World News Day is a global news industry campaign to draw attention to the value of journalism and the difference it makes in the lives of individuals, communities and beyond. It was initiated as an industry campaign in 2018 by David Walmsely, then Chair of the Canadian Journalism Foundation
According to a joint release by the Global Project Manager of the World News Day; Alexander Jones and World News Media Congress’ Mariona Sanz, this year’s event is on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 and “will be commemorated across six continents, among newsrooms of all sizes – from the Financial Times (worldwide), The Globe and Mail (Canada), and The Straits Times (Singapore) in the Northern Hemisphere, to LA NACION (Argentina), Stuff (New Zealand) in the South, News24 (South Africa)” and Daily Guide (in Ghana), among others.
On the day, global newsrooms are expected to carry print and digital adverts and use their social media channels, newsletters and other platforms to highlight the critical message that “journalism matters” and is worth supporting, promoting and defending at all times.
In Ghana, the Private Newspaper (and Online News) Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG) – the umbrella body of all private newspaper and online news portals in the country is marking the day with a strong statement on the theme to draw attention to the relevance of journalism to our everyday life and the need for the state and corporate institutions to play their roles in supporting it.
President of PRINPAG, Andrew Edwin Arthur, remarked that despite the important role journalism is playing in the cause of building and strengthening Ghana’s democracy, it appears officialdom is yet to appreciate and reward the industry accordingly. He also called for corporate support for continuous capacity building of journalists especially those in the Print and Online media so as to guarantee professionalism always.
The World News Day 2022 is the focus of a 90-minute live-streamed in-person event from The World News Media Congress in Zaragoza, Spain, at 15:00 CET on September 28. Vivian Schiller, Executive Director of Aspen Digital, The Aspen Institute, will chair proceedings which will feature the following speakers:
- David Walmsley, Editor-in-Chief, The Globe and Mail.
- Warren Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief, The Straits Times.
- Alessandra Galloni, Editor-in-Chief, Reuters.
- Kathy English, Chair, The Canadian Journalism Foundation.
- Shirish Kulkarni, Journalist, Community Organiser, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism.
- Phoebe Connelly, Director of Next Generation Audiences, The Washington Post.
The public can view the session on the verified World News Day YouTube channel.
The World News Day campaign is organised by The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) and WAN-IFRA’s World Editors Forum. It is sponsored by Google News Initiative.
Warren Fernandez, Editor-in-Chief of the Straits Times, Singapore, and President of the World Editors Forum, said: “On World News Day we will showcase some of the best journalism that our industry has to offer – it is not just about one day – it’s about the work that professional newsrooms do all year round. World News Day is about drawing inspiration and renewing our commitment to purposeful journalism.”
Kathy English, Chair of The Canadian Journalism Foundation, said: “As we mark World News Day, the challenge to all newsrooms going forward is to do more to show journalism’s value to young and underserved audiences. To build and gain trust with the public, we must first reach them by representing their voices and experiences.”
The 73rd World News Media Congress (WNMC) which would be taking place from 30th September 28 to 30, 2022 in Zaragoza, Spain is being organised by the WAN-IFRA in collaboration with the Henneo publishing group, the Government of Aragón, and Zaragoza Turismo. WNMC is the leading annual event for media leaders, bringing together 1,000 editors and media executives to discuss challenges and opportunities for the global news media industry.
The programme includes a focus on World News Day.