WAN-IFRA: Defending Press Freedom & Innovation in a Changing World

WAN-IFRA’s global advocacy serves as a crucial support for declining press freedom worldwide. It is vital to speak out against the most egregious violations, particularly when those with the power to effect change remain silent or inactive. A stark example is the case of Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist and member of the 2016 Women In News Leadership Accelerator program, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on April 22nd. Reports indicated that shelling and direct fire hindered emergency teams from reaching her.

Obstructing rescue operations constitutes a violation of international humanitarian law and can be considered a war crime. A full, transparent investigation is needed to determine what happened and hold those responsible accountable, but Israel’s history of accountability for its military forces is poor.

Such indifference underscores the broader necessity of WAN-IFRA’s work. Frustration with the lack of action, disrespect for norms, or failures in the rule of law shouldn’t overshadow the positive impact of the industry’s daily efforts to defend its rights. Instead, we must celebrate the achievable impact, if only to strengthen the call for justice for Amal Khalil and the thousands of colleagues who have lost their lives pursuing journalism.

Fighting for the Means

For this World Press Freedom Day, WAN-IFRA colleagues shared a snapshot of their work, representing only a fraction of the organization’s global impact. WAN-IFRA occupies a unique position as an international trade organization and representative body with a clear human rights mandate. The organization’s premise is that independent media can only thrive if the economic conditions underpinning a free press are addressed alongside advocacy, policy, capacity, and technical issues.

These ingredients contribute to a viable media industry; press freedom and media viability are two sides of the same coin. As such, the entire organization is geared towards a holistic vision of strengthening independent media businesses and the journalism they produce. To guide this collective search for answers, WAN-IFRA commits approximately €7.5 million annually to an industry-wide portfolio of work that responds to the challenges and opportunities facing a free press in over 120 countries represented in its membership.

This approach is effective: close to 100 new organizations joined WAN-IFRA’s membership community in the past year. Over 11,000 professionals attended WAN-IFRA events either in person or online, and over 30,000 subscribed to its newsletters. This success is also built on a foundation of experience: 30% of WAN-IFRA’s members have been with the organization for more than 20 years, some for nearly 50.

The collective spirit of WAN-IFRA is exemplified by World News Day, a global campaign held annually on September 28th that celebrates quality journalism and highlights its critical role in society. Led by WAN-IFRA’s World Editors Forum, it brings together news organizations worldwide to demonstrate the value of fact-based, independent journalism to the public. A thousand newsrooms participated in 2025, reinforcing independent journalism and helping audiences better understand how it works. For an industry often hesitant to acknowledge its own achievements, the campaign unapologetically celebrates the positive impact of the craft.

Futureshock

Addressing “the next disruptor” is another unifying force. While the path to achieving and sustaining viability differs for each newsroom, WAN-IFRA provides data and knowledge to members regardless of their stage of progress. Its leadership on Artificial Intelligence is a prime example. Preparing news media organizations to develop sophisticated responses to AI disruption is critical for future newsroom management and business direction. Of the 13 research reports WAN-IFRA published in 2025, six highlighted AI’s growing impact.

WAN-IFRA provides easy access to best practices, showcasing both successes and failures, for media organizations to benchmark against. The Digital Revenue Network team delivers programs that have encouraged news organizations worldwide to generate revenue using AI, with the goal of supporting original reporting. WAN-IFRA’s AI Content Monetisation Playbook outlines actions publishers of all sizes should take to begin this journey. So far, AI Accelerators have allowed 162 news organizations and more than 700 participants across Latin America, Europe, South Asia, and the Asia-Pacific regions to accelerate the development of content recommendation, personalization, and production tools, and services. A NextGen AI Leaders program is currently helping 24 young leaders from Finland to South Africa gain skills to drive transformation and product development in their organizations.

Over 500 media professionals regularly engage in the online AI in Media Community, and through partnerships with trailblazing providers and emerging initiatives, WAN-IFRA is supporting collective industry action to engage with and shape the technology, rather than being consumed by it. In parallel, enabling collaboration and strengthening sustainable, future-ready journalism by accelerating innovation is key. The Innovate Local online community has over 430 contributors, while WAN-IFRA’s Data Science Expert Group welcomes over 400 members. WAN-IFRA’s Global Alliance for Media Innovation connects media organizations with start-ups and tech companies to co-develop solutions that tackle real-world industry challenges, providing access to new technologies, experimentation frameworks, and partnerships.

Protecting Rights Along the Value Chain

Despite a strong focus on the industry’s AI future, physical news products remain critical for a free press to reach its audience in many parts of the world. With print still the largest platform for revenue (43.6% globally, according to WAN-IFRA’s latest World Press Trends Outlook report), this freedom can be meaningless if the “last mile” of distribution is blocked by economic barriers. In response, over the past year, WAN-IFRA’s Distripress team has intervened in critical market disruptions to ensure international news remains physically available to the public. In the United Arab Emirates, WAN-IFRA challenged “all or nothing” licensing fees that threaten the economic sustainability of over 400 international titles. In Croatia, WAN-IFRA is fighting a discriminatory state-owned distribution model where international titles are charged four times higher than local ones – a structure that contravenes EU market competition laws.

