The 2024 IPI World Congress and Media Innovation Festival will gather leading journalists, editors, and publishers from around the world in Sarajevo from May 22 to 24, 2024. Under the theme “Navigating Crises: Journalism at a Turning Point”, this event will provide a vital space for media professionals, thought leaders, and innovators to explore new solutions, foster understanding, and critically examine the role of the media in addressing the great crises of our time.

The news of the arrival of Al Jazeera's Gaza bureau chief, Wael Al-Dahdouh, raised a lot of attention in the region. Al-Dahdouh will address the audience at the opening night of the IPI World Congress. The Congress will host a “Conversation with Wael Al-Dahdouh” on Wednesday, May 22. This session, part of the opening night of the Congress, will present a poignant exploration of the impact the war in Gaza has had on journalism – and journalists. Wael will also tell his difficult personal story about losing family members in Gaza over the past seven months.

What journalists covering Gaza war need right now?

The Israel-Gaza war has led to an unprecedented journalist safety crisis. Dozens of journalists and their family members have been killed in Israeli air strikes. Meanwhile, foreign correspondents are effectively barred from Gaza, restricting the flow of news and forcing local reporters to bear the burden alone. Here’s how journalists are coping with these challenges – and what support they need now.

The panel on Gaza will be moderated by N1 Senior news producer and anchor, Ika Ferrer Gotić and Ms. ferrer Gotić's speakers will be well-known journalists and editors:

Walid Batrawi, Palestinian media and communications expert. Batrawi worked as Country Director in Palestine for BBC Media Action.

Ayman Mhanna, executive director of the Beirut-based Samir Kassir Foundation, a leading NGO for freedom of expression in the Levant region.

Adelin Petrisor, TVR International Correspondent, an award-winning Romanian war correspondent with decades of reporting experience around the world.

Wafa’ Abdel Rahman, Founder and Managing Director of Filastiniyat, Media for Women and Youth. Abdel Rahman is a dedicated advocate for women and youth in Palestine.

Panels on protecting journalists and cyber threats

A pluralistic media landscape – both online and offline – is a prerequisite for democracy, peace and security. Female journalists continue to face a range of threats to their safety that are unique to their gender, impairing their journalistic work and equal contribution to public debate in a democratic society, to the brink of driving them away from the public arena.

Gendered hate speech and disinformation, rampant in digital platforms, intensify hostility toward women journalists. UNESCO and ICFJ research reveals 73% of female journalists face online gender-based violence, with 20% experiencing offline harm linked to online abuse. In addition, the data showed that 41% of them had experienced online violence in the context of orchestrated gendered disinformation campaigns. Partisan media and rising populism exacerbate this peril, demonizing dissenting voices. This trend not only endangers women journalists’ safety but also undermines democracy.

This side event at the IPI World Congress will put a particular focus on the safety of female journalists online in the context of prevailing gendered hate speech and disinformation. By illustrating the overarching risks women journalists face in this context, the event will aim to present practical tools to help prevent the escalation of online violence against women journalists, and identify ways forward to empower and protect them from gendered attacks and foster inclusive public spaces.

One of the speakers on this panel is Al Jazeera Balkans journalist, Dalija Hasanbegović – Konaković.

Panel on reporting in wartime Sarajevo

Drawing from their experiences reporting during the Siege of Sarajevo, leading journalists and editors will share the lessons they learned amidst the chaos of conflict. We will explore the profound implications and lessons of their work for contemporary war reporting and reflect on the critical importance of safeguarding journalists and societies during times of upheaval.

The speakers of this panel are Duška Jurišić, longtime journalist and current deputy minister for human rights and refugees; AP journalist, Aida Čerkez; director of the WARM Foundation, Damir Šagolj; senior reporter for the Center for Investigative Reporting, Michael Montgomery.

The IPI World Congress

Since its founding at a moment of global upheaval, the IPI global network has sought to safeguard press freedom and defend independent journalism as key to solving common challenges. Over 70 years later, the IPI World Congress continues to embody this same spirit of understanding and collaboration.

Today, our world is grappling with an intricate web of crises, and many of us feel a real sense of being at a turning point – or a tipping point. Climate change, economic inequality, war and geopolitical conflict, humanitarian strife, the spread of misinformation, and ​intense polarization threaten global prosperity. Meanwhile, democracy and the rule of law are on the back foot as an authoritarian wave grows in strength. Against this backdrop, the IPI World Congress will provide a forum for participants to engage in dialogue about the role of media in addressing the crises of our time and charting a path forward.