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

The Challenge: Donor Drought and Global Media Viability Crisis

Independent media outlets around the world are grappling with an existential threat: a collapse in funding, rising digital pressures, and shifting donor priorities. This reality was the focus of the panel on May 6, “Donor Drought and News Deserts: Towards Joint Solutions to the Global Funding Crisis of Independent Media,” co-organised by UNESCO’s International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), Deutsche Welle Akademie, the International Fund for Public Interest Media (IFPIM), Thomson Reuters Foundation, and GFMD.

GFMD Chairperson Zoe Titus warned of the far-reaching consequences:

“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.”

Zoe Titus, Photo by Fred Guerdin, DW Akademie

The session highlighted how declining support for independent journalism jeopardizes not only information integrity but also the resilience of democratic systems. Speakers shared grounded perspectives from regions under pressure. Olga Myrovych, CEO of Lviv Media Forum (Ukraine), described journalism as essential infrastructure in war zones:

“In frontline areas, the demand for reliable information is as urgent as the need for bread.”

Sofia Jaramillo Otoya, Executive Director of the Foundation for Press Freedom (FLIP) (Colombia), pointed out that reduced funding is having a direct and dangerous impact on journalists covering corruption and organised crime.

The Path Forward: Coordinated Action and Locally Led Solutions

While the challenge is urgent, the session also offered concrete ways forward. Participants called for a more strategic, collaborative approach to support independent media — one rooted in local ownership and long-term resilience.

Chiara Adamo, Head of Human Rights, Gender, and Democratic Governance at the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnership, stressed the importance of alignment and foresight:

“Ensuring the survival of media outlets also means confronting the global crisis of information integrity.”

Adamo pointed to a key opportunity for donor advocacy: the EU’s upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework (2028–2034). With the proposal expected in July, she urged media actors and partners to ensure that journalism is recognised as a strategic priority in EU funding policy.

Speakers also expressed strong support for the Media Viability Manifesto, a joint initiative by 13 media support organisations including GFMD. The manifesto outlines a shared theory of change and practical steps for achieving sustainable, pluralistic media ecosystems.

Above all, the panel affirmed that to reverse the crisis in public interest media, donors and media development actors must go beyond short-term fixes — and instead invest in coordinated, systemic, and locally driven solutions.

From left to right: Zoe Titus, Olga Myrovych, Sofía Jaramillo Otoya, Chiara Adamo, Carsten von Nahmen. Photo by Fred Guerdin, DW Akademie

The Challenge: AI’s Disruptive Impact on Journalism and Information Integrity

AI is reshaping the media landscape at an unprecedented pace — offering both promise and peril. The high-level panel “Information as a Public Good in the Age of AI” at the UNESCO WPFD Signature event on May 7 examined how AI technologies are transforming journalism, public access to information, and the viability of independent media.

Watch the full panel:

GFMD Executive Director Mira Milosevic captured the urgency of the moment:

“Our members, especially those small community-based 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.”

Mira Milosevic. Photo by Fred Guerdin, UNESCO

Panelists warned that AI tools, often developed without adequate safeguards, are undermining press freedom and media sustainability in several ways:

• Content cannibalisation: AI systems are training on journalism content — often without consent, credit, or compensation — depriving small publishers of revenue streams.
• Erosion of trust: Automated systems and AI-generated content can flood information ecosystems with manipulated or low-quality content, undermining credibility and public trust.
• Gendered harms: AI-driven abuse is disproportionately affecting women journalists.

Katarina Wallin Bureau, General Manager, Strategic Relations at Microsoft European and Government Affairs highlighted the dual nature of AI in the digital landscape, where its democratisation offers new opportunities for content creation but also introduces serious risks, including the spread of misinformation and manipulation. She noted:

“Deepfake is the cleanest expression of AI manipulation — more than 90% of deepfake content targets women, and more than 95% of it is pornographic.”

Adding to that Glenda Daniels, Associate Professor at the University of the Witwatersrand, emphasised that the situation is becoming worse for women journalists in the public space:

 “With social media, we had cyber misogyny and online bullying — now with AI, it’s a double threat.”

Rebecca MacKinnon, Vice President of the Wikimedia Foundation, further emphasised how biased AI systems reinforce discrimination and lack transparency:

“We need to make sure that the AI tools are created based on human rights standards… and that we process a human rights impact assessment before deployment.”

The Path Forward: Ethical AI Governance and Collective Action

Despite these threats, the panel pointed to actionable strategies to harness AI in support of journalism and democracy — rather than against it. Nina Santos, Deputy Secretary of Digital Policies at the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil, shared a promising example: Brazil’s Senate passed a revised AI Bill in December 2024, which introduces a robust human rights–centred regulatory framework for AI development and use.

From left to right: Olle Zachrison, Katarina Wallin Bureau, Mira Milosevic, Rebecca MacKinnon, Fiona Crack, Nina Santos, Glenda Daniels. Photo by Fred Guerdin, UNESCO

The panel called for:

• Pre-deployment human rights impact assessments
• Clear accountability mechanisms for AI developers
• Public-interest partnerships between civil society, governments, and tech companies
• Stronger legal frameworks to protect freedom of expression and counter information disorder

Fiona Crack, Deputy Global Director at the BBC News and World Service, warned that many media outlets are unprepared for the scale and speed of AI disruption, urging investment in capacity building and digital resilience. Glenda Daniels underscored the need for “constructive journalism and cross-sector partnerships,” while panellists agreed that AI, if governed responsibly, can help protect instead of erode press freedom.

As Mira Milosevic concluded:

“We need to make sure AI advancements work for the people and the planet — and not only for the profit.”

TED WG3 Toolkit: Operationalising OECD Principles for Media Support

During WPFD, GFMD also led the TED WG3 consultation process for the Toolkit on the Implementation of the OECD Development Co-operation Principles for Relevant and Effective Support to Media and the Information Environment, endorsed by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) in March 2024.

The six principles provide a shared framework for donor action:

1.  Ensure that assistance does no harm to public interest media.
2. Increase financial and other forms of support.
3. Take a whole of system perspective.
4. Strengthen local leadership and ownership.
5. Improve coordination of support.
6. Invest in knowledge, research, and learning.

TED WG3 paprtcipants. Photo by Vivien Schönberger, source: capacity4dev.europa.eu

During the WPFD week, over 20 participants from the TED Network and partner organisations took part in focus group discussions led by GFMD Deputy Director Tom Law. Participants shared lessons, case studies, and challenges related to applying the principles across diverse media and governance contexts.

The forthcoming Toolkit — developed with input from the TED Network, GFMD, and other partners — will offer user-friendly guidance to EU institutions, Member States, and like-minded partners to apply these principles across policy and programming. It aims to bridge the gap between high-level commitments and on-the-ground implementation, particularly for non-specialist staff.

Further contributions to the process are welcome. Interested contributors are encouraged to contact secretariat@teamdemocracy.eu 

A Turning Point for Independent Media and Information Integrity

World Press Freedom Day 2025 served as both a sobering warning and a hopeful call to action: the global information environment stands at a crossroads. Independent journalism is under threat from chronic underfunding, digital disruption, and the unchecked rise of artificial intelligence — yet it is also being reimagined through collective action, policy innovation, and a renewed commitment to democratic values.

GFMD’s engagement across WPFD 2025 reflected both the scale of the challenge and the momentum required to address it. To ensure that media continues to serve the public interest and remains a pillar of democracy, global support must be strategic, sustained, and rooted in shared values.

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