By Gabriela Ramirez

At this 2023 International Journalism Festival, over 200 speakers and more than 150 panels will take place over five days, with the earliest discussions starting from 9:30 am to the latest one finishing by 10:30 pm. We know that as great as it is to be able to participate in the whirlwind that is Perugia, it can be a lot to keep up with. 

That’s why we have collected some of the most exciting events at the #IJF23 that you won’t want to miss. The discussions are organized by topics such as cross-border journalism, solutions journalism, investigative journalism, diversity, climate reporting, and more to help you decide which area to spend more time on during the Perugia season. 

Also, remember all of these conversations will be live-streamed, so that’s also an option if you can’t attend this year and would rather binge-watch some of the sessions from the comfort of your sofa. 

Solutions Journalism

Solutions journalism: a means to achieve equity and inclusion

14:00 – 14:50   thursday 20/04/2023 – Sala delle Colonne, Palazzo Graziani

Dina Aboughazala (Egab) Caleb Okereke (Minority Africa)  Dora Santos Silva (Obi.Media) Holly Wise (Solutions Journalism Network)

Shifting journalism narratives: how solutions journalism is changing the African story-telling narrative in four countries

11:00 – 11:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni

Chibuike Alagboso (Solutions Journalism Africa Initiative) Sharon Atieno (Science Africa) Vivianne Ihekweazu (Nigeria Health Watch) Daniel Otunge (Science Africa)

Climate Journalism

Climate journalism that works: what newsrooms need to know to have an impact

15:00 – 15:50   thursday 20/04/2023 – Sala del Dottorato

Alexandra Borchardt (journalist) Phil Chetwynd (Agence France-Presse) Hans Cosson-Eide (NRK News) Justyna Kurczabinska (EBU)

Climate reporting literacy: what journalists need to learn and communities want to know

11:00 – 11:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala delle Colonne, Palazzo Graziani

Tina Lee (Unbias the News) Ruona Meyer (Solutions Journalism Network) Camille Padilla Dalmau (founder 9 Millones) Lisa Urlbauer (Bonn Institute)

The importance of community networks for climate journalism

17:00 – 17:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni

Jessica Davis (USA TODAY) Gustavo Faleiros (Pulitzer Center) Katharina Kropshofer (Austrian Climate Journalism Network) Mitali Mukherjee (RISJ)

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Where are the working-class journalists? 10:00 – 10:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala delle Colonne, Palazzo Graziani Jane Bradley (The New York Times)  Victoria Sanusi (freelance journalist) Robyn Vinter (The Guardian) Roz Warren (Reuters)

The state of gender journalism around the world: challenges, approaches and opportunities 16:00 – 16:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala delle Colonne, Palazzo Graziani

Ankita Anand (journalist) Megan Clement (editor Impact) Luba Kassova (AKAS) Agustina Ordoqui (freelance journalist)

Media as an extractive practice: tackling the Western media’s effect on Global South journalism 10:00 – 10:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala della Vaccara, Palazzo dei Priori

Mercy Abang (Hostwriter) Wafaa Albadry (Deutsche Welle) Ankita Anand (Unbias The News) Tina Lee (Unbias the News)

Making newsrooms inclusive and safe for all genders: a leadership conversation 11:00 – 11:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala dei Notari, Palazzo dei Priori Catherine Gicheru (Africa Women Journalism Project) Blathnaid Healy (Trinity College Dublin) Sisi Wei (The Markup)

New storytelling formats for decolonized journalism: when innovation and inclusion come together

16:00 – 16:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni

Rachel Hamada (The Ferret) Shirish Kulkarni (journalism innovation and inclusion consultant) Annie Slemrod (The New Humanitarian) Zing Tsjeng (VICE)

Press Freddom

The value of independent journalism in a polarized world 12:00 – 12:25   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala dei Notari, Palazzo dei Priori Ros Atkins (BBC News) Alessandra Galloni (Reuters)

Fighting gendered disinformation: how women journalists stand up to dictators, shadowy foreign agents and digital conspiracy network 15:00 – 15:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Auditorium San Francesco al Prato Maria Ressa (Nobel Peace Prize, Rappler)Carole Cadwalladr (The Observer) Julie Posetti (CFJ)  Marianna Spring (BBC)

