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.
Declared dead by Russia: RSF reveals the brutal reality of Victoria Roshchyna’s last months in captivity. The Ukrainian journalist was declared dead in September 2024 in a terse letter from the Russian Ministry of Defence. Yet her body was never returned to her family and the circumstances of her death remain unclear. The #ijf25 panel entitled Captured, tortured, vanished: what it takes to cover the Russian occupation in Ukraine. In memory of Victoria Roshchyna will address this topic
Guiding your newsroom through sexual violence coverage – lessons from the case of Gisèle Pelicot. An overview of some of the best practices for introducing responsible journalism on sexual violence following the historic rape trial of Gisèle Pelicot in France. The #ijf25 panel entitled What can we learn from the media’s treatment of mass rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot? will address this topic
Why Techdirt is now a democracy blog (whether we like it or not). I’ve had a few people reach out about our coverage these days. Most have been very supportive of what we’ve been covering, but a few asked questions regarding what Techdirt is focused on these days, and how much we were leaning into covering “politics”
Thinking about collective action as threats mount. What more can we, each and all, do to protect a free press? Richard Tofel will be a #ijf25 speaker
Where Jeff Bezos went wrong with The Washington Post. The billionaire handled his ownership admirably for more than a decade. But his courage failed him when he needed it most. By Marty Baron
No Other Land wins Oscar for best documentary feature. Congratulations to the team behind No Other Land, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham. IMS supported the film in an early phase of its production. No Other Land will be screened at #ijf25 and Yuval Abraham will be a #ijf25 speaker
The global population of adults aged 65 and older is growing at an unprecedented rate. For the senior-living industry, these demographics represent a golden opportunity to do more, do better, and do it all in innovative ways, write McKinsey’s Gunjan Khanna and coauthors in a new article.
Exposing industrial pollution and creating the ‘forever chemicals’ beat. In recent years, there has been growing interest in environmental investigations. French investigative journalist Stéphane Horel, who works for the newspaper Le Monde, was already interested in exposure to pollution, pesticides, and toxic products when these subjects were not considered sufficiently “noble” material for investigation. Stéphane Horel will be a #ijf25 speaker
AI is the media’s chance to reinvent itself. Artificial intelligence threatens today’s news industry—and with it, our shared reality. But it could also radically transform journalism for the better. David Caswell and Mary Fitzgerald will be #ijf25 speakers
Trump’s USAID funding freeze threatens global independent media, OCCRP editor warns. As the U.S. withdraws support for independent journalism worldwide, Russia and China could try to fill the vacuum. Miranda Patrucic will be a #ijf25 speaker
The sharp contrast: how Israeli and Western media cover the war on Gaza. Despite being directly governed by Israeli policies, some Israeli media outlets critically report on their government’s actions and use accurate terminology, whereas Western media has shown complete bias, failing to be impartial in its coverage of Israel’s aggression in Gaza. Meron Rapoport will be a #ijf25 speaker
“I quit being a journalist”: the arrest of a prominent Cambodian reporter sends a chilling message. The fate of award-winning investigative journalist Mech Dara underscores the growing risks of reporting under an increasingly repressive regime
Vanishing lifeline: what freezing USAID funds means for journalism in Europe. The sudden freeze on USAID funding has sent shockwaves through independent newsrooms across Europe
Image credit: screenshot from March 2025 RSF article entitled Declared dead by Russia: RSF reveals the brutal reality of Victoria Roshchyna’s last months in captivity