Defending societies with good journalism

In these turbulent times, people the world over are turning to the media for information they can rely on: quality media coverage that contributes to positive change, which advances human rights and democracy in the digital age.

IMS’ vision of peaceful, stable and democratic societies sustained, supported and promoted through strong and effective public interest media has never been as relevant during the organisation’s 20-year history as it is today.

In our Annual Report 2020 we showcase IMS’ strategic priorities, our results and lessons learned from what was truly an extraordinary year.

You may want to focus on our push for quality journalism and the story about how training in investigative journalism helped a Sudanese reporter document abuse in 23 schools. Or how the media outlets and organisations that IMS works with have come up with new, innovative solutions to ensure reliable information about the pandemic was made accessible, despite many political actors’ disregard of facts.

As director Jesper Højberg writes in his foreword:

“Along with the climate crisis, the decline of freedom and basic rights are currently the biggest global issues we face.

Instead of cherishing free media as sources of critical, life-saving public information during the Covid-19 pandemic, many leaders around the world responded with crackdowns and restrictions, creating further challenges for public interest media in 2020.”