Unite for journalism: Ideas to help ignite World News Day
World News Day, a co-ordinated annual news industry campaign that started in 2018, offers newsrooms an opportunity to demonstrate the care, rigour and responsibility behind their work.
Last year 1,000 newsbrands from over 100 countries participated.
This year, given the rise of AI-generated content and disinformation, there is an urgent need to go bigger in widely sharing the value of trusted journalism, and information integrity.
So. We are upping the ante, and inviting you to use the run up to the day itself, to highlight the valuable role journalism plays in global society.
Revisit some of your best journalism, the impact it’s had, and remind your audiences why it matters.
We will be providing campaign materials (ads, op eds, video, cartoons) to those who sign up. They can be used in the campaign period from 25 September to 1 October – with extra focus on the day itself, 28 September.
And for those who have the power to do more, here are several ideas to help kickstart your contribution to the campaign.
Editorial and Content campaigns
- Initiate an ‘Explain Your Journalism’ series: tell the backstory of how your reporters work
- Go ‘Behind the Bylines’: Publish profiles, short videos, or audio snippet explainers of your journalists outlining how they verified a difficult story.
- Highlight consequential journalism: Dedicate special pages or newsletters to show how your past investigations directly sparked legal changes or helped the local community. Get testimonies from those whose lives were changed.
- Op-Eds: We will be commissioning op-eds for the day; in the run up, we encourage you to solicit thought pieces from your own opinion writers or civil society leaders, scientists or local figures.
- Misinformation debunking diaries: Run a week-long column breaking down common online rumours and teaching readers how your newsroom spotted the falsehoods.
- Social media video snippets: Boost highly-shareable, vertical micro-videos of your reporters on camera discussing why their work matters.
- #60sforJournalism: Invite people whose lives have been changed by your journalism to tell their story to camera. Share, share, share.
Interactive and Digital engagement
- Fact-Checking interactive games quizzes: Embed online fun challenges for readers to distinguish real news headlines from AI-generated fake news.
- Initiate ‘Ask an Editor’ live streams: Host live Q&A sessions on social platforms to offer opportunities for audiences to engage with you.
- Youth photo or essay contests: Launch competitions asking young people to capture what “Truth” or “Media Freedom” means in their daily lives.
- Dedicated podcasts: Ask your podcast hosts to dedicate episodes to exploring the value journalism brings.
Advertising and visual assets
- Unsold inventory takeovers: Utilise your empty print pages, digital banners, or broadcast slots to run official World News Day ads, or create your own. Editorial cartoon collaborations: Partner with local or global political cartoonists to visually illustrate the dangers of media censorship.
Community initiatives
- Public forums and panel debates: Organise town halls or webinars discussing how independent journalism counters societal polarisation.
- Open your newsroom: Invite community members, students, and local leaders into your workspace to demystify the editorial process.
- Media literacy workshops: Partner with local libraries or schools to teach basic verification techniques and reverse-image searching to the public.
Join our Information Sessions
Need ideas on how to commemorate World News Day, or have questions about campaign materials? Join one of our upcoming Zoom information sessions.
- Wednesday, 5 August: 12:00 London (GMT +1)
Zoom link: https://wan-ifra.zoom.us/j/9713149442?omn=84634355187 - Friday, 7 August: 10:00 London (GMT +1)
Zoom link: https://wan-ifra.zoom.us/j/85667124955 - Tuesday, 11 August: 16:00 London (GMT +1)
Zoom link: https://wan-ifra.zoom.us/j/82737907480
Want to know more about World News Day? Check out our FAQs or reach out via email.
