IMS’ ten recommendations for the International Journalism Festival 2025

From 9-13 April, the yearly International Journalism Festival (IJF) will take place in the Italian city of Perugia. The festival will host a myriad of events dealing with everything from media’s role in post-Assad Syria to where to find those much-needed funds to support public interest journalism.

As always, IMS partners and collaborators are all over both the city and the programme – making sure that local perspectives and challenges are always represented in the global discussions on media and journalism.

Here, IMS recommends interesting events at this years’ International Journalism Festival:

A NEW SEASON FOR JOURNALISM IN SYRIA
Thursday 10 April, 4PM

In December 2024, the Syrian regime suddenly fell in the face of the advance of Islamist forces and its Turkish allies. While the future of the country is still uncertain, the 54-year rule of the Assad dynasty ended, opening a new phase for the country. The images of the liberation of thousands of political detainees from Sednaya and other prisons, and those of the squares of different cities filled with people celebrating, suggest that a new beginning is possible.

In this context, the role of mass media and freedom of expression will undoubtedly play a major role as the country needs to rebuild its institutions and re-emerge from the destruction of a decade of war and years of corruption and repression. While international journalists have access to the country again, Syrian journalists will have the crucial task to rebuild a new media sector that is in line with the new political course of the country.

What is the future of the Syrian media environment? Is this really the end of the “kingdom of silence”, with a country that can finally enjoy freedom of expression? What will the legal and political framework of the media field look like? And how are Syrian independent media positioning themselves in this context?

Panel: Loujein Haj Youssef, editor-in-chief at IMS partner Radio Rozana, Kholoud Helmi, co-founder of IMS partner Enab Baladi, Siruan Hossein, founder and general manager of IMS partner Radio Arta and Yassin Swehat, co-founder and editorial board member of IMS partner Al-Jumhuriya. Moderated by Enrico De Angelis.

Organised in association with IMS (International Media Support).

WHERE IS THE MONEY?
Thursday 10 April, 9.30AM

Journalism’s economic crisis grows ever deeper for thousands of media globally, and worse hit are those in the majority world. Following a two-year deep dive into regional perspectives in Latin America, Middle East, Africa and Asia, this panel discusses where’s the money? Four regional experts will bring contextual insights into new forms of funding, financing and investment for public interest media. Needs, challenges, gaps and recommendations will be mapped.

The question isn’t whether interventions are needed in the economic resilience of media, but how this support should be structured. We shed new light on what it will take to deliver a sustainable and independent industry that truly delivers journalism as a public good.

Panel: Roby Alampay, founder PumaPodcast, Styli Charalambous, co-founder and CEO Daily Maverick, Ross Settles, independent researcher and investor, Janine Warner, co-founder and executive director SembraMedia.

Organised in association with IMS (International Media Support). Read the IMS report Where is the Money.

SCREENING: NO OTHER LANDThursday 10 April, 6PM

Screening of No Other Land, winner of the 2025 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature. The film depicts the unique friendship between a Palestinian activist and an Israeli journalist as they work together to document how the Israeli military and Israeli settlers displace Palestinians from their villages in the occupied West Bank.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Yuval Abraham, co-director of No Other Land. The Q&A will be moderated by IMS regional director for MENA, Michael Irving Jensen.

Organised in association with IMS (International Media Support) which provided funding for the making of No Other Land.

IN CONVERSATION WITH FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE
Saturday 12 April, 9.30AM

Over the past 18 months, Forensic Architecture (FA) has been documenting in different ways Israel’s war on Gaza. On the spectrum of utility, there is the sentient act of raising awareness in a challenging economy of attention. There is also the legalistic act of providing evidence that has the radical hope of bringing justice. In this conversation, we will dissect some of the work produced by FA on the latest war in Gaza, and discuss what they aspire to do with it.

Nour Abouzaid will be interviewed by Lina Attalah.

Organised in association with IMS (International Media Support).

SCREENING: A STATE OF PASSION
Friday 11 April, 6.15PM

The screening of A State of Passion; a 2024 feature-length documentary film by Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi.

After 43 horrific days working round the clock under constant bombardment in the emergency rooms of Gaza’s Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals, British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sittah, emerged to find himself as a face of Palestinian resistance. With news footage of him pale and shell-shocked reverberating around the world, he spoke of a catalogue of horrors from lacerated bodies, to amputations without anesthetics, orphaned children with no surviving family, and the deliberate targeting of medics and hospital facilities. This was Ghassan’s sixth and most horrific Gaza “war”. Why does he do it? Where does he find the strength to face it again and again? How does it impact his family? How do they process the risks he takes? The answer lies simply in their shared passion: Palestine, a passion they articulate through their support of his perilous humanitarian work.

Filmmakers Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi, close friends of the Abu Sittahs, share that same passion. They were waiting anxiously for Ghassan to emerge from Gaza, following a long and terrifying journey through the night, to meet him in Amman. Determined to capture his raw emotions they began filming him the moment he arrived through the door. Following him to Beirut, Amman, London, Kuwait and Dubai, they and he explore their common State of Passion.

