PRESS RELEASE

VI Media Forum in Kazan: Journalism is dying, long live the media

The sixth international Media Forum-2023: Freedom of Journalism in the Context of Human Rights, New Technologies and International Information Security will be held at the Relita Hotel in Kazan on October 18−20. Politicians, media theorists and practitioners, foreign and Russian political scientists, sociologists and economists will discuss the transformation of the media in modern conditions, their impact on global political processes, as well as information security of the media, the state and the individual. The event is organized by the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media with the support of the "International Affairs" magazine of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This year, the forum experts plan to talk about the global media agenda, as well as about interethnic, regional, and urban media, raise issues of UGC distribution in the media, and talk about media education. Other topics for discussion include the future of neural networks as media providers and the impact of digital intermediary platforms on the media audience.

More than 80 experts from around the world, including France, Japan, Austria, Belarus, Tajikistan, Turkey, India and others, are scheduled to take part in the Media Forum. As in previous years, the event already promises to become a platform for fruitful discussion of the prospects of quality and objective journalism.

The problem of ensuring freedom of speech in the media and respect for human rights in the context of the development of information technologies is aggravated against the background of unstable international relations. Through the efforts of the global media community and specialists from different countries in information technology, law and political science, the organizers of the forum propose to develop common principles for the survival of true objective journalism and ensuring safe information exchange.

Armen Oganessyan, Chairman of the Media Forum Organizing Committee, Editor-in-Chief of "International Affairs" magazine, noted: "The era of antagonism of the West and non-West, past and future, traditional journalism and new media, in the conditions of constant manipulations and creation of new meanings is the time when it is more and more difficult to remain objective in information perception and broadcasting. However, this is precisely the key to journalism’s survival. Many people believe that this profession is on the verge of death, that neural networks and bloggers will destroy it. Therefore, the task of the media community is to create the conditions for its adaptation and revival in today’s conditions".

More information about Media Forum

The media forum was first held in 2018 in the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, and immediately attracted the attention of journalists not only in Russia and Europe, but all over the world. In the context of an unstable political situation, unceasing information wars and a constant clash of universal norms with changing principles of the media, discussions within the framework of the event have become more relevant than ever.

At the opening of the first forum in 2018, Russian Ambassador to Slovakia Aleksey Fedotov noted: "The topic of the media forum is very important for its relevance and urgency. We see how journalists are persecuted for the honest performance of their professional duties. An international mechanism for their protection is needed. It will help maintain the professionalism and objectivity of the media".

Marius Lukošunas, Program Specialist of the Department for Freedom of Expression and Media Development of the Communication and Information Sector of UNESCO, highlighted the main issues that the international community is concerned about: "There is a trend towards vulnerability in the field of media independence — increasing dependence on state and corporate subsidies. In a number of regions, there is a decrease in trust in journalists. But, on the other hand, we see that the resistance of the sector against encroachments on independence is growing. In Central and Eastern Europe, we see a downward trend. A general decrease in respect for media freedom, increased pressure with the use of digital attacks on journalists, such as online harassment, insults, fabrication of criminal cases, etc".