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.
Sotto voce. Trump moves to gut Voice of America. Jon Allsop will be a #ijf25 speaker
Hungary: IPI warns of fresh crackdown on independent media. In a recent speech, Prime Minister Orbán compared critics including journalists to insects that will be eliminated. Scott Griffen will be a #ijf25 speaker
Silencing the media? Journalists face legal action after bank exposé. A Lebanese bank chairman has filed sweeping legal complaints against investigative journalists, following their reporting on his alleged bank dealings with the former governor of Lebanon’s central bank. Alia Ibrahim will be a #ijf25 speaker
RFE/RL journalist Alsu Kurmasheva knows firsthand what it’s like to report in a country without a free press. Congress must act now to restore funding to Radio Free Europe, VOANews, and others, says the Committee to Protect Journalists. Alsu Kurmasheva will be a #ijf25 speaker
No paywall, no problem: how taz, a Berlin daily, successfully sticks to readers’ voluntary contributions. Print subscriptions pay the bills while 42,000 digital readers voluntarily chip in €3 million annually
Leaders and companies must do more to address structural gender inequalities in the workplace—but you don’t have to wait. The Broken Rung, a new book by McKinsey senior partners, Kweilin Ellingrud, Lareina Yee, and María del Mar Martínez, is your guide, right now, for moving up the corporate ladder and reaching your full potential at work.
Peru: veto ‘anti-NGO’ law. Freedom of association and speech at risk
Why user needs have the power to stop audiences feeling overwhelmed by the news. A new report by FT Strategies and smartocto reveals how newsrooms are increasing relevance, engagement and revenue by focusing on why readers consume news rather than what journalists think is important
Media rights, journalist groups call on US to protect press freedom after USAGM gutted. The letter, organized by CPJ, said that eliminating the agency’s outlets, which have reached audiences living under authoritarian rule for more than 80 years, was a “significant blow to press freedom.”
The changing face of local journalism. Rethinking what counts as local news
Playing with fire: EBU investigates Russia’s hybrid attacks on Europe. A new report by the EBU Investigative Journalism Network reveals the extent of Russian hybrid attacks in Europe – including the use of “disposable agents” recruited on social media to target various countries with cyberattacks, arson, vandalism, sabotage and influence campaigns during elections
Image credit: screenshot from 19 March 2025 Al Jazeera video