IPI congress begins today

The International Press Institute (IPI), global network of editors, publishers and leading journalists, kicks off its first virtual World Congress today, September 15.

Between September 15 and October 8, each Tuesday and Thursday, the congress will be re-imagining journalism through a one-on-one conversation lasting about 45 minutes, followed by an hour-long panel.

On the opening day, September 15, there’s an added bonus: not one, but two big conversations. Gary Liu, CEO of the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and Lauren Williams, editor-in-chief of Vox Media in the U.S., will talk building sustainable news media in a digital age.

The second conversation will feature Mark Thompson, the outgoing CEO of The New York Times and Beata Balogova, editor-in-chief of Slovakia’s SME about how the Times made it work, and what he sees for the future.

Then, on Thursday, September 17, the internet trolls back under the bridge in a conversation between Maria Ressa from Rappler in the Philippines and Lebanese journalist and presenter Ghada Oueiss from Al Jazeera, followed by a panel on one of the big questions: How do we work with the platforms?

For 70 years, the yearly IPI World Congress has brought journalists, editors, publishers and press freedom campaigners from around the world together in one place. It’s always been a magic moment when professionals from different countries, cultures and practices mesh, linked together by a shared commitment to press freedom and independent journalism.