Key takeaways from this year's International Journalism Festival
No images? Click here
April update
Welcome to the Thomson Reuters Foundation's monthly newsletter!
Reflections from our CEO, Antonio Zappulla, on this year's International Journalism Festival
Press freedom is facing a dangerous turning point:
- Recent foreign aid cuts have put global newsrooms in jeopardy
- New 'foreign agent' laws - a collection of state-led legal penalties, stigmatisation efforts and burdensome regulations designed to restrict the work of independent media organisations that receive foreign funding - continue to roll in
- Journalists are increasingly discredited, intimidated, and silenced by disinformation campaigns, harassment, and imprisonment
In spite of this, the remarkable solidarity and resilience that I witnessed at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia has left me feeling a sense of hope and determination.
We heard extraordinary testimonies from individuals who are taking significant risks to speak truth to power. As I look back on this year's festival, I am encouraged by the willingness and drive from journalists, media freedom advocates, legal experts and donors to double down, unite and fight for a free media ecosystem.
At this year's festival, we hosted and participated in the following sessions:
- Enemy of the people? The role of the media in an era of rising authoritarianism
- Closing the AI adoption gap
- Silencing the press: The global spread of foreign agent laws and their impact on journalism
Watch the recordings from our panels below.
April highlights from across the Foundation
Strengthening Independent Media
Over the past decade, we've witnessed a proliferation of 'foreign agent laws' being weaponised to silence independent media. These laws are now spreading fast across Central and Eastern Europe.
In response, we are scaling up our operations.
Our new Legal Service for Independent Media offers tailored support to equip journalists, newsrooms and media freedom focused non-profits to counter these threats and strengthen their resilience and sustainability.
But this work cannot be done in isolation - it requires a coordinated strategy of resistance to protect and defend global press freedom.
Enabling Access to the Law
Our 2024 Index of Pro Bono marks the 10th anniversary of the Index, providing a unique opportunity to explore how pro bono is evolving across Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America and North America.
This year's Index saw that 74% of Australian lawyers were engaged in some form of pro bono work.
And in Latin America, countries with more institutionalised pro bono, like Colombia and Mexico, are leading the way on pro bono hours, tracking significantly above the regional average.
Promoting Responsible Business
Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive orders to roll back federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes, many large US corporations across the tech and finance sectors have followed suit, announcing that they are dropping or overhauling DEI policies or schemes.
As the landscape for ESG continues to shift across the globe, we take a look back at our 'How can business leaders stand firm on responsible business commitments?' panel from Trust Conference - moderated by our Director of Responsible Business, Katie Fowler.
Discover more in our focus areas:
This month we recommend
LISTEN: How journalists can cover LGBTQ+ stories, with Enrique Anarte Lazo of Context | Journalism.co.uk Podcast
LISTEN: ‘I Felt Ashamed.’ Why One Lawyer Resigned When His Firm Caved to Trump | New York Times Podcast
READ: EU will not rip up tech rules for trade deal | The Guardian
READ: As Trump silences Voice of America, Russia and China seize the opportunity to reshape Africa’s news ecosystem | Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
We are the corporate foundation of Thomson Reuters, the global content and technology company. We leverage our media, legal and data-driven expertise to strengthen independent journalism, enable access to the law and promote responsible business.
