„Shifting Powers“: Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum highlights shifts in power
- Taking place on 27 and 28 May at the World Conference Center in Bonn with 2,000 participants from 140 countries
- Opening by Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, keynote speech by NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet
- „Digital Media Region NRW“ stand in the exhibitors area
Deutsche Welle is hosting the 12th edition of the Global Media Forum at the World Conference Center in Bonn. Around 2,000 participants are expected to attend on 27 and 28 May, 2019. Media professionals and journalists from 140 countries will again be discussing here with decision-makers from politics and civil society, culture and education, business and science. This year’s international media conference is entitled "Shifting powers" and aims to raise awareness of the shifts in power in the media, society and politics as a result of ongoing digitalisation. Germany’s Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will open the international media conference together with Deutsche Welle’s Director General Peter Limbourg. Steinmeier will address the international guests via a live video conference in conversation with Limbourg. The second day of the conference will see NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet giving a keynote speech about "Media policy in the digital age".
Who holds the power in the media landscape?
The two-day English-language conference will kick off with a discussion about "Who holds the power in the media landscape?" by Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner with the co-founder of the India Today Group, Aroon Purie, and Jesper Doub from Facebook. Nathalie Malinarich (BBC News), Tanit Koch (n-tv) and Mark Peters (Google) will also discuss the future of media in another roundtable.
Social media and the future of local journalism
The numerous workshops run by partner organisations will deal, among other things, with shifts in power toward younger generations and their involvement, in particular, in social media. The legal handling of hate speech and social bots is also set to play a role. Speakers include Tobias Schmid (Landesanstalt für Medien NRW) and UN representative Rita Izsak-Ndiaye. Anna Minj (BRAC), Michael Bröcker (Rheinische Post), Sa’a Ibrahim (ARTV, Nigeria) and Chani Guyot from the Argentine news start-up RED/ACCION will discuss the future of local journalism in various regions of the world.
DW Freedom of Speech Award 2019
This year will again see the DW Freedom of Speech Award being presented during the GMF. The Mexican journalist and author Anabel Hernandez, who fled her homeland, will be receiving the award for her courageous fight against corruption, cover-ups and impunity in Mexico.
Partners and Supporters
The main partners of the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum are the Federal Foreign Office and the State of NRW. The Global Media Forum 2019 is being co-organised by the Stiftung Internationale Begegnung der Sparkasse in Bonn. The conference is supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the City of Bonn. More than 30 partner organisations are taking part in the Deutsche Welle’s media conference this year. Facebook, Google and Instagram, the Landesanstalt für Medien (LfM NRW), the Filmforum NRW as well as the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the Gustav-Stresemann-Institut will be attending. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW and the Mediennetzwerk.NRW are also supporting the event as partners and will be represented in the Exhibitors area with their "Digital Media Region NRW" stand.