Ian Williams, a veteran journalist and current President of the Foreign Press Association in New York, delivered a keynote presentation that critically examined the historical evolution and contemporary vulnerabilities of the journalistic profession. Drawing on more than four decades of experience, including war correspondence, UN coverage, and international investigative reporting, Williams provided a penetrating analysis of the ethical imperative of journalism in times of rising authoritarianism and institutional complicity. His remarks were marked by historical insight, and an unflinching commitment to truth-telling as both profession and moral stance.

Ian Williams began by emphasizing the importance of contextual storytelling over reductive fact-reporting. Rejecting the positivist mantra of “just the facts,” he argued that facts devoid of social, political, or historical context are not merely incomplete, they are dangerous. He cited examples from his own reporting during the Balkan Wars and the Cultural Revolution in China, warning against journalistic amnesia and superficial neutrality. Ian Williams highlighted the role of the Foreign Press Association in defending pluralism and dissent within media ecosystems, describing it as a rare space where contrarian views, including those from figures like John Bolton, are invited not to be endorsed but to be interrogated.

Importantly, Ian Williams foregrounded the precarious conditions under which freelance journalists operate, often financing their own reporting missions in conflict zones without institutional protections. These experiences underscored the growing erosion of due process and the normalization of ideological conformity in media landscapes. He warned participants, particularly those in the Global South, about the invisible forms of repression that masquerade as editorial neutrality or national interest. Williams concluded by calling on emerging journalists to reject the passive recording of events and instead embrace their roles as agents of historical transformation. “We are not just stenographers,” he stated. “We must bear witness, interrogate power, and amplify silenced voices.” His parting advice was anchored in a sense of responsibility and realism: while journalism is rarely lucrative or safe, it is foundational to democracy and collective memory. Ian Williams` keynote left a profound impact on participants, framing journalism not as a profession of spectatorship, but of active civic intervention.

The second segment of the session featured an insightful joint presentation by two emerging young media professionals based in Germany: Saliha Nuran Yoldas and Huseyin Arif Bozabali, co-founders of the youth-led digital platforms NOK and VOYS. Their contribution brought a fresh generational perspective to the discussion, centered on the transformation of journalism in the age of social media, digital exile, and decentralized information flows. The speakers exemplified how young people today are not merely passive consumers of information but are also active producers of counter-narratives, responsive content, and grassroots media interventions.

Nuran opened the segment with an overview of NOK Digital Media, a platform primarily targeting Turkish-speaking audience through Instagram. She explained that the platform, launched in September 2024, is composed of a 25-member volunteer team ranging in age from 16 to 26. Working remotely and collaboratively, the team produces daily videos, reels, and news-based visual content covering a broad spectrum of themes including lifestyle, art, politics, and current events. What distinguishes NOK, according to Nuran, is its foundational support from exiled Turkish journalists now residing in Germany, who have provided essential mentorship in media ethics, scriptwriting, production techniques, and diction training. This collaboration represents a unique model of intergenerational, cross-border knowledge transfer in exile—a theme deeply resonant for diasporic communities engaged in civic resistance and media creation.

Nuran underscored the strategic and technical dimensions of their work, noting that the team continuously monitors algorithmic trends and platform behaviors to maximize engagement. She observed that younger audiences, particularly those on TikTok and Instagram, have shorter attention spans and high expectations for visual dynamism. As a result, NOK has specialized in producing short, accessible, and visually engaging video content. Although currently working exclusively in Turkish, the team has plans to expand into English to increase its global reach. Their approach, while experimental and often shaped by rapid trial-and-error, reflects a new era of algorithm-conscious journalism that adapts journalistic values to the demands of viral media culture.

Following Nuran, Huseyin provided a compelling account of their second initiative: VOYS, a digital platform launched in March 2025 to address a gap in daily news reporting among youth audiences. While NOK centers around thematic and cultural storytelling, VOYS responds to the need for timely, factual updates and critical news curation. Huseyin shared that the establishment of VOYS pushed the team to develop more structured workflows and editorial processes, requiring quicker turnaround times and more consistent content production schedules. Contrary to fears that VOYS might fragment the team, all members of NOK joined the VOYS initiative, reflecting a strong collective commitment to their broader vision of youth-driven, multilingual journalism.

Crucially, Huseyin framed their efforts as not simply digital entrepreneurship but as an act of civic resistance. He spoke about the need to make space for youth in the media, particularly those from migrant, refugee, and minority communities who often see themselves misrepresented or entirely excluded in national narratives. The group’s self-description as “the young version of the news” speaks not only to their demographic identity but also to their conceptual reimagining of journalism: flexible, fast, visual, and grounded in community relevance. Their content challenges traditional gatekeeping practices in journalism, instead privileging accessibility, peer collaboration, and direct audience engagement.

