China Wuhan | Eine Moderatorin präsentiert Waren über Online Broadcast (Getty Images)

Global Media Forum 2020: Pluralism. Populism. Journalism.

As the DW Global Media Forum goes digital, we will be offering various digital sessions on the topic of "Pluralism. Populism. Journalism." Here is a comprehensive list of the upcoming sessions in 2020. Go to article

GMF session: Elections and the media (DW)

Reflections on elections: the role of the media at the ballot box

With the upcoming US elections, many people are questioning the independence of the media during elections once more. Join the GMF 2020 on October 26 for the next virtual session, this time discussing elections and the role of the media.

Steffen Seibert, Sprecher der Bundesregierung (Steffen Kugler)

Steffen Seibert: 'When free press is stifled, society is robbed of truth'

Steffen Seibert is Germany's federal government spokesman. He talked with DW about the responsibilities of that job, the role of the free press in democracies, good journalism and the challenges or the COVID pandemic.

7th GMF digital session: Media and Information Literacy

GMF digital session: Media and Information Literacy in the age of coronavirus

The internet has allowed many of us to work and go about our ordinary lives despite the COVID-19 pandemic. But amid fake news and lies, media and information literacy is increasingly important tools in this digital age.

GMF digital session: The power of influencers — and what they mean for democracy

Influencers are mostly footballers and fashionistas. But around the world, some are also now using their huge reach on social media to post and tweet about democracy and pluralism, acting as a force for social change.

Screenshot DW Global Media Forum | Session 5

GMF digital session: Battling disinformation in the public sphere

Societies are increasingly being infiltrated with lies and false information, as the coronavirus pandemic has given rise to an "infodemic." How can the media and the public avoid drowning in a flood of disinformation?

GMF digital session: Mainstream media sorely lacking diversity and inclusion

News organizations around the world are struggling to reflect an increasingly diverse society. But why is this reflection of pluralism so important, and how can diversity improve the quality of content and programming?

GMF digital session: The internet — danger or boon for autocrats?

The internet can be used as a tool of oppression. But it can also be a platform for critical voices. Journalists Maria Ressa from the Philippines and Lina Attalah from Egypt discuss the meaning of the digital space.

GMF digital session: the role of the media in COVID-19 reporting

Are news outlets helping to keep people informed during the COVID-19 crisis or scaremongering? The first digital session of the 2020 Global Media Forum takes a look at the media's responsibility during the pandemic.

Watch video 09:58

GMF talk: collaboration for the greater good - how creative minds come together in Kenya

DW's Edith Kimani speaks to Asha Mwilu from Debunk Media Kenya about how digital news can support democratic processes and pluralism through storytelling, data mining and collaboration.

GMF talk: collaboration for the greater good - how creative minds come together in Kenya

GMF talk: The age of the influencer - or not? A cheerful chat with Nas Daily

GMF talk: Spaces for media networking and pluralism in Africa

GMF talk: Can Dündar's hopeful message for press freedom in Turkey

GMF talk: the importance of colonial-age libraries as community spaces in 2020

Cas Mudde (picture-alliance/NurPhoto/M. Bertolini)

GMF talk: Cas Mudde on the importance of media independence

GMF talk: DW Cybersecurity expert on internet freedom

GMF Speaker Ethan Zuckermann (Pieter Franken)

GMF talk: Internet pioneer predicts new era of social media

Watch video 02:40

GMF compact: How 'social' is social media during a pandemic?

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we've all become reliant on digital technology. But are social media platforms actually satisfying our need for connection - or rather, are they harming us?

GMF compact: How 'social' is social media during a pandemic?

GMF compact: Spy games and trade wars - is China really stealing your data?

GMF compact: populist parties attract disproportionate attention on social media

GMF compact: Black Lives Matter, but why do statues?

München Hygienedemo (picture-alliance/Zuma/S. Babbar)

GMF compact: debunking conspiracies about 5G and COVID-19

A protester wears a face mask reading Give Gates (referring to Bill Gates) no Chance (AFP/T. Schwarz)

GMF compact: Rumors about Bill Gates, COVID-19

Kroatien | Tag der Medienkompetenz | UNICEF (UNICEF/Vanda Kljajo)

Empowering young people - and adults - to tell fake news from facts

Children who are taught media literacy in the classroom develop better resistance to misinformation online. Sharing tips via Instagram or Twitter could prove to be just as effective - and adults could also benefit.

04 | Interview Armin Laschet, Ines Pohl (DW/R. Oberhammer)

German state premier Armin Laschet stresses importance of diversity

Armin Laschet, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, held a keynote at GMF's digital session on diversity and inclusion in the media, saying: "German journalism does not even come close to depicting social realities."

