How 2017’s stellar Global Media Forum will shape 2018’s
Later this year, on June 11th to be precise, media professionals, international journalists, human rights activists, experts in science and culture, and more, will converge in Bonn, the absolutely charming German city that’s both quaint and urbane. But wh
who was in Bonn
Last year, the 10th edition of Deutsche Welle’s international media conference, the nowfamous Global Media Forum, saw over 2,000 guests from 130 countries in a gathering that was staggering in size, as well as scope. Visitors had to choose from about 40 events, ranging from large forum presentations, by-invitation-only meetings, debate-sparking panels, and small workshops. In participation, were international decision-makers like European Parliament SecretaryGeneral Klaus Welle, UNESCO Deputy Director-General Frank La Rue, Amnesty International Secretary-General Salil Shetty, and more.
Deutsche Welle DirectorGeneral Peter Limbourg opened the 2017 GMF with these words: “I have a message for all despots, autocrats and dictators: You will not oppress freedom of speech forever. Freedom of speech is stronger than you.” He instantly set the tone, as he continued, that any ruler who chokes freedom of the press will fail in the long run. “People want more than prosperity and security, they also want freedom and justice. That is what we at DW are working for,” he said.
With the theme of last year’s conference being ‘Identity and Diversity’, it made perfect sense that at the centre stage was a debate over the media’s role in facilitating extremism and populism, bringing journalists and experts together to question how people become radicalized, how governments manipulate media, and whether social media is responsible for a great deal of that.
There were many compelling presentations at the 2017 GMF, and one of them are smartphonesavvy CNN journalist Yusuf Omar’s. He calls his approach ‘jeans journalism’. Basically, from making a video to taking pictures and interviews - everything he needs for his work fits in his jeans. His style caters to the smartphone generation, audiences who like their news on the move. He wowed participants with a live display which had him produce content, from idea stage to publication, all within a short time.
Social media, according to him, helps news outlets like CNN reach their consumers without asking them to tune into their programming. Mobile audiences want raw, authentic stories, not polished, television-style broadcasts, Omar said. But this is coming after social media got knocked for ensuring access for lobbies, interest groups and other factions propagating fake news. And therein lies the depth of DW’s GMF: Rich debate, and thoughtprovoking analysis of events.
Even with a dizzying array of compelling panels, one of my favourites include ‘Can The Media Uphold Gender Equality And Diversity?’ It focused on the challenges of gendertransformative journalism in the so-called post-truth world and explored its capacity to help build a more peaceful, just and inclusive society.
Ines Pohl, DW’s Editor-InChief, stressed that “The special rights the media have and the special access to information come with the duty to make it clear in the stories we tell that ‘all human beings are equal’ - again and again.”
Carmen Perez, National Co-Chair of Women’s March, USA, emphasized that “A lot of people still rely on [mainstream media] when it comes to getting their information. So we need to be fluid and be in both spaces. And we also need to be recording and reporting our stories in real-time in both places. One cannot replace the other.”
The forum continued, and for three days, there were rich, in-depth discussions on politics, human rights, media development, and innovative journalism concepts. Some of them were in forms of panels, like the one I participated in, titled ‘Satire As A Weapon’. The intro went: “Humour has endured many regimes to date - from Europe to Africa. Whether in Africa or Latin America - time and again, governments and political players attempt redirect or even prohibit the biting criticism of satire. Suddenly, caricaturists are no longer commissioned, TV sketches have to be produced secretly and distributed via providers abroad. Social networks however make it nearly impossible for the elite to fully suppress humorous social criticism.”
The ‘Satire As A Weapon’ panel, moderated by DW’s Kate Müser, had my humble self as a speaker, as well as Farai Monro (Satirist, Magamba TV, Zimbabwe), Danilo Maldonado (Artist and Human Rights Activist, Cuba), and Isam Uraiqat (Co-Founder, Al Hudood, Jordan). For an hour we traded ‘war stories’ about work, and while most of them had horror stories to tell, I spoke about the unique position I was in, being the editor of the newspaper my political and editorial cartoons appeared in, as well as having zero interference from my bosses. For a panel about satire, the sizeable venue was packed, and with audience participation.
Speaking of satire, Zimbabwe’s collectively-named ‘Zambezi News’ poked fun at fake news, but with a serious purpose. As ever, the superstar satirists were a big hit with the audience.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, we all know that. And the GMF ensures that participants play very well, especially in the form of an excellent boat cruise, which is practically a party on the River Rhine, aboard a large three-decked luxury vessel as the sun sets beautifully. Bonn itself is city of character, offering many attractions, an excellent museum, and decent shopping. It provides lovely icing and a cherry to the GMF’s rich cake of an event.
The networking possibilities afforded by the GMF are staggering in scope, and most happen organically, as like minds find each other, and find points of convergence. The forum has, from all indications, met its target, to be where decisionmakers and influencers from all over the world come together, to connect and strengthen relationships. It also provides a unique opportunity to network, get inspired and collaborate using a wide variety of state-of-the-art formats. And suddenly, 2018’s ‘Global Inequalities’, and last year’s ‘Identity and Diversity’ make even more sense as successive themes. DW is slowly, intently, building up to facilitating a more transparent, just, and global village, as well as a more participative one. And that is the connective tissue between last year’s theme, and how it will shape the upcoming one.
At the end of the 2017 GMF, interestingly enough, I kept pondering over Limbourg’s words: “As crises and conflicts are increasing, so, too is the importance of international broadcasters. Only those who are viewed as trustworthy would prevail in the long run. This entails a growing responsibility for comprehensive, objective reporting. International broadcasters can never take sides. With only one exception: When it comes to human rights.” Words to live and work by, on marble indeed.