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.
Decolonise how? Help us develop an ethical framework for covering humanitarian crises. The fact is that most mainstream news outlets tend to avoid covering crises. Patrick Gathara will be a #ijf25 speaker
Backlash, bailiffs, bankruptcy: the unmaking of independent, public-spirited journalism in India. A few journalists continue to face the threat of being thrown in jail, but many more organisations are vulnerable to nuanced efforts to choke them, including tax scrutiny, regulatory and financial pressures
UK-based lawyers for Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai targeted by Chinese state. Barristers at Doughty Street Chambers say they have been subject to surveillance, hacking and rape threats. Caoilfhionn Gallagher will be a #ijf25 speaker
Life and leadership podcast. Interview of Mark Little. Mark Little will be a #ijf25 speaker
IWMF Courage in Journalism Awards. The awards show people that women journalists are not going to step aside, cannot be silenced, and deserve to be recognized for their strength in the face of adversity. It honors the brave journalists who report on taboo topics, work in environments hostile to women, and share difficult truths. Deadline for nominations: 30 March 2025
In a new McKinsey article, Daniel Pacthod, Kurt Strovink, and Wyman Howard discuss characteristics that are critical for leaders to thrive in today’s volatile business environment.
Inside The Kyiv Independent’s membership model. Launched in November 2021, The Kyiv Independent is Ukraine’s fasted-growing English-language media outlet. Today, with a community-focused membership model, 70% of revenue comes directly from reader support. Zakhar Protsiuk will be a #ijf25 speaker
Knight Foundation invests $25 million in American Journalism Project to expand and strengthen local news. This new support will accelerate the growth of nonprofit local news organizations nationwide. The American Journalism Project will use this funding to provide growth capital and long-term operational support to up to 60 nonprofit news organizations
Foreign aid freeze decimates investigative news outlets internationally. Many affected are the only investigative journalism organizations in poor countries or fragile democracies. Rawan Damen, Mira Milosevic and Gerard Ryle will be #ijf25 speakers
JD Vance is wrong, facts are not opinions. There is one point on which we at Full Fact are in complete agreement with the Vice-President: free speech is an indispensable part of what it means to be a democratic society. But we believe that free speech has never been absolute. And in the internet age more than ever, modern societies have to make difficult choices in trying to find the right balance between protecting freedom of expression and protecting people from harm. Andy Dudfield, head of AI at Full Fact, will be a #ijf25 speaker
“AI will not solve the business model question.” Public interest media must build coalitions with other industries against Big Tech, says media scholar Courtney Radsch. Courtney Radsch will be a #ijf25 speaker
EscapeX International campaign: improving the digital public space. In response to growing concerns over Elon Musk’s interference in European democracies, multiple initiatives across Europe have joined forces to launch the EscapeX campaign. This movement urges individuals, institutions, media outlets and policymakers to break free from the platform X and transition to more democratic, decentralised digital spaces such as Bluesky and Mastodon
Image credit: screenshot of The New Humanitarian article by Patrick Gathara of 19 February 2025