Global news media collaborate for World News Day 2024
Under the theme of ‘Choose Truth’
More than 500 premier news organisations worldwide—including Middle East News 247—are participating in World News Day 2024, a global campaign to amplify the power and impact of fact-based journalism.
Commemorated on September 28, 2024, under the theme of ‘Choose Truth’, the forthcoming event is set to become a cornerstone of global discussions on the importance of journalism. It will invite audiences worldwide to reflect on and support the role of news media in sustaining democratic societies.
This year’s theme, crafted by South Africa’s Daily Maverick, is the inaugural campaign of Project Kontinuum, a Daily Maverick-driven endeavour to reinforce the news media’s positive influence on the global community.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF), the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) World Editors Forum, and Daily Maverick’s Project Kontinuum are organising the World News Day 2024 initiative.
Valuable role
For World News Day 2024, news media are encouraged to highlight their journalism’s valuable role in the lives of their audiences and broader society.
Branko Brkic, Editor-in-Chief of Daily Maverick, emphasised the importance of maintaining the integrity of journalism despite the challenges faced by the industry. “Even as journalism struggles to maintain its standing and relevance everywhere, we feel the joy of shared truth with our communities every day.
“Lives are saved, democracies are protected, and ordinary people’s existence is improved. We must never lose sight of these ideals and fight for them,” said Brkic.
Kathy English, Chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation, echoed this sentiment, stressing the significance of factual reporting. “Journalism matters. Facts matter—truth matters. Without the verified facts that can reveal truth, freedom and democracy can fail.
“Quality journalism that seeks truth can — and does — make a difference to the world’s citizens. On World News Day 2024 this year, we urge you to choose the truth and support your favourite news outlet,” English stated.
Martha Ramos, Chief Editorial Officer of OEM, Mexico, and President of the World Editors Forum, highlighted the necessity of trustworthy journalism amidst an overwhelming influx of information. “In a world overloaded with information and events, many of them challenging, citizens need facts, certainty, and perspective. Quality journalism offers that and more.
“On World News Day, we come together as citizens to remember why such journalism matters and why it’s worth supporting ethical, trustworthy, and truth-seeking news media,” Ramos noted.
From the founder
David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief of The Globe and Mail and founder of World News Day, underscored the campaign’s role in fostering public understanding of journalism’s value. “Journalists have to do a better job of explaining themselves. World News Day is a chance to engage your audience, to listen to them tell you about how their life was improved when they met a journalist, and how strong journalism brings out the facts that empower us all.”Top of FormBottom of Form
Cherilyn Ireton, Executive Director of WAN-IFRA’s World Editors Forum, stressed: “Journalists and news media face daily challenges to their credibility. We regularly meet editors wanting support to help defend and promote their journalism and to explain the processes that underpin their reporting.”
World News Day was conceived by David Walmsley, Globe and Mail Editor-in-Chief, and launched in 2018 by the Canadian Journalism Foundation to change the relationship between the news industry and its audiences.
World News Day is held annually on September 28, designated by UNESCO as the International Day for Universal Access to Information. It is equally important to journalists and civil society as fact-based news.
Featured image: News journalists from across the world covering Pope Francis’s papal mass on February 5, 2019, at Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi, UAE, attended by more than 140,000 Catholics. Credit: Arnold Pinto
