The International Journalism Festival weekly round-up. Stay up to date by subscribing to our newsletter, by following our Telegram channel, or by joining us on X and Facebook.
How my investigation led to sex trafficking charges against ex-Abercrombie boss. In a federal courtroom in New York, for the first time I’m face to face with Mike Jeffries – the multi-millionaire ex-fashion boss I’ve spent three years investigating for the BBC. He stares at me directly, lips pursed, and chin raised, as he sits before the judge. As a result of my reporting, he was arrested this week by the FBI and charged with running an international sex trafficking and prostitution business along with his British partner, Matthew Smith, and their middleman James Jacobson. Authorities acted after hearing my podcast series The Abercrombie Guys, in which I unearthed evidence that Mr Jeffries, 80, and Mr Smith, 61, had been at the centre of a sophisticated global operation involving a network of recruiters and a middleman scouting young men for sex
An apolitical beagle will lead the revolt of creators against mainstream media. Every time a journalist goes independent and thrives, they create a blueprint for others to follow. CEE publishers and media funders can’t ignore these structural shifts anymore
Where is the money? A global perspective on forms of funding, financing and investment for public interest media. This report is a milestone in the battle to understand the viability of public interest media globally
Fifty fact-checking organisations in Africa sign pact on information integrity. The declaration highlighted politically sensitive environments, vulnerable and offline communities, linguistic diversity, public distrust of the media and resource challenges as some of the areas of concern for African fact-checkers
Personalization vs. editorial judgment? At The Times of India, you can have both. Picture this: your newspaper’s homepage is no longer a one-size-fits-all front page. Instead, it’s a dynamic interface that knows each reader’s preferences—giving them stories they care about while ensuring they don’t miss breaking news that matters. This isn’t science fiction; it’s happening at one of the world’s largest English-language newspapers
Jeff Bezos just proved the value of the newspaper endorsement. The values that a news company should stand for are, and should be, a matter of healthy contention—but it’s hardly controversial to expect that they would include both freedom of the press and a high-level commitment to democracy, principles that are essential to the news media’s own survival and are very obviously on the ballot this year. In pulling endorsements that their own staffs were in the process of preparing, both Bezos and Soon-Shiong have cast doubt on their commitment to these very basic tenets
So long, and thank you, for everything. Branko Brkic to step down as editor-in-chief of Daily Maverick
In celebration of the McKinsey Quarterly’s 60th birthday, each of the year’s four “Q60” issues will cover a special theme, with the just-released first edition focusing on implementing and creating value from technology. The celebration also includes bonus digital offerings such as special interactive features and themed compilations of timeless Quarterly classics, newly released from the archives.
Three Lebanese journalists killed in Israeli strike. Three Lebanese journalists have been killed in an Israeli air strike on a building known to be housing reporters in south-eastern Lebanon, witnesses have told the BBC. The attack was carried out on a guesthouse in a compound in Hasbaya being used by more than a dozen journalists from at least seven media organisations – with a courtyard containing cars clearly marked with “press”. The men worked for broadcasters Al-Manar TV and Al Mayadeen TV, which issued statements paying tribute to their killed employees
Mexican reporter shot dead moments after interviewing mayor. Unidentified assaults shot and killed journalist Mauricio Cruz Solís at around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29, in Urupan, a city in the southwestern state of Michoacán, moments after he interviewed Uruapan Mayor Carlos Manzo about a recent local market fire
Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism: opening speech by the 2024 jury chair. Juliane Hielscher, president of Berlin Press Club and chair of the 2024 jury, opened the award ceremony of the 2024 Daphne Caruana Galizia Prize for Journalism in Strasbourg on 23 October with the following speech
Breaking barriers: a whole-of-society approach to gender equality in media development. Male journalists outnumber women journalists in most countries. Globally, women are largely shut out of newsroom leadership, making up only about a quarter of top management positions. In news content, women constitute only a quarter of sources and subjects in news stories across traditional media around the world. Without women in top jobs to advocate for junior staff, women are unlikely to feel welcome in the profession. Without women journalists, fewer women’s stories will be told. Without a meaningful voice in news coverage, women will not be able to fully participate in public life or exert pressure on their representatives to address the challenges they face in society
Latin American journalists share best practices on migration reporting. Collaborative journalism, feminist perspectives, diverse newsrooms, and support from local journalists are practices that can lead to better coverage of migration
‘It’s important to talk about online abuse’: Marianna Spring on trolls, conspiracy theorists – and positivity. The BBC receives more abusive messages about Marianna Spring than anyone else. But the disinformation correspondent remains hopeful about people – and the world we live in
Shifting democracies reporting fellowship for women journalists. Global Press’ Shifting Democracies fellows will examine changing governance structures in countries around the world, and how those shifts are interconnected. During this two-year, full-time fellowship, fellows will produce investigative and explanatory journalism, participate in advanced skills training and be part of an international cohort of women journalists, all working and living in their home countries. Deadline: 8 November 2024
Apply to join the Rainforest Investigations Network. The network seeks to harness investigative reporting and cross-border collaboration to tackle stories at the intersection of climate change, corruption, and governance in the world’s three main tropical rainforest regions: Amazon, Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. Deadline: 31 December 2024
Image credit: screenshot of 27 October 2024 BBC article How my investigation led to sex trafficking charges against ex-Abercrombie boss