How can the media be truly inclusive?

Takeaways and questions from the 2024 International Journalism Festival, Perugia.

As a media officer at Minority Rights Group, I closely collaborate with media outlets and professionals, making it essential for me to stay informed about emerging trends. One way I do that is by attending the International Journalism Festival in Perugia. It’s always an enriching experience  listening to impactful stories and witnessing groundbreaking innovations from journalists and editors worldwide, deeply invested in the future of the profession.

The atmosphere is one of passion and dedication to the field. The debates and discussions challenge your thinking and broaden your perspective. Every person you meet while waiting in line brings something valuable to the conversation – often these moments are as significant, if not more so, than the programmed events.

This year covered everything from the influence of AI on information ecosystems to the future of digital platforms. Discussions also delved into various aspects of war reporting, journalists’ safety and well-being. With several major elections around the world this year, much attention was understandably devoted to issues such as disinformation, election reporting, and the impact of AI-generated fake news on electoral processes.

For me, the most engaging debates revolved around the issues of media representation – or underrepresentation – inequalities, minority journalists, and journalists in exile. As I participated in several panels on these subjects, I did wonder who they were for. Who can benefit from the opportunities the programme offers, and who is excluded – not because the festival doesn’t welcome them, but because their weak passport or immigration status means they can’t get a visa to travel to Perugia, because they can’t afford to take the time off work, because they have a relative to care for…?

While the festival provided an excellent opportunity to meet and network with colleagues, it’s crucial that it reflects the diversity of journalists from around the world. Increased representation in the media will help reduce biases against minority communities, and I was pleased to see more panels addressing this issue. But the event itself must make a more concerted effort to involve journalists from a diversity of backgrounds.

Various panels addressed important issues such as pay equity, the mistreatment of fixers, visa restrictions hindering press freedom, and the persistent lack of diverse perspectives in journalism. Although it’s essential to raise awareness about these issues, it’s now time for the industry to move beyond discussion and start implementing solutions.

How can today’s media incorporate a more diverse range of voices? How can newsrooms move beyond diversity as a matter of political correctness and become genuinely inclusive, ensuring more accurate and trustworthy news?

Funders have a role to play by exerting pressure for more equity in journalism, supporting organizations actively working towards positive change. It was heartening to see speakers from major media outlets genuinely committed to driving change during some of the panels. However, promoting diversity and inclusion in newsrooms cannot, and should not, be the sole responsibility of one individual within a company. It requires collective effort and organizational commitment.

In an era marked by escalating assaults on press freedom, more and more journalists are being forced into exile to escape imprisonment, violence and death, simply for reporting the facts. This was a key theme of the event, where we heard powerful accounts from journalists who have been forced to flee – from Nigeria, from Russia, from Eritrea, Venezuela, South Sudan…

Sadly, being far does not always mean being safe, as the tentacles of authoritarian regimes and shady interests reach beyond borders, and loved ones back home may suffer acts of reprisal. During the festival, I chatted online with Hazara journalists from Afghanistan, Pamiri journalists from Tajikistan, or Uyghur journalists from China – all of them still do not have asylum in their new countries, so they simply cannot take part in the festival.

Two common themes were prevalent in the discussions on exile: the importance of building resilience and fostering the sustainability of exiled media. This needs to encompass every element of the media – including access to legal assistance, cybersecurity and psycho-social support, and understanding how media can generate revenue in a new jurisdiction. It should also include growing the skillset of newsroom managers and leaders in exile who suddenly find themselves in new roles, keeping their outlet alive.

A lot of discussions at the festival also touched on the climate crisis. It was reassuring to hear many speakers echo our sentiments that reporting on the climate crisis must prioritize the voices of minorities and indigenous people, who are often hit hardest by its impacts due to systemic injustices.

Their firsthand experiences provide crucial insights, offering a more accurate understanding of the climate crisis and revealing its intersectional nature. Amplifying their voices challenges existing power structures. Excluding their perspectives perpetuates marginalization and leads to a less nuanced understanding of the crisis.

But again: how many minority and indigenous journalists are employed by the bigger media outlets to cover these stories, let alone more mainstream ones…? I do not know many.

A few panels at the festival discussed decolonizing media, improving storytelling, addressing problematic headlines about Africa and the role of editors in shaping narratives responsibly. Editors were encouraged to adapt to global trends, such as the demand for positive news and the influence of social media. While efforts have been made to decolonize media content, how could we decolonize media funding and development?

Local media organizations are flourishing globally. However, only a small portion of international funds reach them, leading to frustration and competition for local funding. While international organizations play a role, their impact varies. What maintains this status quo? How should international organizations engage with local ones? Why isn’t media development being renegotiated like other aspects of civil society? What should a modern media development approach look like?

The word ‘inclusion’ was frequently mentioned throughout the days in Perugia. There was significant discussion about gender balance, integrating local journalists and fixers into global reporting and covering stories on inclusion itself. This is a great start, but we need more.

We need journalism that platforms the most marginalized – and we need the conference to reflect that, particularly in the diversity of speakers, and especially on panels that do not explicitly focus on diversity or decolonizing media. Imagine if, during the AI panels, we had Roma editors (the largest minority group in Europe) sharing their perspectives. What if discussions about digital platforms were led by Sami media experts (one of the largest indigenous groups in Europe)? Wouldn’t that be a real inclusion and diversity of voices?