The International Journalism Festival 2025 approached in the blink of an eye. Just like many of you, we´re getting ready to connect and immerse ourselves in the latest conversations around international journalism. Next week, already!
To our fellow journalists and media professionals who are attending #IJF this year, we are looking forward to getting in touch! Here is a quick review of what our team and friends will be doing there so you can catch us.
This year, three team members of Hostwriter and Unbias the News will be at the festival. Say hi if you see us around.
From our side, Hostwriter will be co-hosting a Meetup with Display Europe where we´ll discuss media challenges, big tech´s influence, and journalism’s role in defending public values in the context of “Ethics, Power, and Trust in the Digital Age”.
Together, we will tackle the questions of a changing digital landscape and the accountability of independent journalism against the backdrop of a European media space. You can join us for the networking event on Thursday, April 10, from 6-8 pm at Ristorante del Sole. Reserve a spot here.
Aside from that, we´ll be all over the place catching up with friends and fellows. Let us highlight a couple of their events:
Our dear Ankita Anand, regional editor at Unbias the News, among many other things, will be speaking at the session on the impact/ activism question in journalism. The panel, with Khalil Cassimally, Ruona Meyer, and Miriam Wells, will discuss this intersection from different perspectives around the globe, essentially reflecting on journalism’s role in change between objectivity and intentional impact. The panel will take place at the Sala delle Colonne on Friday, April 11, from 9:30-10:20 am.
Later that day, from 5-6 pm, also at Sala delle Colonne, Ankita will facilitate a workshop called “New angles: creating a richer, more inclusive news story” along with seven other journalists. In this session, they will create a space for becoming more conscious and resourceful about the application of the gender lens in storytelling and shedding light on power structures, hierarchies, and the systemic sidelining of certain groups. Register here to participate.
These are some of the conversations that are dear to our hearts as Unbias the News is a feminist newsroom dedicated to overcoming structural barriers and telling stories from the perspectives that matter.
Last but not least, Wafaa Albadry, a former regional editor at Unbias the News, co-author of our groundbreaking book Unbias the News: Why Diversity Matters for Journalism and a creative powerhouse of other ongoing projects with us, will have a seat at the panel “No newsroom wants to be late for AI, but is that good news for the Global South?”. The goal of this panel with Daria Minsky, Nakeema Stefflbauer, and Jaemark Tordecilla is to see the race for AI innovation from the angle of Global South newsrooms. Between the digital divide and necessity, the opportunity gap in global AI developments is driving innovative solutions.
As with everything, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to complex problems in diverse settings, a talking point we like to stress for collaborative cross-border reporting at Hostwriter.
Perugia is a lot, but so are the challenges we are facing. At Hostwriter and Unbias the News we recognize the power of community and exchange, and we are excited to foster old relationships and meet many new innovators and critical thinkers.
See you soon!
Julia, Gaby and Marlene.