Media, AI, and Funding: GFMD’s Advocacy at WSIS+20 Review Process and FFD4

GFMD at World Press Freedom Day 2025: Tackling the Global Media Viability Crisis and Shaping Ethical AI Governance

At UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day 2025 in Brussels, GFMD elevated the global conversation on journalism’s future in an age of AI disruption, funding challenges, and information disorder. Our presence underscored how intertwined the challenges of media viability and technological governance have become—and how urgently they must be addressed.

In the session “Donor Drought and News Deserts,” GFMD Chairperson Zoe Titus delivered a powerful reminder of what’s at stake:

“Media viability is not just a development issue. It’s a strategic issue and fundamental imperative for any country that is concerned with its national security and democracy.”

At the high-level panel “Information as a Public Good in the Age of AI,” GFMD Executive Director Mira Milosevic addressed the accelerating crisis:

“Our members, especially those small media, community-based newsrooms and investigative journalism networks, are facing this multifaceted, increasing, and accelerated crisis — not only in funding, viability, and relevance but now, with AI, survival. And this is not just another challenge; this is a completely new dimension.”

READ KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM WPFD 2025

 Shaping Global Media Policy: GFMD’s Advocacy at WSIS+20 Review and FFD4 

Together, through synchronised advocacy and strong partnerships, we are working to ensure journalism is not sidelined—but placed at the heart of democratic and development agendas.

📢 We encourage all stakeholders to use GFMD’s Position Paper on WSIS+20 Review and the FF4D Advocacy Toolkit to inform and support their own engagement in these global processes. These resources are designed to amplify collective efforts and strengthen advocacy for journalism and media freedom worldwide.

Priorities for the WSIS+20 Review: GFMD’s vision for digital governance

This position paper outlines the GFMD network’s core values and priorities in the WSIS+20 Review. With over two decades of sustained engagement in the media freedom space, GFMD affirms that an open, decentralised, and inclusive internet, together with the ethical deployment of emerging technologies, is essential for sustaining journalism and public interest media as public goods.

This vision is fundamental for the successful implementation of the Global Digital Compact (GDC), particularly its commitments under Information integrity, as well as Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

🔗 ACCESS THE POSITION PAPER HERE

Key priorities 

To build a future-proof digital governance model, GFMD is advocating for the following key priorities for the WSIS+20 review:

• Fostering a multistakeholder and human rights-based approach: GFMD has joined ARTICLE 19 and Global Partners Digital in advocating for a transparent, inclusive, and accountable review process that ensures meaningful participation from diverse stakeholders, including the media sector.
• Preserving the commitments under Action Line C9: Ensuring the sustainability and independence of journalism and public interest media is critical to any digital governance framework and to building resilient information ecosystems. Action Line C9 is central to advancing the broader objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Global Digital Compact (GDC), and the integrity of global internet governance.
• Consider media perspectives across WSIS Action Lines: Issues of media freedom, safety, viability, and access to trustworthy information intersect with Action Lines on access to ICTs, content governance, cultural diversity, and international cooperation. Media-related risks and priorities must be systematically integrated into the evaluation, assessment, and progress of all relevant Action Lines.

Timeline

The 4th Financing for Development Conference (FFD4): Why Financing Journalism Matters

As the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) approaches, GFMD is calling for journalism and civil society to be recognised—and funded—as essential to democracy and sustainable development.

Why this matters

A robust, independent media sector plays a vital role in transparency, accountability, and public engagement—all key to the success of FFD4. Public interest media, especially investigative journalism, must be supported through dedicated funding and stronger institutional infrastructure to fulfil their democratic role.
Strong advocacy is essential at this moment, as the role of public interest media is under threat in the current drafting of the Outcome Document. Ongoing attempts to weaken and shorten the text risk excluding critical references to media, civil society, and human rights.

GFMD’s key messages to UN member states and negotiators

• Support public interest media as a governance tool that strengthens public oversight of development financing.
• Integrate global commitments from SDG 16 and the Pact for the Future, including its principles on trustworthy news and digital governance via the Global Digital Compact.
• Invest in media literacy and data capacity, empowering journalists and citizens alike to understand and scrutinize financial flows.
• Ensure that investments in digital public infrastructure are transparent, inclusive, and rights-based, with robust safeguards to protect human rights.

⬇️ Get the full picture from our explainer presentation and recent inputs to the UN and member states:

🔗 ACCESS THE FFD4 EXPLAINER PRESENTATION

Advocacy Toolkit: The 4th Financing for Development Conference (FFD4)

In the lead-up to The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, we’ve developed a toolkit to help you advocate for the inclusion of journalism and media freedom in development financing reform. It includes:

• Messaging support for donor dialogues
• Guidance for engaging with FFD4 preparatory processes
• Tips for reviewing and commenting on outcome documents

🔗 ACCESS THE TOOLKIT