The 20th annual International Journalism Festival addressed the most prominent challenges for news and media, from gendered attacks on women journalists to shifting AI coverage toward accountability reporting on power, labor, and social impact. MacArthur was proud to support Journalism and Media, Local News, and Technology and the Public Interest grantees leading wide-ranging discussions on journalism’s resilience and future.
Lauren Pabst, Senior Program Officer, Journalism and Media, speaks with student journalists in Perugia, Italy.
Developing and Evolving Regional Hubs and Networks panelists, from left to right: Kathy Im, MacArthur Foundation; Liz Baker, Humanity United; Maria Teresa Ronderos, Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism; Rawan Damen, Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism; Emilia Díaz-Struck, Global Investigative Journalism Network; and Troye Lund, IJ Hub, based in Southern Africa.
From left to right, Lucy Kueng, Senior Visiting Research Associate at Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, describes how Tsüri.ch—a local online magazine based in Zurich led by co-CEO Elio Donauer, second from left—developed core aspects of a sustainable business model. Kathy Im, Martin Kotynek, and Silvia Rivera look on.
Erika Howard (far right), Director of Impact Strategy and External Relations at FRONTLINE, discusses how documentaries have the power to change the course of lives and are opportunities to build analog community outside of streaming services.
Highlights from the Festival
Beyond the Hype: Covering AI Across Beats ›
Eric Sears, Director, Technology in the Public Interest, moderated a panel with Abeba Birhane of grantee AI Accountability Lab at Trinity College Dublin, Tatiana Dias of grantee Tech Policy Press, and The Associated Press global investigative journalist Garance Burke about shifting AI coverage toward accountability reporting on power, policy, labor, and social impact.
Creative Reconstruction: Reimagining Local News and Public Media ›
Kristen Mack, Vice President Communications, Fellows, and Partnerships, joined a panel with grantee Associated Press Fund for Journalism exploring how to reimagine local news and public media globally through innovative partnerships such as through the Chicago Sun-Times’ nonprofit model and merger with WBEZ.
Developing and Evolving Regional Hubs and Networks
Strengthening cross-border investigative journalism: Global Investigative Journalism Network’s Emilia Díaz-Struck moderated a powerful discussion on developing and evolving regional journalism hubs and networks, particularly in environments where democratic norms and press freedoms are at risk. MacArthur is collaborating with Humanity United to support global newsrooms and regional hubs.
Distribution Innovations in Documentary Film ›
Lauren Pabst, Senior Program Officer, Journalism and Media, moderated a panel focused on how organizations like Korea Center for Investigative Journalism Newstapa, Color Congress, and FRONTLINE think creatively about how documentary films can break through crowded media environments and create community and connection. View the panel: Distribution Innovations in Documentary Film.
How Can Philanthropy Help Create Viable Public-Value Journalism? ›
Kathy Im, Director of Journalism and Media, moderated a panel on advancing sustainable, mission-aligned journalism models beyond short-term grant cycles, featuring Martin Kotynek of Media Forward Fund and Silvia Rivera, Director of Local News at MacArthur.
How Documentary Funders Think About Impact: and What Journalism Can Learn from Them ›
A panel featuring Lauren Pabst and grantees FRONTLINE and Media Impact Funders explored how documentary funders define impact and what journalism can adopt from structured narrative assessment.
“Quiet, Piggy”: Misogynistic Attacks as a Tool to Silence Women Journalists and How We Fight Back ›
Kathy Im introduced a panel that examined gendered attacks on women journalists and the erosion of press freedoms, and how newsrooms can support female colleagues experiencing online abuse and intimidation.
Explore more videos and content from the International Journalism Festival.