Together, Nuran and Huseyin offered a dynamic portrait of youth-led media production that is at once technologically adaptive, politically conscious, and community-rooted. Their work represents a critical node in the emerging ecosystem of diaspora journalism, where storytelling becomes both a method of public education and a form of cultural survival. Their presentation served as a testament to the power of grassroots innovation, the necessity of mentorship across borders, and the transformative potential of youth agency in reshaping media landscapes under democratic and authoritarian pressures alike.

The fourth and final speaker, Shirin Taber, brought a deeply reflective, gender-conscious, and future-oriented lens to the session. As the Executive Director of Empower Women Media, Taber has spent decades at the intersection of media production, women’s rights advocacy, and interreligious peacebuilding. Drawing from both her professional experience and her personal heritage, being the daughter of an Iranian Muslim father and an American Christian mother, she articulated a powerful vision for storytelling as a tool of resistance, reconciliation, and systemic transformation. Her remarks offered a unique blend of media strategy, feminist theory, and peace diplomacy.

Taber opened by acknowledging the psychological and cultural fatigue that many global audiences experience in the face of overwhelming negative news. She argued that while critical journalism is essential, an exclusive focus on conflict, violence, and injustice can create emotional exhaustion, particularly among women and marginalized communities. In response, Empower Women Media intentionally adopts a “positive storytelling approach”, not to obscure structural injustices, but to engage audiences in a way that fosters hope, agency, and long-term civic commitment. Taber described this approach as “prophetic storytelling,” one that not only critiques the present but also envisions and prepares the ground for more equitable futures.

Through her organization, Taber has led numerous multimedia initiatives in conflict-prone and politically restrictive regions, including the Middle East, Pakistan, and Nigeria. These include short documentaries, media fellowships, film competitions, and regional leadership summits. One of her key assertions was that religious freedom and gender equality are deeply interlinked in many parts of the world. Women are often denied rights, such as education, mobility, or equal custody, not because of religion per se, but because of patriarchal interpretations institutionalized through legal and cultural mechanisms. Empower Women Media seeks to challenge these interpretations through dignified, artistic, and community-embedded storytelling. The organization’s films are used not only for public education but also in advocacy meetings, workshops, and interfaith convenings, where they act as catalysts for policy dialogue and social change.

A central component of Taber’s intervention was her emphasis on sustainability for independent media creators, particularly women and those operating in restrictive environments. She candidly advised young storytellers to adopt a dual-path strategy: combining flexible income streams, whether through freelance gigs, teaching, or sponsorships, with time-bound media production goals. She also encouraged participants to consider collaborations with ethical businesses and socially responsible organizations, which can provide financial backing without the constraints often associated with government grants or large institutional donors. 

Moreover, Taber shared insights into her organization’s efforts to engage not just civil society but also government and diplomatic actors. While Empower Women Media does not accept state funding, it regularly invites ambassadors, policy advisors, and interfaith ministers to its events. In past convenings in Cairo and Dubai, she noted, even officials from traditionally conservative institutions praised the organization’s courage in addressing taboo subjects like religious liberty and women’s agency. These interactions underscore Taber’s approach to advocacy as constructive, relational, and bridge-building, not merely oppositional.

In closing, Taber issued an affirmation and a challenge to all participants: while the present era may feel restrictive and uncertain, authentic, values-driven storytelling remains one of the most powerful instruments for global change. She encouraged young journalists not to be deterred by lack of resources or institutional backing. Even with five to ten hours a week, she argued, meaningful content can be created, particularly when fueled by lived experience and ethical purpose. Her remarks framed the media not simply as a profession or a tool, but as a form of social imagination that allows marginalized voices to reshape dominant narratives and forge alternative futures.

The Q&A and open discussion part of Session 5 brought forth a rich array of reflections and inquiries from participants across continents, highlighting the truly global and intersectional concerns of emerging and experienced journalists alike. The exchanges not only demonstrated the deep engagement of attendees with the session’s themes, but also illuminated the persistent tensions between freedom of expression, identity, and institutional constraints in media work.

Navigating Censorship and Identity in Democratic Societies

A participant from Australia raised concerns about the increasing challenges faced by young journalists from marginalized backgrounds, particularly as a Muslim woman navigating a media environment that has grown hostile due to rising racist and sexist ideologies. The question addressed the dilemma of self-censorship and personal safety in democratic societies where legal protections may exist on paper but are inconsistently practiced. In response, speakers emphasized the importance of using strategic and nuanced storytelling that informs without alienating, and that frames complex realities in a way that invites reflection rather than provokes defensiveness. It was suggested that ethical journalism in such settings requires both resilience and rhetorical agility.

Youth Journalism and the Drive for Authentic Expression

A powerful question from a participant in Pakistan focused on the underlying motivation for young journalists to pursue media work, especially when they face limited institutional support and operate within digital or informal spaces. The youth speakers from Germany responded by sharing their dedication to becoming a “voice for the voiceless,” grounded in both personal encounters with political repression and a broader vision of inclusive, accessible journalism. They articulated how mentorship from exiled journalists and lived experience shaped their desire to tell underrepresented stories through engaging digital formats, and how this grassroots model of journalism allows for both civic impact and creative fulfillment.