WAN-IFRA is also addressing the environmental impact of print journalism, ensuring the conversation is grounded in evidence to avoid prematurely retiring a format that remains a vital lifeline for many. Its forthcoming report on how the print and publishing industry aligns with the Paris Climate Agreement’s 1.5°C goal will impact the entire print supply chain. WAN-IFRA conducted greenhouse gas emission audits at printing facilities with a combined 69,000 tonnes of annual newsprint output in India, providing carbon intensity benchmarking and practical reduction roadmaps in response to increasing demands from advertisers, regulators, and audiences for proof of green, responsible publishing.

Trust That New Audiences Can Rely On

WAN-IFRA’s long-term thinking extends to media literacy and the next generation of news consumers. Trusted, human-created content for young people directly supports literacy, mental health, and critical thinking outcomes. WAN-IFRA’s magazine publishers’ association, FIPP, is pioneering a global initiative to unite publishers around high-quality, trusted media for children and young people, promising to open new revenue streams and distribution channels, and providing a framework for publishers to explore repurposing existing content.

Stronger Media in Times of Crisis

To achieve these goals amidst the current pressures facing the industry, strengthening institutional resilience is essential. Demonstrating the urgency of this approach in the most vulnerable markets, WAN-IFRA’s Media Freedom teams provide structured investments in long-term sustainability for independent media operating in high-risk environments. The Stronger Together initiative focuses on reinforcing organizational systems, investigative capacity, safety standards, and cross-border collaboration for Ukrainian media. Delivered in partnership with member associations in Norway and Ukraine, participating newsrooms have produced over one hundred investigative stories reaching more than one million readers, and dozens of media organizations have improved internal management systems and strategic processes, all achieved by local media operating in a time of war.

WAN-IFRA also targets the ecosystems in which independent media operate, particularly media forced into political exile, by improving operational resilience, editorial quality, and factors that lead to sustainability. Its role in the EU-funded BRAVE initiative, a nine-member consortium led by BBC Media Action, is to support Myanmar media outlets in exile through technical grants, targeted training, and tailored mentorships. WAN-IFRA also delivers a comprehensive global program of peer-to-peer training across over 20 countries.

Building a Safe, Inclusive News Industry

WAN-IFRA’s Media Freedom portfolio is underpinned by a commitment to address structural issues that restrict a free, equitable, and inclusive press. Gender inequality and unsafe working environments continue to limit participation and leadership across the media sector. WAN-IFRA’s global Women In News (WIN) program is addressing this, focusing on scaling impact through targeted support to women-led and women-owned media organizations in over 30 countries. 1800+ media professionals are supported annually through training, mentoring, and leadership programs, and close to a thousand alumni are now active in a growing global network. Research covering 21 countries provides a comprehensive dataset on sexual harassment in the media industry globally.

WIN contributes to more inclusive and representative media systems, stronger and more sustainable media organizations, and increased public trust through credible, diverse journalism. The work is not only about supporting individuals or organizations, but also reinforcing the role of independent media as a cornerstone of more equal, democratic societies.

The alarming fact that 70% of women journalists and activists in the EU report having experienced online violence in their work, with 9% targeted with abusive gender-based language online, is being addressed through WAN-IFRA’s EU-funded C.H.A.S.E. Project. Multi-country research, combined with an AI-powered detection tool, provides the media with practical capacity to identify and counter online hate speech targeting women and gender-diverse individuals. This is accompanied by a voluntary Code of Conduct and a human rights-based legal and technical framework aligned with EU legal standards.

Through C.H.A.S.E., WAN-IFRA demonstrates that technical solutions for online safety exist and can complement legal frameworks, contributing to a safer, more inclusive European digital public sphere. Defending press freedom means defending the safety of every journalist: WAN-IFRA and its members are not simply observing this challenge, but actively building the infrastructure to meet it.

Back to the Beginning

Despite these positive efforts, some negatives bear repeating: the rising number of journalists killed (130 in 2025, according to CPJ), the shocking level of global impunity around those killings (85-90%, according to the UN), and the soaring numbers (332) currently imprisoned for their work. Year on year, the profession faces more danger, injustice, and criminalization. The media is under severe attack, and its vital role safeguarding democracy is undervalued or deliberately undermined.

To reverse this pattern, targeting journalists needs to stop. Independent media must be considered a valued asset for society and protected as such. More investment, better access to quality training and support for all media professionals, and stronger industry bodies are needed. Political will and meaningful action must align. Alongside its practical assistance, WAN-IFRA will continue to sound the alarm and speak out on behalf of the universal principles that guide it. Despite the challenges, the belief remains that one day, things will get better, and the industry, in principled solidarity, with invention and endeavor, will make it so.