Media Silence on 2024 Perugia Journalism Festival
The 2024 International Journalism Festival in Perugia was widely praised by participants from around the world, even though it did not receive any media coverage, despite the importance of the discussions that took place
On April 15, 2024, my fellow classmates from the M1 Global Journalism & Communication program at the French Institute of Press, in Paris, and I embarked on a journey to Italy, heading towards a picturesque town named Perugia. After a brief stop in Rome and a few hours of bus travel through the Umbria region, we arrived at our destination to partake in the 2024 edition of the International Journalism Festival. An international event that, for most of us, had remained unknown until now.
Equipped with laptops or notebooks (for the more old-school among us), we dove into the fervent rhythm of the conferences. So many themes and topics were addressed, such as “Covering China Safely, Ethically, and Fairly,” “Independent Arab Newsrooms: The Frontlines of the War on Gaza,” or “Africa: Exploring New News (Why News Doesn’t Have to Be Bad).” And there was little rest, as within just 5 days, over 180 sessions took place, gathering no fewer than 500 speakers from around the world to share their experiences.
We attended remarkable panel discussions, inspiring idea presentations, and for some, even workshops. Back in France and enriched by these learnings, our remarkable professors relied on us to transcribe our experience. The format was open, and as I was in an apprenticeship program in a press relations agency, it seemed judicious to draft a press review on the event. In this way, I could synthesize the essential information and compare the media coverage to highlight the most significant themes and subjects, and understand the reasons behind it.
Without hesitation, I found myself on Safari typing in the search bar “International Journalism Festival Perugia 2024.” I added the “News” filter to find the most recent articles, and to my surprise, there were no articles on the subject, or at least not enough to compose a press review. I proceeded to examine the media fallout from the 2023 and 2022 editions, but my searches yielded little additional results. The coverage was thin, mainly coming from organizations such as the Pulitzer Center or the International Center for Journalists, and virtually no articles in “traditional” media outlets.
It’s astonishing when you think about it since this is an event where the speakers are predominantly journalists, just like the participants. Although this event takes place in Italy, it’s important to note that all sessions are freely accessible for replay on the festival’s YouTube channel and website. I then remembered seeing a few posts on LinkedIn about the event, so I decided to shift my search to this social network. This time, I hit the jackpot! There were many posts related to the event, with stories coming from all corners of the world.
Overall, the festival received a genuine standing ovation, with journalists delighted to have participated and valuable lessons learned on-site. These posts, in which individuals share their favorite sessions, experiences, and best tools and advice, mainly contribute to what is commonly called “networking.” For those not familiar with this term, a quick reminder of its definition: “Networking” is a method used to build or strengthen one’s professional network. And it is certainly one of the main drivers for those who go to Perugia to participate in this festival.
But as trust in journalists and the media in France and around the world declines dramatically, isn’t it time to deliver these messages to the majority? The journalistic environment is far from perfect and faces a variety of challenges depending on the regions of the world. In this context, it is imperative for journalists to continue to participate in this event and to share the lessons they learn from it. Media and journalists navigate a fragile environment, and without the support of a broad public, significant changes are illusory.
Thus, it falls upon journalists not only to inform and make information accessible to arouse the interest of the most curious about these subjects but also for their colleagues who cannot attend this event. Moreover, it is primarily the responsibility of editors-in-chief and section heads to give their journalists the opportunity to emphasize these types of events and to support them in this endeavor.
Certainly, in France, the media situation is not dire; there may not be authoritarian regimes weighing on the media or restrictions on press freedom. However, French journalists and media should not consider this situation as a given. Press freedom remains a fragile freedom, as evidenced by numerous events in the past, such as the “wiretapping” affair targeting journalists from Le Monde newspaper in 2010, and the terrorist attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in January 2015.
As a conclusion, I wanted to share with you this article from the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, published on April 18, 2024 and titled “International Journalism Festival 2024: What We Learned in Perugia About the Future of News” A dense article, highlighting some key aspects of the festival after its second day and reflecting crucial debates for the news industry in this period of upheaval.