Language Expansion and Audience Engagement in Europe

A participant from Germany inquired about the linguistic strategy of the youth-led platforms presented by the speakers. Specifically, the participant expressed interest in whether the teams would expand their Turkish-language content into German or English, particularly to reach broader local audiences in Europe. In response, the youth speakers acknowledged that English-language expansion was a current goal and that German content could follow. The discussion reflected a broader strategic concern among independent media producers: how to balance cultural specificity with linguistic accessibility in ways that preserve message clarity while maximizing impact across diasporic and host-country audiences.

Media Advocacy and Government Collaboration in the Global South

A participant from Nepal, now residing in Europe, raised a policy-focused question about whether civil society organizations working on media and women’s rights, such as Empower Women Media, actively collaborate with governments to shape legislative change or national-level strategies. The speaker clarified that while her organization does not seek government funding, opting instead for financial independence through private sponsorship and partnerships, it does actively engage governmental actors through diplomacy, shared forums, and media screenings. This approach allows for policy influence while retaining editorial and operational autonomy. Examples from the Middle East were cited, where ministers and ambassadors had participated in dialogue-oriented programs.

Support for Journalists in Conflict-Affected Contexts

A question from Ethiopia raised important concerns about the continuity of institutional support for journalists working in conflict zones or fragile democratic environments. The participant asked whether the webinar program would extend into sustained mentorship or professional development opportunities. In response, the organizers confirmed that the initiative was designed not as a one-off event but as the beginning of a long-term engagement. The platform will continue to provide access to resources, potential publication channels, and speaker opportunities through its alumni network, ensuring that participants can stay informed and connected as they navigate evolving media environments.

Reflections from Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and South Asia

Participants from Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, and Brazil contributed closing remarks expressing their appreciation for the webinar series. They emphasized how the speakers’ insights, particularly the personal reflections on ethical dilemmas and resilience in journalism, had reinvigorated their commitment to the profession. Many reflected on the session as not just educational but personally transformative, serving as a space where their experiences of repression, structural exclusion, or precarity were recognized and contextualized within a broader global struggle for press freedom and human rights.

Berta Valle: Navigating Journalism Under Authoritarian Repression and Exile

Berta Valle, a journalist and Member of the World Liberty Congress, began her intervention with a deeply personal account of exile, state repression, and survival. As a Nicaraguan dissident and the spouse of prominent political opposition figure Félix Maradiaga, Valle described the immense psychological, legal, and political burdens she faced in the aftermath of her husband’s arrest. “This is my second exile,” she noted. “The first time I crossed the desert as a baby in my mother’s arms. Now, I’m stateless.”

Valle’s experience is emblematic of the dangerous terrain journalists navigate when authoritarian states criminalize independent thought. She recounted how, even after fleeing to the United States and advocating internationally, she remains in legal limbo. “I have a work permit,” she said, “but I don’t have political asylum. I don’t have a passport. I don’t have a country.”

Valle highlighted the collective efforts that led to her husband’s release, which included years of advocacy and international pressure. However, the Nicaraguan regime retaliated by revoking the citizenship of over 200 released prisoners and opposition figures, rendering them stateless. “The regime stripped my husband and I of our nationality,” she explained. “They took away our bank accounts, our home, our legal identity.”

Berta Valle`s testimony included a gripping reflection on the night before her husband’s arrest: “We had a phone call, and he said, ‘Wife, tomorrow they may take me. Activate the security protocol. This “protocol” referred to a pre-arranged network of actions, calling trusted contacts, alerting the media, engaging legal representation, and notifying international human rights organizations.” Valle stressed the importance of such preparedness: “We must not just report. We must be ready. Ready to resist. Ready to rebuild.”

She further elaborated on how many journalists fail to follow basic digital security practices, making them vulnerable to state surveillance. Even after extensive training, weak passwords and failure to encrypt sensitive material led to mass confiscation of equipment and digital archives. “Security is a habit, not a one-time training,” she emphasized.

Berta Valle concluded with a somber reminder: “As journalists under authoritarianism, our most powerful weapon is clarity—clarity in purpose, in preparation, and in solidarity. The regimes will try to erase us. Our job is to keep writing anyway.”

Nilofar Moradi: Displacement and Dispossession in the Afghan Media Landscape

Afghan journalist, Nilofar Moradi offered a searing portrait of the collapse of Afghan journalism following the Taliban’s return to power. Speaking from Canada, where she now resides as an exiled journalist, Moradi traced the trajectory of media repression in Afghanistan, emphasizing both the institutional and intimate consequences. “After the Taliban came to Kabul, they closed radio stations, banned protests, and silenced women’s voices,” she stated.