Offices of Sputnik (Getty Images/AFP/M. Antonov)

How the long arm of the foreign media extends into the Balkans

As Russia and others continue ramping up their influence in the Western Balkans, the goal of EU membership is becoming more distant than ever. What should Europe be doing to prevent the death of democracy in the region?

Johannes Hillje Europäische Grüne Partei (Europäische Grüne Partei)

Johannes Hillje: 'Press freedom does not mean freedom to spread lies'

Political strategist Johannes Hillje criticises the lack of a common European public sphere — especially in the media landscape. Hillje believes that the EU will sorely lose out without a united European front.

Aborigines protesting outside Parliament in Canberra (picture-alliance/AP Photo/R. McGuirk)

Why Australian TV news fails to reflect nation's diversity

Australia is a country of huge diversity, but nearly all its TV news journalists are white. A new report has shown that Australia lags behind other countries in representation of diversity in the news media.

55. Verleihung der Grimme-Preise (picture-alliance/dpa/G. Kirchner)

Navigating worlds: Isabel Schayani's journey in diversity

From Teheran to Cologne to New York and back: Isabel Schayani's career inspires many young journalists in Germany. Many consider her a role model - especially those who also have a diverse background.

Ntibinyane Ntibinyane, Botswana (Mark Taylor)

African news media stuck between a rock and a hard place

Ntibinyane Ntibinyane says that African local news outlets need innovation — and money. The founder of the INK Centre for Investigative Journalism highlights that journalism in Africa is facing increasing threats.

Amitabh Sinha - Indian Express (Amitabh)

Amitabh Sinha: the future of news is digital - and dangerous

Amitabh Sinha, editor at The Indian Express in Pune speaks to DW on how his local news outlet dealt with the corona-crisis, and how journalists gained respect during the pandemic through digitization.

Index's deputy editor-in-chief: History can go backwards, even in the EU

Veronika Munk, deputy editor-in-chief of Hungary’s largest news site Index.hu, discusses the difficulties that journalists have recently had to go through, and assess the overall state of the country's media landscape.

Twitter sperrt QAnon-Plattformen (AFP/O. Douliery)

Twitter and QAnon: when should freedom of speech be free?

Twitter has blocked thousands of QAnon accounts. But is that not a ban on free speech? Matthias Kettemann from the Leibniz Institute for media research discusses the complex domain of rights and freedoms online.

Reporter Jonathan Karl ABC News (Getty Images/S. Vlasic)

WHCA president: 'Journalism is widely appreciated right now'

In 2017, the White House Correspondents' Association received the DW Freedom of Speech Award. Current WHCA president Jonathan Karl tells DW how the latest developments in the US affect journalists.

Tajikistan Dushanbe (picture-alliance/dpa/A. Isaev)

The state of press freedom in Tajikistan: Going from bad to worse

Journalist and Tajikistan expert Marat Mamadshoev explains why there is an effective media blackout on COVID19 reporting in the country. The Central Asian nation has for years been at the bottom of press freedom indexes.

Frank Überall - Vorsitzender des Deutscher Journalisten-Verband (DJV) und Dozent an der HMKW Köln (HMKW/Werner Siess)

Frank Überall: 'Publishers have to secure trust in local journalism'

Frank Überall is the chairman of Germany's biggest journalist organization. The head of the German Journalists' Association shares his thoughts and insights on local journalism during the corona crisis and fake news.

Johanna Reich: defending freedom of expression with digital media

Johanna Reich spoke to DW about the influence of the digital world on our values, highlighting opportunities for pluralism to unfold online. The media artist believes in reflecting contemporary ideas through her work.

Niegarianischer Schriftsteller - Richard Ali (Privat)

Opinion: 'There's a growing dictatorship of disinformation in Nigeria'

The coronavirus lockdown in Nigeria has let the genie out of the bottle, writer Richard Ali told DW. He thinks the rise in ethnic populism in the digital space has to be confronted by journalists and artists alike.

Indien Rajdeep Sardesai (Surinder Nagar)

Rajdeep Sardesai: 'Corona has reminded us what news is supposed to be'

"Journalists should do fact-checking, and question their leaders," says Indian journalist Sardesai. "Rather than getting caught up in debates, we should ask: are you right or wrong?"

Künstler Julius von Bismarck (Julius von Bismarck)

Julius von Bismarck: The threat level for artists and journalists is the same

The Berlin-based artist and master student of Olafur Eliasson talks about politics, provocation in art and the rights of artists and journalists. He says he is concerned about the rise of populism.

Tanzania We need freedom of press (DW/A. Juma)

W's FOSA honors journalists persecuted for coronavirus reporting

A daring journalist who has spent her career reporting on drug cartels and corruption in Mexico, Anabel Hernández is the fifth person — and first woman — to receive the DW Freedom of Speech Award.

