The Global Media Forum seeks to overcome divisions

The topics discussed at the Global Media Forum 2023 range from the influence of artificial intelligence on journalism and the fight against disinformation to reporting from war zones. Under the motto “Overcoming divisions”, media professionals, politicians and representatives of civil society organisations came together in mid-June for the two-day event at the World Conference Center in Bonn. 2,000 participants from more than 120 countries discussed current challenges facing the media and participated in workshops in the search for solutions.

Since 2008, Deutsche Welle’s Global Media Forum has offered experts from all over the world the opportunity to engage in dialogue. The event’s sponsors include the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the State of North Rhine-Westphalia.

“In an increasingly divided society, global cooperation is more important than ever – not least in order to overcome these divisions,” said Deutsche Welle Director General Peter Limbourg. “Our goal with the Global Media Forum is to identify the issues facing journalists today and bring together global media experts and decision-makers to develop and share solutions that impact the long-term prospects of journalism.”

At the opening of the Forum, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock sent a video message emphasising the importance of a free press: “Free societies need a free media – to report the truth and hold those in power to account.”

In her speech, she told of a Russian journalist who is now working in exile in Riga after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The former cultural editor is one of 1,000 media professionals the Federal Government has supported over the last twelve months through the Hannah Arendt Initiative. “The work of these media professionals – the work of all of you as journalists and as media representatives – is crucial,” Baerbock stressed.

The DW Freedom of Speech Award has been presented at the Global Media Forum since 2015 with the aim of strengthening freedom of speech and freedom of the press worldwide. This year the award goes to Óscar Martínez, a Salvadoran investigative journalist and editor-in-chief of the online platform El Faro (The Lighthouse). DW director Limbourg said the award recognises the commitment demonstrated by Martínez and the editorial staff of El Faro to freedom of the press and freedom of opinion in El Salvador. “Through this award we want to pay tribute to Óscar Martínez’s courage and conviction to provide free information for his readers despite the personal risk involved.”

Find out more about the Global Media Forum here.