Three former IJ4EU grantees will take to the stage at this year鈥檚聽聽in the Italian city of Perugia to debate how investigative journalists can navigate the delicate balance between public funding and editorial independence 鈥� especially in a climate of shrinking traditional revenue models and increasing political scrutiny.
鈬�听罢颈迟濒别诲听, the session will take place on聽Saturday, April 12 (09:30鈥�10:20 CEST) at Teatro del Pavone. Catch it live or watch the .
Many investigative journalism outlets depend on taxpayer funding to carry out their work, but reliance on public money raises critical challenges. How can outlets ensure independence while managing public perceptions and countering the growing trend of bad actors labelling journalists as foreign agents?
Hosted by聽, head of the IJ4EU programme and director of independent media at the聽International Press Institute聽(IPI), the session will explore these questions in the context of a fast-changing donor landscape and the politicisation of aid dollars under the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The panel features:
- : Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist, co-founder of聽聽and a driving force behind global collaborations including the聽聽and the聽.
- : Founder of聽, a non-profit centre for investigative journalism in the Adriatic region, and Balkans regional editor at the聽.
- : Founder of聽, known for coordinating high-impact investigations such as the聽聽and the聽.
The session is organised by IPI, which leads the consortium of non-governmental organisations that run the IJ4EU fund.
Non-stop struggle
鈬�聽IPI will also host a discussion in Perugia titled聽, moderated by IPI Executive Director聽聽and featuring former IJ4EU jury chair聽.
In this urgent conversation, frontline defenders of media freedom from Ukraine, Mexico and Turkey will share firsthand accounts of courage and resilience in the face of rising authoritarianism, disinformation, media capture and direct attacks on journalists.
The other panellists are Turkish columnist and former IPI board member聽聽and editor-in-chief of The Kyiv Independent,聽.
Meanwhile, the聽, an IJ4EU consortium partner, will host a session on the challenges and opportunities emerging as USAID funding for journalism ends.
聽promises to spark fresh thinking on how journalism can adapt and thrive amid shifting funding realities. The session takes place on聽Thursday, April 10 (15:00鈥�15:50) in Sala Raffaello at Hotel Brufani.聽
Led by EJC Director聽, it will feature insights from聽聽(The Fuller Project),聽聽(International Center for Journalists),聽聽(Limelight Foundation),聽聽(Center for Sustainable Media) and聽 (Global Forum for Media Development). You can watch the