A camerman wearing a mask (picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Wigglesworth)

Threatened, maligned, jailed: Journalism in the coronavirus pandemic

Populism, political power grabs and financial trouble: Christian Mihr of Reporters Without Borders tells DW that journalists around the world face growing threats in the age of COVID-19.

DW Global Media Forum: bringing minds together

Plenary Session: Who’s got the power in the media landscape? Part 1 (DW/F. Görner)

Global Media Forum 2021

The next Global Media Forum will take place on June 14 and 15, 2021 at the World Conference Center Bonn. In the meantime, we will focus on producing compelling digital content, and create online exchange during 2020.

DW GMF 2019 | Fellows Day | Workshops | Closing Ceremony (DW/P. Böll)

The DW Global Media Forum Fellowship

Since 2012, the Global Media Forum has welcomed 200 participants from developing countries, joining the conference as part of our Fellowship Program. This has been made possible with help from the Federal Foreign Office.

DW Global Media Forum 2019 | Impressions (DW/B. Scheid)

The Global Media Forum fellowship program goes digital

For eight years, the GMF fellowship program has welcomed a total of over 1,000 people from all around the world. In 2020, the initiative supported by the Federal Foreign Office has to go online because of COVID-19.

Plenary Session: The future of local journalism (DW/P. Böll)

The place made for minds

Learn more about the DW Global Media Forum and its history - the international media conference organized by Deutsche Welle (DW). More than 2,000 participants from over 140 countries make this "The place made for minds."

DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"The freedom of the press is facing pressure on a global scale, not just abroad. I want to encourage journalists: Democracy needs you all urgently."

Frank-Walter Steinmeier - President of Germany
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Do governments truly have the capacity to understand emerging technologies? Communication regulations from the 1970s are not going to work for 2019."

Juliana Rotich - tech entrepreneur, Kenya
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Algorithms pick up on negative feelings such as fear and accentuate them. This has led to the creation of fear-based politics all over the world."

Jaron Lanier - computer scientist and author, USA
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"As broadcasters, we should not only focus on what people want to know but also what the should know. Social media should help us more in doing that."

Tanit Koch - director general at N-TV, Germany
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"We have to make clear that Europe has certain principles. Those who violate them will be subject to sanctions. This also applies to press freedom."

Armin Laschet - Premier of the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Pluralism requires that the media are free, diverse, independent and sustainable."

Mariya Gabriel - Commissioner for Digital Economy, European Commission
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"We need to address the daunting challenges to development by engaging with multiple centers seeking balance rather than overreliance on one country."

Hamid Karzai - former President of Afghanistan
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"'Being a digital native means your whole reality id determined by the interconnection between your digital and non-digital realities."

Anne Boyson - researcher, analyst and founder of "After the Millinnials", USA
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Social media has divided us. Instead of listening to the news, people now listen to the echoes of their own prejudices."

Lord Michael Dobbs - politician and author of "House of Cards", UK
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"We use social media in order to control our own narrative."

Carmen Perez - National Co-Chair of Women's March & Executive Director of The Gathering for Justice, USA
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"It's difficult to form a relationship with a politician who's acting like a tyrant. What questions can you ask when this person can put you in jail?"

Can Dündar - former editor-in-chief of "Cumhuriyet", Turkey
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"If we truly believe that journalism is important to our society, we should enlist our fellow citizens and involve them as a community service."

Dr. Ann Hollifield - news and media researcher, USA
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Power must be in the hands of the wealth of the nation."

Noam Chomsky - Linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic and political activist, USA
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"In these times of digital propaganda and disinformation, independent media organizations are a major bastion of liberty and democracy."

Michelle Müntefering - Minister of State at the German Federal Foreign Office
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"I believe that in the digital age, public broadcasters have a more important role to play than ever before."

Tom Buhrow - Director General of Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Germany
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Artificial intelligence is just computer code. But I'm scared of what certain people's goals and objectives are. What you use it for matters."

Karen Palmer - digital filmmaker, UK
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"The future of journalism is the people."

Jeff Jarvis - American journalist, professor, public speaker and former television critic, USA
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Journalists must see themselves as members of a big family and stick together."

Shirin Ebadi - Lawyer, a former judge and human rights activists and founder of Defenders of Human Rights Center, Iran
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"Satire was our weapon to dissect through the lies and rhetoric that were used to control the people."

Bassem Youssef - Political satirist, writer, producer, physician, media critic and television host, Egypt
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"No one's above the law."

Rokhaya Diallo - Journalist and activist in France
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"I hope people in the West can distinguish between the Kremlin and Russia; Putin and Russia."

Mikhail Khodorkovsky - Founder of Open Russia, Russia
DW Global Media Forum: a decade of top speakers

"We should all be protected by the same press freedom."

Sarah Harrison - British journalist and WikiLeaks section editor, UK