Many journalists, particularly women and those affiliated with human rights work, were targeted for their reporting before the regime change. Nilofar Moradi recounted chilling episodes of torture, threats, and disappearances. Some colleagues remain imprisoned today, while others live in hiding or have fled with no ability to resume their profession. “They were tortured for covering women’s protests in the streets. Some of them are still in Taliban jails.” The loss is not only professional but existential. “They cannot be journalists anymore,” she said. “They have become refugees. They are working construction, selling food, anything to survive. And their children? They have no right to education in these host countries.”

Nilofar Moradi criticized the failures of both regional neighbors and international institutions: “We do not have enough support, not even from those who claim to stand for human rights. UNHCR is underfunded. NGOs say they help, but there is no money, no pathway, no voice.” Moradi highlighted that many journalists who fled to countries like Iran, Turkey, and Pakistan face continued insecurity. Despite Canada’s reputation as a safer haven, she emphasized that Afghan journalists there often receive limited structural support and cannot access platforms to continue their professional work. “They gave us a passport. But not a platform.”

In her closing reflection, Moradi pointed to a more profound truth: journalism is not only a profession; it is an identity that, once denied, leaves a permanent void. “When we lose our newsroom, we lose a piece of ourselves,” she said. “And yet, we keep telling stories, if not on paper, then in our memory, and in our advocacy.”

Joyce M. Davis: Press Freedom and the Ethical Reclaiming of Journalism

Joyce M. Davis, Opinion Editor of PennLive and President of the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg, provided a wide-ranging analysis that bridged domestic and global perspectives. With decades of experience in journalism and civic leadership, Davis spoke to the ethical contradictions facing journalism today, particularly in democracies where freedom of expression is increasingly eroded not by brute force but by legislative and corporate pressures.

“Journalism is under threat everywhere,” Joyce Davis asserted. “Not just in autocracies, but in our own backyards.” She referred to the increasing use of SLAPP suits (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) as a form of silencing reporters. These lawsuits, often filed by powerful actors, are designed not to win in court but to intimidate, drain resources, and chill public interest reporting. “The point is to make it too costly to tell the truth,” she said.

Joyce Davis challenged traditional notions of objectivity, arguing that the role of journalists is not to remain neutral in the face of injustice. “Objectivity cannot mean false equivalency. We must be fair, yes, but also morally grounded,” she said. She emphasized the need for civic journalism that not only informs but empowers communities. “We need journalism that rebuilds trust, that centers marginalized voices, and that refuses to be complicit in silence,” she urged. Davis also raised concerns about the increasing corporatization of media, where financial interests often override editorial independence.

“We need to rethink the ownership models. Journalism should not be a commodity.” As president of a civic organization, Davis also noted the role of media in public diplomacy and community engagement. “Journalists are the bridge between the people and power. But we need better bridges, and stronger ones,” she concluded.

The panel transitioned into a discussion with participants, one of whom posed a haunting question: if the United States and United Kingdom, the traditional sanctuaries for exiled journalists, are becoming less accessible, what options remain? This opened a floodgate of reflections.

Berta Valle responded by contextualizing regional refuge strategies. “Many Nicaraguans go to Costa Rica or Spain,” she said. “Not because they are perfect, but because they are accessible.” She emphasized the importance of community ties and diasporic support as informal lifelines for those in flight. Valle also detailed the loss of legal identity, explaining that statelessness has tangible consequences: no passport, no bank account, no mobility. “Without a country, you are invisible in the eyes of the law,” she said. She also warned about the fragility of digital security: “We had training. We knew the rules. But still, many lost everything, files, interviews, even archives, because we underestimated the risks.”

Nilofar Moradi added that many Afghan journalists in neighboring countries live under immense pressure, without work rights, legal documents, or the ability to send their children to school. She criticized the global community’s failure to provide even minimal humanitarian support. “We are still advocating for basic food, not even a newsroom,” she said bluntly.

Joyce Davis reiterated that freedom of the press is a collective responsibility. “We need to support each other across borders, journalist to journalist, citizen to citizen. Because when one voice is silenced, we all become more vulnerable.” The session concluded with a call to action, the distribution of advocacy toolkits and digital safety resources, and a group photo to mark the shared resilience and commitment of the participants.

The first speaker, Noura Al-Jizawi, brought deep insight rooted in both personal resilience and academic rigor. Currently a Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab, University of Toronto based in Canada, Noura began her journey as a Syrian student activist, imprisoned and tortured for her role in peaceful resistance during the Syrian uprising. Forced into exile, she later redefined her role as a digital security advocate, documenting and analyzing the very surveillance systems she had once been a victim of. She began by stating, “I didn’t choose to become a technologist, I became one out of necessity,” reminding the audience that digital expertise in repressive contexts often emerges from survival, not privilege.