In conversation with Carlos Dada, Press Freedom Hero 12:35 – 13:00   saturday 22/04/2023 – Auditorium San Francesco al Prato Carlos Dada (El Faro) Scott Griffen (International Press Institute)

Photo: Gabriela Ramirez

Collaborative Journalism 

Two to tango: a closer look at the relationship between independent investigative teams and legacy media

16:00 – 16:50   thursday 20/04/2023 – Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni

Cecilia Anesi (IRPI) Nikolas Leontopoulos (Reporters United) Geoffrey Livolsi (Disclose) Bastian Obermayer (investigative reporter) Elisa Simantke (Investigate Europe)

Radical sharing: 15 years of cross-border collaborative journalism

11:00 – 11:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Auditorium San Francesco al Prato

Bastian Obermayer (investigative reporter) Laurent Richard (Forbidden Stories) Gerard Ryle (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) Drew Sullivan (OCCRP) Marina Walker Guevara (Pulitzer Center)

Collaborative investigations: how cross-border collaborations deliver powerful impact

17:00 – 17:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni

Eyal Abrahami (Shomrim) Malia Politzer (Finance Uncovered) Vivian Schiller (Aspen Institute) Fergus Shiel (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists)

Social Media and New Formats

TikTok and the news: how can publishers join the party?

10:00 – 10:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello

Dave Jorgenson (The Washington Post) Erika Marzano (Deutsche Welle) Nic Newman (RISJ)  Sophia Smith Galer (VICE World News)

Hard access stories: why audio journalism is the solution

12:00 – 12:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni

Jasmin Bauomy (podcast producer) Josephine Karianjahi (Africa Podfest) Phil Maguire (Prison Radio Association) Ramsey Tesdell (Sowt.com)

TikTok: killing video as we know it or curing news avoidance?

12:00 – 12:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala del Dottorato

Anna Bressanin (BBC Reel) Eleonore Finkelstein (Brut.America) Dave Jorgenson (The Washington Post) Valentina Park (The News Movement)

Photo: Gabriela Ramirez

AI and Tech

AI journalism: the next generation?

14:00 – 14:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala dei Notari, Palazzo dei Prior

Charlie Beckett (Polis London School of Economics)  Gina Chua (Semafor) Lisa Gibbs (Associated Press) Chris Moran(The Guardian)

The elephant in the room: could AI give technology giants more control over the news?

11:00 – 11:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Auditorium San Francesco al Prato

Charlie Beckett (Polis London School of Economics) Emily Bell (Tow Center for Digital Journalism) Nicholas Diakopoulos (Computational Journalism Lab Northwestern Univ.)  Uli Koppen (Bayerischer Rundfunk) Felix Simon (Oxford Internet Institute)

Funding and Business Models 

Funding with purpose: a dialogue with funders on how to provide meaningful support

14:00 – 14:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Hotel Brufani – Sala Raffaello

Ebru Akgun (Adessium Foundation) Miguel Castro (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation) Abhijit Das (Stichting Democratie en Media) Mary Fitzgerald (Open Society Foundations)

What donors need to hear from the Global South

14:00 – 14:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala del Dottorato

Miraj Chowdhury (Digitally Right) Mia Malan (Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism)Maria Teresa Ronderos (Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism) Anya Schiffrin (School of International and Public Affairs Columbia University) 

Nonprofit news: is journalism ready for charity?

15:00 – 15:50   saturday 22/04/2023 – Sala delle Colonne, Palazzo Graziani

Sameer Padania (Macroscope Consultancy)  Aron Pilhofer (Temple University) Elisa Simantke (Investigate Europe) Julia Vernersson (Hostwriter) Stephan Weichert (VOCER Institute for Digital Resilience)

Mental Health

Staying sane and healthy as a journalist in an always-on culture

12:00 – 12:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Hotel Brufani – Sala Priori

Kim Brice (The Self-Investigation) Paul Lewis (The Guardian)

Is anyone listening? Solutions and strategies to support the mental health of journalists under online attack

14:00 – 14:50   friday 21/04/2023 – Sala Brugnoli, Palazzo Cesaroni

Nadine Hoffman (Women’s Media Foundation) Flora Schulte Nordholt (Free Press Unlimited) Nabeelah Shabbir (ICFJ) Ana Zellhuber (Vinland Solutions)

To check the full program, you can visit the website here

We are looking forward to this year’s International Journalism Festival and meeting you in Perugia. If you would like to meet up there, feel free to reach out