“Shaping tomorrow, now” was the focus of the 2022 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum held on June 20 and 21 in Bonn, Germany. The 15th annual event offered a platform for leaders and decision makers in media, politics, business, education, and science to discuss current socio-political affairs and the media’s subsequent handling of them. The forum offered participants the opportunity to explore these topics together and offer each other unique insights from their respective areas of expertise with the goal of delivering better informed content for public consumption.
Acting VOA Director Yolanda López was invited by DW to be among the more than 2,000 conference participants from more than 120 countries, featuring more than 100 speakers. Key discussion topics included disinformation and press freedom, women’s health issues, Africa’s media landscape and challenges, western reporting in the global south, the challenges of reporting in conflict zones, climate change and implicit biases.
Maria Ressa, a 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and journalist who has endured harassment and arrests at the hands of President Rodrigo Duterte’s regime in the Philippines, was the keynote speaker. In her presentation titled, “What are you willing to sacrifice for the truth?” Ressa underscored the significance of journalism in the face of authoritarianism and disinformation, the important role the media play in combating these forces and the sacrifices this work may require.
“To meet in person with many of my media counterparts from across the globe to discuss common challenges and make new connections was a tremendous opportunity for VOA,” said Acting Director López.
Deutsche Welle, Germany’s international broadcaster, is a well-established and respected international media outlet. DW provides content in more than 30 languages, with a weekly audience of more than 289 million people weekly via radio, television and online platforms.