Al-Jizawi`s presentation traced the anatomy of Digital Transnational Repression (DTR), a growing practice where authoritarian regimes target exiles, journalists, and human rights defenders beyond their own borders. Drawing from Citizen Lab’s extensive fieldwork involving 85 interviews across multiple continents, she outlined how spyware tools like Pegasus have been deployed against exiled journalists. Even in so-called liberal democracies, people remain vulnerable due to a false sense of safety and lack of digital hygiene training.

She described an ecosystem of repression enabled by phishing, SIM swapping, account hijacking, and online defamation campaigns. Some victims were tracked via WhatsApp messages containing infected links, while others found their intimate images manipulated and leaked. These attacks are not just technical; they deeply affect mental and emotional well-being. Many interviewees showed signs of PTSD, anxiety, and social withdrawal. Several began using pseudonyms or avoiding online communication altogether. “Digital attacks don’t stay online, they invade every aspect of a person’s life,” Noura Al-Jizawi emphasized.

What emerged clearly from her talk was that security is not an individual task, but a collective one. Noura Al-Jizawi introduced Citizen Lab’s Security Planner, a free multilingual tool that tailors safety strategies to users’ risk profiles. But more than tools, she called for new mindsets, ones that value community-oriented threat modeling, mental health support, and intersectional resilience strategies. “If your colleague is compromised, so are you,” she said, underscoring the interconnectedness of digital risk in media networks.

Following Noura Al-Jizawi, journalist and White House Correspondent Se Hoon Kim offered a parallel yet distinct perspective from within a democratic stronghold, the United States. As the Managing Editor of Global Strat View, Kim spoke candidly about the paradox of press freedom in advanced democracies. While no police may knock on your door for reporting, journalists, especially those from diasporic or minority communities, face more subtle mechanisms of silencing. Editorial decisions may be shaped by access concerns, lobbying pressure, or unspoken diplomatic sensitivities.

Se Hoon Kim recounted how reporting critically on U.S. foreign policy, particularly in East and South Asia, can often lead to implicit pushback. At times, journalists are warned not to jeopardize relationships with allied governments. In other moments, racial bias affects credibility or gatekeeping within mainstream media. “Even in D.C., the politics of access can determine what gets published and what gets shelved,” he said.

Se Hoon Kim addressed the global phenomenon of narrative laundering, where oppressive regimes hire PR firms or use international forums to whitewash human rights abuses. These narratives not only shape public perception but often reframe dissenters as threats, creating an environment where legitimate journalists are treated as suspects. Kim argued that fighting repression must also mean interrogating the structures of media legitimacy. Who gets called an activist? Who is labeled as a journalist? And what truths are deemed palatable?

Crucially, he called for solidarity across geographies. Diasporic media outlets and journalists in exile often carry the burden of truth-telling in the absence of domestic press freedom. Rather than working in silos, Kim urged the development of cross-border editorial collaborations, especially between local reporters and those in exile. “We must move beyond hero narratives and towards networked resistance,” he concluded.

The Q&A session unfolded as a rich continuation of the conversation, filled with both urgency and intellectual rigor. A participant from Pakistan asked how to counter deepfake videos and AI-generated disinformation, particularly those targeting female journalists with gendered violence. Noura Al-Jizawi responded with concern, stating that such tactics are among the most psychologically destructive. She emphasized that in addition to technical support, survivors need community solidarity, legal advice, and trauma-informed care.

A Latin American participant raised a fundamental question, how to cultivate media literacy when state-run media is the main purveyor of falsehoods. Al-Jizawi pointed to grassroots alternatives: community radio stations, informal storytelling circles, and youth-led civic education efforts. “Narrative sovereignty often begins in the margins,” she said. “When official systems fail, people create their own.”

Another pressing issue concerned algorithmic bias and AI hallucinations. A student from Central Europe asked how journalists could respond to AI-driven misinformation and manipulated content. Noura Al-Jizawi emphasized that AI is not neutral, it encodes the values of its designers. Without ethical intervention and diverse input, it will continue to mirror structural injustice. Media literacy today, she argued, must include AI literacy, a critical understanding of how platforms filter, prioritize, and sometimes distort truth.

Participants also voiced concern over Interpol misuse, border restrictions, and diplomatic coercion. These tools, while bureaucratic on paper, become instruments of transnational suppression in practice. One attendee shared the story of a journalist unable to travel due to a politically motivated “red notice.” Another described how content takedown requests from authoritarian governments were honored by global platforms, effectively erasing dissent.

As the conversation neared its end, both speakers returned with powerful closing thoughts. Se Hoon reflected on the evolving nature of democratic backsliding, noting that even in White House briefings, the tone of press engagement has changed. “Sometimes, what is not said tells you more than what is said,” he remarked. He encouraged attendees to remain vigilant about the slow erosion of press freedom in even the most ‘free’ environments.

