, attendees, guests, staff, volunteers, citizens of Perugia) is invited.
‘Some stories just work better through film’: on the strategy behind making an investigative documentary. When The Dynasty was released earlier this year, few expected a 55-minute investigative film produced by the Budapest-based newsroom Direkt36 about Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s family’s business dealings to capture millions of views. An interview of András Pethő, co-founder and director of Direkt36, about the making of the film and the lessons it offers other independent media. András Pethő will be a #ijf26 speaker
Pluralis B.V. invests in leading Ukrainian media company Ukrainska Pravda. “Pluralis’s investment in Ukrainska Pravda is a landmark moment for the entire Ukrainian media industry,” said Andriy Boborykin, Ukrainska Pravda Executive Director. “It’s a clear sign that international, mission-driven capital recognises Ukrainian independent journalism as an institution worth investing in and as a sustainable, scalable business that matters”
WTF is liquid content? To some publishers, a text article may soon be more of a vehicle for original reporting, not a final product. That information could become no longer available strictly in a static piece of content, but transformed into different shapes and formats, based on a reader’s signals and preferences. This shift has been dubbed “liquid content”. David Caswell will be a #ijf26 speaker
The role of data protection in the age of AI. To celebrate Data Privacy Day, Luiza Jarovsky spoke with Paul Nemitz about drafting the GDPR, the Digital Omnibus, AI challenges, and the role of data protection in the age of AI. Paul Nemitz will be a #ijf26 speaker
S. Mitra Kalita knows ‘There is no white knight coming to save us’. Five years into supporting outlets that serve communities of color, the cofounder of URL Media talks about the relationship between capitalism and democracy and how nonprofit publishers can operate from a position of power. S. Mitra Kalita will be a #ijf26 speaker
The AI setup most journalists don’t know about. A tutorial series on moving from chatbots to a working reporting system. Florent Daudens will be a #ijf26 speaker
What are successful leaders doing to get AI right? In a recent episode of The McKinsey Podcast, McKinsey Senior Partner Eric Kutcher explains how CEOs can deliver on AI’s revolutionary potential—and meet this “legacy moment” successfully.
Shaping the future of journalism in Moldova. The small Eastern European country is battling Russian threats and disinformation while preparing for EU accession. What can be done here, in the age of platforms and AI, to support journalism?
Journalism lost its culture of sharing. Here’s how we rebuild it
Action, ease & personalization: AI chatbot news experiences. How habitual AI chatbot users in the US and India stay informed. A new report from the Center for News, Technology & Innovation (CNTI). Amy Mitchell, founding executive director of CNTI, will be a #ijf26 speaker
Over 120 editors, lawyers, academics, journalists, publishers and civil society representatives call on the UK government to give parliamentary time to stamp out SLAPPs. On 28 January 2026, marking the 5th anniversary of the UK Anti-SLAPP Coalition, 127 representatives from a wide cross section of society co-signed an open letter sent to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer joining the Coalition’s call for anti-SLAPP provisions to be included in the next King’s Speech, expected in May. Alessandra Galloni, Jemimah Steinfeld, Franz Wild, Joshi Herrmann, Carole Cadwalladr, Peter Geoghegan, Paul Radu, Gerard Ryle, David McCraw, Alan Rusbridger, Paul Caruana Galizia and Jodie Ginsberg will be #ijf26 speakers
In Minneapolis and other U.S. cities, Bellingcat supplements local news by “zooming in with a forensic lens.” Partnerships with local news outlets help “bring our stories to the audiences who need to see them most”
Europe’s top rights court: Azerbaijan prosecuted journalist to silence her news. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that criminal cases against investigative reporter Khadija Ismayilova were aimed at punishing her journalism, ordering Baku to pay damages
Photo credit: András Pethő at #ijf23 by Luca Vanelli