July update

Welcome to the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s July update. In this newsletter, you’ll find highlights from across our areas of work, as well as the latest opportunities for you to get involved. If you don’t regularly receive our newsletter, you can subscribe here.

Trust Conference is back! 

Our keynote speakers: 

Trust Conference brings together world-leading experts, innovators and activists to discuss pressing global issues including media freedom, the impact of technology on human rights, socio-economic inclusion and the climate emergency. Over two days (19 and 20 October) in London, delegates will have access to panel discussions, fireside chats, spotlight sessions and networking opportunities with leaders and changemakers across media, business, law, government and civil society to exchange knowledge and forge new partnerships.

The first day of the conference will examine trends in false lawsuits and cyber-attacks levied against journalists, who are even forced to flee their home countries in fear for their lives. Our expert speakers will discuss how we can mount a strong, coordinated, cross-sector defence to protect free press and by extension, our democracies. The second day will look at how legislation, regulation and international agreements can be harnessed to safeguard human rights and achieve climate justice for communities. Sessions across both days of the event will examine the amazing potential and opportunity of generative AI, alongside the myriad ethical concerns. How we can trust technology when it is able to use information in a way that is undistinguishable from humans, and how can we simultaneously maximise the prospects for our global economy while managing the risks heralded by this era of technological transformation? 

The full agenda – which you can filter by day or topic – and latest speaker line-up is now available on our website, where you can also apply for your free ticket. 

Last chance to take our survey and win a prize!   

July updates from across the Foundation

Media Freedom: 

Announcing the 2023 Kurt Schork Awards judges  

This year’s judging panel for the 2023 Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism comprises seasoned journalists and editors with extensive experience across a range of global news publications, including The Guardian, The New York Times and NBC News.

Over the next few weeks, the judges will be applying their experiences of working in challenging environments and collaborating with news fixers and local journalists to decide on the 2023 winners, who will be announced in early October. Learn more about the judges here.

Supporting media to become financially sustainable 

The Foundation contributed to the development of a digital tool that supports independent news media to become more financially self-sufficient. The Media Viability Accelerator (MVA), announced at the Summit for Democracy in March, was spearheaded by Internews, Microsoft Corp. and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through a public-private partnership.  
 
This platform will enable participating media outlets to access free market insights to inform effective business strategies, media performance data and to connect with peers. The MVA will be launched later this year. Learn more and register your interest here. 

Help shape our media freedom newsletter  

From legal threats to the proliferation of dis-and misinformation and promoting the safety of journalists, we want to hear about the media freedom topics you’re most interested in.  

Your insights will help shape our new media freedom newsletter, which we’ll be launching next month. It will take just two minutes to answer our survey, and to say thanks, there’s a chance to enter a draw for a £25 Amazon voucher. The deadline for submitting answers is Friday, 11 August.

Inclusive Economies: 

Boosting disability representation in American boardrooms  

According to Accenture, companies that champion disability reported 28 percent higher revenue, 30 percent higher economic profit margin, and superior shareholder returns. To drive its mission for disability inclusion in companies across the United States, Disability:IN connected with TrustLaw - the Foundation’s global pro bono legal service - to map the laws that exist around disability disclosures in executive suites and push for greater representation. 

The findings revealed that several important stock exchanges already include people with disabilities in their board disclosure requirements, including the London and Toronto Stock Exchanges. The report also found that many public companies are self-reporting disability data due to increasing investor demand for social returns on investment. Learn more here.  

Human Rights:

Women’s rights champions gather in Rwanda        

Last week, Women Deliver brought thousands of people from diverse fields together in Rwanda to help elevate women’s voices and accelerate the drive toward achieving gender equality.  

Amidst a worrying deterioration of sexual and reproductive rights across the world, grassroots advocates, CSOs, journalists and the private sector gathered to address challenges, identify opportunities to advance gender equality, and improve the wellbeing of girls and women, in all their intersecting identities.  

At the Foundation, we use our media-legal expertise to raise awareness of solutions and barriers to creating more inclusive and sustainable societies, which leave no one behind. From our digital news platform Context to pro bono legal research, learn how we work to advance women’s rights around the world, here. 

Discover more in our focus areas:

Media Freedom  |  Inclusive Economies  |  Human Rights

This month we recommend

READ: ChatGPT drafts law as Latin America seeks to regulate AI | Context  

READ: Fears SLAPPs threat could be leading journalists to quit profession, featuring an interview with Will Church, the Foundation’s Media Freedom Director | Press Gazette 

EXPLORE: BBC News World of Artificial Intelligence – a week of in-depth programming, coverage and interactive content on AI and its impact on society

READ: MEPs call for strong safeguards for journalists against spyware | Investigate Europe  

READ: Why are heatwaves getting worse? | Context  

READ: Nine out of 10 people are biased against women, says ‘alarming’ UN report | The Guardian

Opportunities

Senior Communications Manager: The Senior Communications Manager will join our busy Communications team and support the Foundation's internal and external communications initiatives, specifically supporting our Inclusive Economies portfolio. Reporting to the Global Director of Communications, this is an incredible opportunity to land a senior role in a fast-growing corporate Foundation working on some of the world’s most pressing issues. Based in London.

Legal Officer, Asia: The Legal Officer with join TrustLaw and support activities across Asia and the Pacific including scoping legal pro bono requests, designing and managing multiple cross-border research programmes and supporting the regional portfolio of law firms, corporations, referral partners, NGOs, social enterprises and other key stakeholders. Based in Mumbai. 

We are the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global news and information services company. We work to advance media freedom, foster more inclusive economies, and promote human rights.

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