Noura Al-Jizawi`s final words were resonant. “We don’t just need better news,” she said. “We need better narratives. We need to rethink how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and what kind of futures those stories make possible.” She reminded participants that digital repression is not only a technical issue but an existential one, it seeks to fragment our sense of truth, safety, and possibility. Resisting it, therefore, is not just about encryption or legislation; it’s about defending the civic imagination. From Central Asia to North America, from young journalists to seasoned editors, participants left with new knowledge, deeper solidarity, and the tools to defend journalism, not only as a profession, but as a lifeline of democracy.

Redefining Media Literacy: From Defensive Strategy to Democratic Infrastructure

Dr. De Abreu opened her lecture by emphasizing a conceptual shift: media literacy is not merely a skill for navigating disinformation; it is a foundational democratic practice. In her view, the information age requires citizens not only to analyze content but to understand the power structures that produce it. She asserted that media literacy must evolve beyond fact-checking to include ethical reflection, civic dialogue, and participatory sense-making.

“Media literacy is about learning how to live with information, not run from it. It is about processing, verifying, and critically integrating it into how we understand the world and our place within it.”

Citing her book Media Literacy for Justice and Equity, Dr. De Abreu insisted that media education must not be politically neutral. Rather, it should foreground questions of justice, inclusion, and power. She referenced UNESCO’s Five Laws of Media and Information Literacy, positioning them as a global framework for building a more informed, empathetic, and resilient public sphere.

She further advocated for media literacy to be embedded in school curricula, journalism education, policymaking, and civil society training. “We are long past the time when this could be considered optional,” she declared. “In the 21st century, media literacy is a civic mandate.”

Narrative Construction and the Architecture of Misinformation

Dr. De Abreu’s analysis deepened through a series of current events that illustrate how media does not simply mirror reality, it constructs it. She offered powerful examples of how polarizing narratives shape public perception, particularly through the weaponization of binary frames.

Case studies included:

• Smartphone bans in schools (e.g., in the UK and Australia), where discourses of “protection” often mask deeper anxieties about youth autonomy, surveillance, and control.
• Cultural polarization in the U.S., such as university protests on race, gender, and speech, where the media often frames student activism as either noble rebellion or dangerous radicalism.
• The political framing of celebrities, like Taylor Swift, whose public statements are often magnified or distorted to fit ideological battle lines.
• Disinformation surrounding conflicts, where media erasure, framing bias, and historical amnesia complicate efforts toward understanding.
• Climate change communication, where science denialism, tokenism, and selective outrage dominate over sustained coverage of root causes and community solutions.

Through these examples, Dr. De Abreu illustrated how media environments reinforce ideological division by simplifying complex realities into dualistic tropes, good vs. evil, progress vs. decline, us vs. them. She warned that this architecture of polarization is not accidental, it is incentivized by profit-driven algorithms, political agendas, and sensationalist journalism.

“Narratives are never neutral. They are designed, often strategically, to produce emotional reactions rather than informed reflection.”

The Hans Rosling Experiment: Misconceptions and Mental Models

A standout segment of the session was the interactive knowledge quiz inspired by Hans Rosling’s Factfulness. Participants were asked global development questions (e.g., “How many girls globally finish primary school?”) and, as anticipated, most gave overly pessimistic answers.

Dr. De Abreu used these results to demonstrate what Rosling called the “gap instinct”, the tendency to overestimate global suffering due to a lack of positive media narratives. This misalignment between perception and reality, she explained, is both a media problem and a narrative problem.

“If people believe the world is getting worse, they become fatalistic, cynical, and vulnerable to manipulation. But when we show them the full picture, including progress, they feel empowered to engage.”

She argued that correcting facts isn’t enough. Instead, educators and journalists must retrain public imagination, enabling people to see complexity, nuance, and hope. This calls for new forms of storytelling that elevate underrepresented voices and challenge entrenched stereotypes.

Global Dialogue: Participant Voices, Regional Realities

The latter half of the session transformed into a vibrant global forum, where participants brought forth their own local struggles, raising critical questions that reflected the complexity and diversity of contemporary media landscapes. 

A participant from Pakistan raised a poignant concern about the increasingly violent landscape of gendered disinformation. She described how female journalists in her region were subjected to coordinated online harassment campaigns, often involving synthetic media, deepfake videos, and smear tactics. In response, Dr. De Abreu affirmed that such attacks represent not only violations of privacy but also a broader assault on civic participation and freedom of expression. She emphasized the need for trauma-informed media literacy frameworks, educational strategies that center care, safety, and resilience for those on the front lines of information warfare. Moreover, she advocated for the strengthening of international support networks to protect and empower female-identifying media workers, noting that digital violence is often compounded by institutional silence and legal gaps.

Another participant from Latin America posed a more systemic challenge: how to teach media literacy in environments where the state itself is a major source of disinformation. In countries where press freedom is deteriorating, and where government narratives dominate public media, traditional educational institutions often become complicit in silencing dissent. Dr. De Abreu responded with both empathy and strategic optimism. While acknowledging the gravity of authoritarian media control, she emphasized the importance of informal and alternative educational ecosystems, community radio, independent digital platforms, youth-led journalism collectives, and grassroots civic workshops, as vital spaces for counter-narrative construction. These “parallel pedagogies,” she suggested, are not simply stopgap measures but models of participatory resistance that can foster critical consciousness even in repressive contexts.

