2 May
Jakarta, Indonesia

A group of 19 participants from WAN-IFRA’s Strengthening Media and Society (SMS) programme will take part in a full day of focused workshops in parallel to Unesco’s World Press Freedom Day activities.

In the morning, the group will participate in a workshop on Misinformation in Asia. Country representatives from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines will present their media freedom struggles to participants before splitting off into country groups to discuss possible solutions for newsrooms through MFC advocacy activities. The session will be rounded out by a joint sharing of conclusions and plans by an MFC representative from each country.

In the afternoon, SMS participants will take part in the Fact-checking & Social Verification Workshop, organized by Google News Lab and First Draft. The two-hour hands-on training will teach online verification tools and other strategies to combat fake news, hoaxes and rumors that have spread online in recent years.

3 May
Jakarta, Indonesia

As it does every year, Unesco’s World Press Freedom Day celebrates and promotes the free press around the world, defending the media from attacks on their independence and honoring journalists who have lost their lives. To read the full day’s list of activities, visit: http://en.unesco.org/wpfd.

Nairobi, Kenya

Organized by the Media Council of Kenya, the World Press Freedom 2017 Convention offers a jam-packed day of panel discussions and features journalists and media experts from around the region. Led by Master of Ceremony Dr. James Oranga, a journalist lecturer at the University of Nairobi, panelists will discuss the media’s role in advancing peaceful societies; countering conflict and hate speech; the role of satire, social media and fake news on freedom of expression; how to tackle impunity and punish crimes against journalists; and gender equality in the media.

Colombia

In honor of World Press Freedom Day, WAN-IFRA’s Media Strengthening Program will participate in the launch of an initiative by Colombia’s Press Freedom Foundation (FLIP) – a conference dedicated to combating fake news during the country’s presidential elections next year. Journalists from Colombia will lead the panels, which will analyze the role of lies in the news and take inspiration from the media in Brazil who recently launched a “credibility initiative” to bolster quality journalism.

6 May
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Media Solidarity Festival, organized by WAN-IFRA’s Media Freedom Committee in Malaysia, is a one-day festival celebrating the achievements of the media in Malaysia and promoting solidarity within the profession. The festival, which is open to the public, will feature a panel discussion on ethics and newsroom challenges, the launch of a Facebook group for the media, activities to promote media solidarity and media recognition awards.