BIRN Invites Journalists to join IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival in Vienna

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Explore ‘New frontiers: Press freedom and media innovation in the age of AI’ at a two-day event in Vienna

The International Press Institute will host the 2023 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival, gathering well known media innovators, founders, editors, and big thinkers from all over the world for May 25-26 in Vienna.

The event will explore the rapidly changing global and technological landscape of independent journalism under the theme, “New frontiers: Press freedom and media innovation in the age of AI.” The goal is to build a solid foundation for the future of news media by reflecting on the past.

Balkan Investigative Reporting network, BIRN, will partner with IPI at this two-day event, taking place at Vienna’s Museums Quartier, supporting its aims to lead the discussion about the impact on press freedom and media innovation.

The Media Innovation Festival, IPI’s innovation program‘s new flagship, will debut during this event. The festival will explore how journalists are using new approaches and tools, including the power of AI, to promote innovation in journalism. It will become an annual event, bringing together media innovators, founders, editors, and big thinkers in line with IPI’s belief that collaboration is the best way to stay ahead of the curve in media transition by driving and sharing new ideas and experiences.

The IPI World Congress, taking place alongside the Media Innovation Festival, will explore pressing issues facing press freedom and independent journalism in light of the rise of authoritarianism and rampant disinformation, with a particular emphasis on the impact of emerging technologies such as AI.

Attendees will have the opportunity to discuss digital censorship, surveillance, media capture, and safety concerns when reporting on conflicts and protests, and to share their insights and solutions with fellow participants, in keeping with the collaborative ethos of the IPI global network.

The 2023 IPI-IMS World Press Freedom Hero and Free Media Pioneer award ceremony will conclude the Congress and Innovation Festival on the evening of Friday May 26, at Vienna’s city hall. This will kick off a night of celebrating journalism at the Vienna press freedom ball, which Congress participants will have the rare opportunity to attend. The press freedom ball is one of the highlights of Vienna’s ball season, hosted by the oldest press club in the world, PresseClub Concordia.

This is a moment of change that presents both challenges and opportunities which is why we invite you to join the Vienna festival.

Registration for the 2023 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival is now open, via the following link.

For more information about the programme visit the event page.

Media Innovation Europe (MIE) is a two-year program, funded by the European Union and led by the International Press Institute (IPI), along with Thomson Media (TM) in Berlin, the Media Development Foundation (MDF) in Kyiv, and BIRN in Sarajevo. The primary objective of MIE is to provide European newsrooms with the necessary resources, time, space, and expertise to navigate the challenges they face, reach new audiences, and secure financial sustainability.

 As part of this program, BIRN has taken the lead in managing the Audience-Engaged Journalism Grants, which are aimed at empowering media outlets to engage their audiences in investigative reporting.