September update

Welcome to the Thomson Reuters Foundation’s September update. This edition includes the latest details about Trust Conference, our annual flagship event, including our speaker line-up and agenda. We’re also celebrating one year since the launch of our digital news platform, Context. If you don’t regularly receive our newsletter, you can subscribe here. 

Have you registered for Trust Conference?  

In less than a month, delegates and speakers from across the globe will be gathering in London for Trust Conference, taking place on 19 and 20 October.

Through panel discussions, spotlight sessions and fireside chats, world-leading experts will discuss pressing global issues such as the use of the law to silence journalists, the ethics of AI, and data-driven climate policy. Delegates will also have opportunities to network with leaders across business, civil society, law and media. 

Our latest speaker line-up includes:

As a reminder, this year, Trust Conference is free to attend. There’s still time to apply for a ticket, so visit our website to view the full agenda and register now.

Happy Birthday, Context!  

Today, our digital news platform, Context, turns one! Over the past year, we’ve published over 800 stories focused on three of the most significant, interdependent issues of our time: climate change, the impact of technology on society, and inclusive economies. We’re delighted that Context’s unique coverage has also reached over 850,000 people across the globe.  

Thanks to the expertise of our our newsroom, made up of seasoned journalists and editors, Context has produced powerful multimedia stories that reflect the lived experiences of communities around the world - from spotlighting Indigenous people’s rights in Brazil to investigating the impacts of Taliban rule in Afghanistan.  

"What I'm most proud of is our truly global team of journalists that stretches from Manila to Mexico City. Most of them are from the places they are reporting from, and they show up every day to take our readers, viewers and listeners beyond the headlines of some of the most important stories in the world." 
Yasir Khan, Editor-in-Chief

“We’ve explored lesser-known aspects of how technology shapes our everyday lives, from AI use in welfare systems to suing governments over spyware use – including from a Global South perspective, which is all too often missing from the debate.”
Zoe Tabary, Tech and Society Editor

If you’re new to Context, check out this collection of the team’s best stories. You can also vote for Context here and Openly – our Impartial LGBTQ+ news platform – at the 13th Annual Lovie Awards where we’re shortlisted in the News & Politics categories for websites and social media.

Context is a headline media partner for Trust Conference. Register today for a chance to meet the team at this year's event. 

September updates from across the Foundation

Media Freedom: 

Celebrating courageous reporting 

At the beginning of October, we’ll be announcing the winners of the 2023 Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism. Now in their 22nd year, these prestigious Awards honour brave freelance journalists, local reporters and news fixers for their coverage of conflict, corruption and human rights transgressions around the world. 

The three winners of these Awards will not only receive a $5,000 prize to support their vital work, but they will also have the opportunity to share their stories as part of a panel discussion at Trust Conference, moderated by International Correspondent, Yalda Hakim. Winners will also be joined by one of the Award judges, New York Times International Correspondent Matthew Mpoké Bigg.

Look out for the winners’ announcement next week and learn more about the Awards here.

Inclusive Economies: 

New legal research looks at care systems in Latin America   

Over recent decades, women in Latin America have increasingly moved into paid work, however the burden of unpaid domestic and care work remains a huge barrier to many entering the workforce. This has led to an increasing demand for care policies.  

This week, TrustLaw – the Foundation’s global pro bono legal service – launched a new report which examines legal financing of care systems in the region, focusing on Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.

The comparative legal analysis highlights best practices where systems are better developed and identifies gaps where improvements could be made. It also explores how greater public investment in regional care policies could enable women’s full participation in the formal economic system and advance women’s economic justice. The report was developed in partnership with Latindadd – a network of institutions working on economic and social justice in Latin America and supported by Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. Read the report [in Spanish] here.

Human Rights:

Exploring the rise of surveillance technology in Africa    

In recent years, some African countries have increasingly invested in foreign surveillance technologies, despite growing concerns about privacy and online repression. Our Context team explored new research, published this week, that maps the supply of these technologies across the continent.

The report focuses on five countries – Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco, Malawi and Zambia – estimated to spend more than $1bn every year on surveillance technology. The findings  also highlight citizens’ concerns about how this tech is being used, including potential harassment, detention and torture for expressing opposing views. Read more here.

Discover more in our focus areas:

Media Freedom  |  Inclusive Economies  |  Human Rights

This month we recommend

WATCH: What happens when a country runs out of water? | Context  

READ: California sues oil giants alleging ‘climate risks deception’: Report | Al Jazeera  

READ: Strategies for building trust in news: What the public say they want across four countries | Reuters Institute  

READ: TechScape: AI-made images mean seeing is no longer believing | The Guardian  

READ: How the backlash to ESG can create a crisis for companies | Forbes 

READ: Why is anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric on the rise in the Middle East? | Openly 

Opportunities

Learn more about our latest job roles below. 

Junior In-house counsel | Nairobi, Kenya

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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