GMF 2024: Two days of discussions and workshops
Press photos for June 17 and June 18.
How can objective reporting on the Middle East conflict be achieved? This was the topic of discussion among Susan Neiman (Einstein Forum), Nada Bashir (CNN), Barkha Dutt (Mojo Story), Hazem Balousha (journalist from Gaza), and Shani Rozanes (DW). Neiman warned against using oversimplified terminology in covering the conflict: "Stop talking about 'pro-Palestinian' or 'pro-Israeli' positions. This is not a football match. I fear the world is being divided into tribalistic categories that do not help us in the least." On the question of whether media should label the Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel as a terrorist attack, Balousha said: "As individual journalists, it is not up to us to categorize an action. We can tell facts and the people of the audience must decide if it is right or wrong." Shani Rozanes added: "DW is a German institution. We never work in a vacuum. There's a clear context of culture we operate in, regardless of whether it is in New Delhi or London. We refer to the Oct 7 events as 'Hamas launched a terror attack against Israel'." Bashir highlighted the crucial work of journalists in Gaza: "We have relied so heavily on Palestinian journalists reporting from the ground. Otherwise you’d only see what the Israeli military wants you to see."
In a panel on the importance of online information freedom in authoritarian regimes, Renate Nikolay (EU Commission) stated: "It has to be a multifaceted approach: we must keep up with technology. As much as autocrats abuse technology to misinform, we need to find out ways to still break through shutdowns of internets and blocking access of information. We have to develop media policy that looks at various aspects in the EU to translate that into external action."
DW Director General Peter Limbourg added: "If we cannot reach people in Russia, it will be very hard to win their hearts and minds, because they are very isolated. … Finding new technical solutions is indispensable to this end." DW has been blocked in Russia since Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, forcing its Moscow bureau to relocate to Riga.
On new trends in journalism, Moky Makura, Africa No Filter, said: "Newsrooms don't reflect society right now. We know we don’t rely purely on journalists because a lot of the market we are trying to reach do not listen to journalists." Nic Newman, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, highlighted Gen-Z's news consumption trends: "42 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds say social media is the main source of news." He expects the behavior of these "social natives" to become mainstream in the future.
Other distinguished participants included German Foreign Minster Annalena Baerbock, Philippine journalist and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Maria Ressa and former South African Constitutional Court Judge Albie Sachs.
The 18th edition of DW’s Global Media Forum will take place next year on June 2 and 3, 2025 in Bonn.
About DW Global Media Forum
The annual DW Global Media Forum provides a unique interdisciplinary platform for media professionals and decision-makers from politics, civil society, culture, education, business, and science worldwide to exchange ideas and learn from each other. The Global Media Forum is supported by the Federal Foreign Office, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Sparkasse in Bonn, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Commissioner of the Federal Government for Culture and Media, and the City of Bonn.