The screening will be followed by an interview of Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi by Lina Attalah.

Organised in association with IMS (International Media Support), which supported the making of the film.

JOURNALISM UNDER PRESSURE: FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IN GEORGIA
Saturday 12 April, 10.30AM

The year 2024 was a tumultuous one for journalism in Georgia. With an increasingly repressive environment, media outlets and journalists face mounting challenges, including new legislative restrictions modeled after Russia’s “foreign agent” law, intensified crackdowns during anti-government protests, and ongoing threats to press freedom.

This panel will take a deep dive into the precarious state of journalism in Georgia, addressing how these developments have eroded freedom of expression and placed journalists in harm’s way. Featuring prominent journalists, media advocates, and legal experts, the discussion will focus on:

> The impact of the so-called “foreign agent” law on independent media outlets and NGOs, and its parallels to Russian authoritarian practices.

> Stories from the frontlines: how journalists have been targeted, detained, or silenced during the government’s response to protests.

> The broader implications of shrinking press freedom on Georgia’s democratic aspirations and its European integration efforts.

> Practical strategies for supporting independent journalism in a hostile environment, from leveraging international advocacy to innovative grassroots initiatives.

This panel is an urgent call to action for safeguarding press freedom in Georgia and ensuring that journalists can continue to hold power accountable in an era of growing authoritarian tendencies.

Panel: Ilona Diasamidze, lawyer Media Ombudsman, Irma dimitradze, communications manager Gazeti Batumelebi, Tamar Kintsurashvili, executive director at IMS partner Media Development Foundation, Mariam Nikuradze, co-founder and director OC Media. Moderated by Nino Macharashvili.

BATTLING DISINFORMATION IN THE SHADOW OF HYBRID WARFARE: LESSONS FROM ROMANIA AND MOLDOVA
Thursday 10 April, 5PM

Romania and Moldova are on the frontlines of hybrid warfare, where disinformation has become a powerful weapon aimed at destabilizing democracies. During recent presidential elections, both countries witnessed the rise of candidates fueled by networks of dubious social media accounts on platforms like Facebook and TikTok—some allegedly coordinated by shadowy companies.

These efforts undermined trust in the electoral process, with journalists caught in the crossfire between misinformation campaigns and public skepticism.

This panel will bring together journalists from Romanina news outlets Hotnews.ro and Snoop.ro, and Moldova’s Ziarul de Gardă, to explore how independent media navigates this turbulent landscape.

The discussion will delve into the impact of disinformation on journalism and democracy: how it shifts the role of journalists, challenges newsroom sustainability, and complicates efforts to reach and engage audiences. The panelists will share practical insights on fact-checking in post-truth environments, building trust in deeply polarized societies, and funding independent media under constant attack.

At a time when conspiracy theories and right-wing populism are surging across Europe, the lessons from Romania and Moldova are urgent and instructive. This session will not only highlight the resilience of independent media in these hybrid war zones but also provide actionable strategies for newsrooms across Europe facing similar threats to democracy and journalistic integrity.

Panel: Dan Duca, editorial director Hot News, Victor Ilie, investigative journalist, Christian Lupsa, media consultant, Alina Radu, CEO of IMS partner Ziarul de Garda. Moderated by Cristian Lupsa.

WESTERN JOURNALISM AND ITS DISCONTENT IN THE MENA REGIONThursday 10 April, 11.30AM

Popular meme circulating in Arabic on Facebook: parent talking to child, saying “Do not lie or you will grow up to be a CNN reporter.” Western media coverage since the start of the war in Gaza has brought serious questions about impartiality and professionalism to the fore. And while some might consider trust levels amongst Arab audiences to be unimportant, they are because it is not just them and because a lack of trust in Western media is also a lack of trust in a model for professional journalism that permeates media development assistance, training, and a global understanding about what journalism is and does. The panel will deep dive into why – overall – coverage has been deemed lacking and biased and how we can look towards better constructs of foreign coverage fostering peace, understanding and justice.

Panel: Shuruq As’ad, journalist and media trainer, Fatemah Farag, founder and CEO Welad Elbalad Media, Zahera Harb, chairperson of IMS partner Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), Ricardo Mir de Francia, senior international reporter and photographer El Periodico.

ADRESSING UKRAINE FATIGUE IN THE MEDIA: KEEPING THE STORY ALIVE
Thursday 10 April, 2PM

With more than 1,000 days of full-scale war in Ukraine, the largest war in Europe this century, media outlets face the growing challenge of ‘Ukraine fatigue’—a decline in audience engagement and coverage priority. This panel will explore innovative strategies to sustain global focus, humanize stories, navigate oversaturation, and ensure ethical, impactful journalism that keeps Ukraine at the forefront of international attention.

Panel: Alicia Alamillos, editor-in-chief international desk El Confidencial, Sonia Delesalle-Stolper, chief foreign editor Libération, Daryna Shevchenko, CEO of IMS partner Kyiv Independent. Moderated by Zoya Krasovska.

Learn more about IMS’ work in Ukraine here.