WAN-IFRA: Looking Back at 2025 & Forward to 2026 – Key Highlights
here’s a summary of the key takeaways from the provided text, focusing on WAN-IFRA’s activities and future plans:
2025: A Year of Growth & Impact
* Global Reach: Hosted 18 conferences across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, plus 5 study tours.
* Diversity & Inclusion: Featured 555 speakers, with 217 being women.
* World News Media Congress (Krakow): Successfully brought together 1,000 media leaders.
* AI in Media Initiative: A core focus, with webinars, executive briefings, and AI Forums in Jakarta, Mexico City, and paris. Expanded the Newsroom AI Catalyst program (supported by OpenAI) to include Australia & New Zealand, engaging 145 newsrooms globally.
* Future Audiences Initiative: Launched to connect newsrooms with creators, onboarding 100 participants with Google’s support.
* World News Day: Over 1,000 news brands participated, highlighting the importance of fact-based journalism.
* Media Advancement: Supported over 1,500 journalists and media managers through 350 events.
* Women in News: Reached over 7,500 women media leaders through training programs.
* Support for Ukraine: Launched the Stronger Together program for ukrainian media, supporting 40 self-reliant organizations.
2026: Focus on Turning Complexity into Prospect
* Key Focus: Helping news media navigate challenges like AI, platform changes, audience shifts, and political pressure.
* Core Strategy: Providing practical insights, peer exchange, and inspiration for real-world decision-making.
* Upcoming Events (Early 2026):
* January 15th: Webinar on AI with OpenAI’s Christina Lim.(https://wan-ifra.org/events/107157/)
* January 26-30: AI Study Tour to San Francisco & Silicon Valley. (https://wan-ifra.org/events/ai-study-tour-to-sf-silicon-valley/)
* February 17th: AI in Media Forum in Bangalore.(https://wan-ifra.org/events/aif-2026/)
* World News Media Congress 2026 (Marseille, June 1-3): Features prominent speakers including:
* A.G. sulzberger (The New York Times)
* katharine Viner (The Guardian)
* Anders Opdahl (Amedia)
* Almar Latour (Dow Jones/The Wall Street Journal) (https://wan-ifra.org/events/world-news-media-congress-2026/)
In essence, WAN-IFRA is positioning itself as a vital resource for news media organizations navigating a rapidly changing landscape, with a strong emphasis on AI, innovation, and supporting a free and sustainable press.