The discussion then turned toward emerging technologies, as a participant raised concerns about the increasing use of artificial intelligence in content production and manipulation. Specifically, questions emerged about how AI-generated misinformation, such as deepfakes, voice cloning, and algorithmic bias, could be verified and countered. Dr. De Abreu issued a clear and urgent reminder: AI is not neutral. It reflects the biases, intentions, and blind spots of its designers. “AI,” she stated, “automates bias unless we intervene with regulation, ethics, and awareness.” She called for the development of critical AI literacy, a subfield within media education that equips individuals not only to detect manipulated content but to interrogate the structural logic of algorithmic systems. Without such awareness, she warned, societies risk surrendering their narrative agency to opaque and unaccountable technologies.

What emerged from this dialogue was a portrait of global interconnectedness: distinct regional issues, be it gendered harassment in South Asia, state-sponsored propaganda in Latin America, or technological disruption worldwide, were united by a shared urgency to reclaim control over information, narratives, and civic imagination.

Closing Reflections: Rebuilding the Civic Imagination

In her concluding reflections, Dr. Belinha De Abreu returned to the central thesis that had anchored the entire session: media literacy is not merely a defensive practice to shield oneself from falsehood. It is a proactive, transformative tool for democratic renewal. It equips individuals not only to critique media but to reimagine and reshape the informational ecosystems in which they live.

She reminded participants that in an age saturated with content, they are not passive recipients of media—they are potential authors of new narratives, stewards of ethical communication, and catalysts for change. She encouraged each attendee to examine their own habits of meaning-making, to elevate marginalized voices in their communities, and to cultivate storytelling practices rooted in empathy and justice.

“Disinformation is not just a crisis of data. It is a crisis of care, of how we see others, how we listen, and how we act.”

She concluded by extending a warm invitation to all attendees to remain engaged with the work of the International Council for Media Literacy. She encouraged participation in its research symposia, collaborative projects, and open-access resources, framing these as tools not only for professional growth but for civic healing. Participants responded with enthusiasm, gratitude, and determination. Many shared reflections in the chat about how the session had reshaped their understanding of media, power, and public responsibility. Some spoke of taking what they learned back to classrooms, newsrooms, and advocacy networks. Others expressed a newfound clarity about their role as ethical narrators in an age of distortion.

Dr. De Abreu’s session concluded not with a sense of closure, but with renewed momentum, leaving participants energized with a deepened sense of agency, solidarity, and civic responsibility. At a time when journalism is being reshaped by digital disruption, media spaces are saturated with propaganda, and public discourse is increasingly weaponized, her message struck a powerful chord.

“We don’t just need better news; we need better narratives. We need to think about how stories are told, who gets to tell them, and what kind of world those stories create.”

It was not merely a call to counter misinformation; it was an invitation to reimagine the future of storytelling itself. Dr. De Abreu urged participants to become architects of narrative ecosystems grounded in justice, empathy, and truth, where equity and democratic imagination are not abstract ideals, but embodied, everyday practices.

Journalism under Siege: Tarik Toros on the Ethics of Exile and Digital Reconstruction

The first speaker, Tarik Toros who is the Co-Founder of MoonStar TV based in UK, brought the gravitas of experience and the analytical precision of a journalist who has witnessed the dismantling of democratic institutions firsthand. Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Bugün TV, one of Turkey’s leading independent broadcasters, Toros was ousted from his position in the aftermath of the 2016 failed coup in Turkey and the sweeping media purge that followed. His subsequent forced migration to the United Kingdom marked not the end of his journalistic career but the beginning of its most radical transformation. 

Toros detailed the technical and emotional challenges of reconstructing a journalistic practice outside the boundaries of institutional infrastructure. Deprived of studios, staff, and formal protection, he began with “an iPhone, a clip-on mic, and a tripod,” reinventing his craft from scratch. The transition was emblematic of a broader phenomenon: the migration of journalism from institutional spaces to digital, often solitary, production. What Tarik Toros lost in terms of scale and reach, he gained in editorial autonomy and audience proximity. He underscored how open-source intelligence and publicly available data now allow investigative journalists to unearth connections once accessible only through leaked documents or confidential informants. Yet he also warned that the same digital tools that empower dissent can be turned into instruments of erasure through algorithmic suppression and coordinated misinformation.

Importantly, Tarik Toros framed journalism as a moral endeavor. Drawing from the legal oath “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,” he argued that ethical journalism cannot rely solely on factual accuracy, it must strive for contextual completeness. Reporting only selective truths, he explained, becomes complicit in narrative distortion. The anecdote he shared about an astrologer arrested for a vague social media post allegedly insulting the Turkish president illustrated the absurdity of legal weaponization in authoritarian settings. Even ambiguity, he noted, becomes a prosecutable offense when power feels threatened.

