Who we are

Together for media freedom: Political actors, non-governmental organizations and media professionals from around the world gathered in Santiago de Chile to celebrate World Press Freedom Day on May 3, 2024. DW Akademie and partner organizations also contributed to the UNESCO conference with discussion panels and workshops. The topics included environmental journalism, countering disinformation in this super election year and the question of how media development organizations can ensure the economic survival of quality media. One maxim prevails – that the human right to freedom of expression and access to information can only be defended together.

Afghan refugees have been living in northern Pakistan since the 1970s. There, refugees face restrictions and discrimination and often live in poverty. DW Akademie and the news agency Tribal News Network (TNN) are working together to train Afghan community reporters. Together with Pakistani professional journalists, they learn how to use constructive journalism to effectively report on Afghan refugees and the issues they face. They have since produced online and video reports about the refugee community, focusing on solidarity and resilience.

Independent journalism needs sustainable business models and an effective editorial strategy. Yet other aspects also influence the economic success of media, such as legal and political framework conditions, technological innovations and the economies of networks. Media viability is crucial to ensuring that citizens trust independent media and have access to reliable information – especially in times of crisis. 

"When you are in exile, you are not in a good psychological place. Writing is somehow difficult, but I still try. If I stop writing, I stop existing."

Participant of the Space for Freedom project, a part of the Hannah Arendt Initiative, aimed at supporting and training media professionals in exile

African filmmakers Akuol de Mabior (center left), Ike Nnaebue (center right) and their crews have a lot to celebrate. Films from Generation Africa, a project of DW Akademie and the South African organization STEPS, deal with the future of Africa’s youth, the pressing issues of migration as well as climate justice. DW Akademie works to train filmmakers from the Global South and supports them in producing and screening internationally competitive films and series. The project makes an important contribution to freedom of expression and acts as a driver for social change and dialogue.

DW Akademie works to ensure that refugees and migrants can exercise their right to access information and freedom of expression while promoting dialogue with host societies. In Bangladesh, for example, we have been supporting Rohingya refugees and locals through our partner organizations since 2018. Working together, they produce a weekly radio show on how to better cope with everyday problems. In Latin America and the Caribbean, we encourage journalism that spotlights the challenges migrants face along dangerous routes to the US.