A.G. Sulzberger set us a challenge. Join us to explain why journalism matters
By David Walmsley and Stig Ørskov
“Explain why journalism matters.”
That’s one of the challenges A.G. Sulzberger, Chairman and Publisher of The New York Times, put to our industry earlier this month in his powerful opening keynote at the World News Media Congress in Marseille.
His message was clear: at a time when trust is fragile and information is abundant, journalism cannot assume the public understands its value. We must make the case for it – clearly, confidently and together.
World News Day is how we can put that challenge into practice. It is one of the few opportunities our industry has to speak with a single voice, demonstrating not only why journalism matters but also why independent, fact-based reporting deserves public support.
Last year, 1,000+ publishers across 108 countries rallied behind the message that truth matters and journalism is how we get there.
We hope you’ll join us again this year, on 28 September, to support a fresh World News Day campaign built for this moment.
As a cornerstone partner, the World Editors Forum has helped scale World News Day from its roots as a Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) event with 20 participants in 2018, into the global fixture on the news media calendar it is today.
We’ve kept it simple:
The World News Day team handles the heavy lifting, providing campaign-ready ads, op-eds and social assets, in multiple languages and formats, delivered ahead of time.
- You commit your spare inventory – print, digital, broadcast – and your channels, on 28 September, to spread the message as widely as possible.
That’s all we ask. No new creative to brief, no campaign to build from scratch.
But you can do more. In the past, many outlets used World News Day as a hook for their own editorial, subscriber or fundraising campaigns. Others showcased the impact their journalism had over the year, while some brought their audience into the newsroom to get a better understanding of how it works.
Your newsrooms and marketing teams will have plenty of other ideas to explain the backstory behind your journalism and why it matters. If this appeals, start planning now.
Returning participants already know how the campaign works.
For anyone considering it for the first time, this is about as low-cost an entry point as our industry offers for a high-visibility, collective stand. Questions?
Reach out to the lead of the World News Day campaign, Cherilyn Ireton, Executive Director of the World Editors Forum on email address worldnewsday@wan-ifra.org.
Register here now, to confirm your participation, get campaign updates and receive materials as they’re ready.
Join us and our partners Project Kontinuum and CJF to make 2026 even better.