In his concluding thoughts, Tarik Toros challenged the audience to reject the false binary between journalism and activism. In environments where even neutrality is criminalized, he suggested, truth-telling itself becomes an act of resistance. The task for journalists, then, is not to perform detachment but to uphold epistemic integrity, to ensure that the public is not just informed, but equipped to discern justice from its simulation.

Arbana Xharra: Feminist Ethics, Transnational Threats, and the Price of Truth

Arbana Xharra’s presentation foregrounded the embodied costs of journalistic courage, particularly for women operating within patriarchal and authoritarian contexts. Arbana Xharra, an investigative journalist from Kosovo and recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s International Woman of Courage Award, delivered a testimony that was equal parts analytical and effective. Her career, which began at the age of 18 following her experience as a war refugee and translator during the Kosovo War, evolved into a decades-long pursuit of accountability in the face of political corruption and religious extremism.

Xharra’s decision to investigate the financial and ideological ties between local actors in the Balkans and foreign authoritarian regimes, most notably the ideological influence of Turkey’s government, provoked a violent backlash. In 2017, Arbana Xharra was physically assaulted in a parking lot shortly after publishing a critical report. A red cross painted on her home foreshadowed the attack, sending a clear message: the price of exposure would be personal. Her subsequent decision to flee into exile was not simply about personal safety; it was about ensuring her children could live free of fear.

She mapped out the multiple modalities of repression that define authoritarian ecosystems: from strategic defamation to Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) lawsuits, from state-sanctioned media attacks to the quiet coercion of financial starvation. Arbana Xharra’s remarks were especially illuminating in their treatment of gender. She insisted that women journalists face qualitatively different threats, not only in terms of content, but in tone and implication. While male journalists may be silenced through professional discrediting, women are often subjected to sexualized harassment, threats to their families, and public shaming that targets their identities as mothers and daughters. These forms of gendered repression are not incidental, they are strategic.

Rather than retreat into despair, however, Arbana Xharra advocated for a diversification of journalistic models. She encouraged attendees to explore hybrid career paths, combining investigative journalism with podcasting, newsletters, and NGO-based research. What matters, she stressed, is not format but fidelity to truth and public interest. Her final call was not only for protection but for solidarity. “If someone gives you information,” she said, “protect them with your life. Otherwise, you’re not just losing the story, you’re putting someone at risk.”

Dialogue and Debate: AI, Ethics, and Journalism in Exile

The interactive portion of the session proved as rich as the keynote addresses, offering a space for young journalists and media practitioners to interrogate the complexities of survival, credibility, and digital adaptation. Questions emerged from a wide range of locales, including Pakistan, Ethiopia, Bhutan, and the United States, and explored topics such as the strategic use of AI in news production, protocols for journalist safety, and the psychological burden of covering violent regimes.

One of the most pressing themes was the use, and misuse, of artificial intelligence. Tarik Toros acknowledged that while AI can support data verification and enhance investigative efficiency, it also facilitates the creation of deepfakes, false narratives, and impersonated voices. Arbana Xharra expanded on this, describing how synthetic media had been used to disseminate fake interviews bearing her name and image. These instances not only undermined her credibility but also endangered her sources and collaborators. AI, they concluded, is not an inherently democratizing tool; its ethical utility depends on human governance, transparency, and accountability.

Another major topic was the impact and legitimacy of journalism produced in exile. Can it be meaningful if divorced from local immediacy? Both Toros and Xharra offered nuanced affirmations. Toros emphasized that while he could no longer walk the streets of capital Ankara, his reports reached Turkish citizens daily. Xharra added that exile had expanded her analytical horizon, enabling her to forge transnational coalitions and spotlight underreported dimensions of Balkan geopolitics.

Importantly, both speakers resisted any romanticization of danger. They reminded aspiring journalists that courage should not eclipse caution. “Start small,” they advised. “Build your credibility. Protect your sources. And always calculate risk, because without safety, there is no story worth telling.”

Concluding Reflections: Journalism as Democratic Praxis

Cemre Ulker closed the session by situating the day’s discussions within a broader arc of democratic backsliding and digital authoritarianism. She reminded participants that journalism’s function is not merely to report facts, but to create conditions for democratic deliberation, memory, and justice. In this view, journalism is not just a profession, it is an ethical infrastructure. Across borders, generations, and digital divides, the session had constructed a shared archive of resistance. The speakers’ testimonies were not just accounts of survival; they were roadmaps for how journalism might yet survive and evolve in the face of systemic hostility.

As the global media landscape continues to be reshaped by political polarization, algorithmic manipulation, and surveillance technologies, this session provided a crucial reminder: journalism may be under siege, but its ethical imperatives remain undiminished. And as long as there are individuals willing to speak, document, and resist, its future remains worth fighting for.