This interactive workshop explores how newsrooms can embrace AI to strengthen strategy, efficiency, and trust. Through three focused sessions—What are you going to do? How are you going to do it? How will you measure success?—participants will work with real case studies, share experiences in breakout discussions, and reflect on the impact of AI on revenue and ROI.
The afternoon will highlight the crucial role of AI in election coverage, with conversations on ethics, verification, and navigating fact vs. fiction.
This session is exploring how African publishers are developing, building, or pivoting toward fully digital business models. The session will feature leaders from Igihe (Rwanda) sharing strategies for diversifying a digital business; Currency (South Africa) reflecting on what it takes to launch fresh today, and Tuko Media (Kenya), celebrating 10 years as a digital-only publisher.
Until recently Head of Subscription Growth at Kompas.id, Zidni Kadir led efforts to grow one of Indonesia’s most reputable media platforms. He now focuses on subscription-based business models that drive revenue and customer retention. He will share practical lessons from working in Indonesia’s competitive media market.
Working with data in newsrooms can be challenging. Despite its clear benefits, the sheer volume of metrics can be overwhelming, difficult to interpret, and at times even discouraging. Building a strong data culture helps address this challenge by making information meaningful, actionable, and directly connected to the journalism we care about.
In this session, Khalil will explain what it takes to create a shared language around data—one that empowers everyone in the newsroom to see the purpose and impact of their work.
Why journalists need to understand their customers and be able to identify new markets and revenue streams for their content. Which approaches, if placed at the heart of high quality journalism, can help them do this and drive business – and newsroom – sustainability?
With young audiences turning to memes, short-form video, and influencers for their first encounter with current events, traditional journalism faces new challenges to remain relevant and trusted. Through dialogue between editors, youth voices, and media practitioners, the discussion will look at how to connect with this generation, balance integrity with innovation, and navigate the blurred lines between journalism, activism, and digital culture.
Revenue from great digital content doesn’t follow a single model — So how can publishers adapt and build a roadmap for 2026 and beyond? Where are the opportunities?
Disinformation, hate speech, and AI-driven virality are reshaping the public sphere and eroding trust. Newsrooms, development organisations, funders, regulators, and technology companies all share responsibility for safeguarding it. This panel will explore how Media and Information Literacy (MIL) can bring these diverse stakeholders together to defend truth and strengthen civic trust.
Stay tuned—we’ll be announcing exciting new speakers for this session very soon!
This session will provide an overview of changing news consumer behaviors in Africa, its implications for the news value proposition, and discuss some of the Google News Initiative’s recent efforts – including Project Oasis and the Global News Gaps Project – to help publishers across Africa navigate a changing ecosystem.
This interactive session will walk participants through a practical risk analysis exercise. Together with the audience, Richard will explore:
• How to approach a high-risk story for journalists to cover
• Potential risks and how to manage them
• Digital and legal considerations
• Psychosocial aspects
Drawing on the experiences of editors, managers, and reporters, the discussion will highlight practical tools for improving safety and professional practices in the newsroom.
