fome Symposium: Rethinking Support for Public Interest Media

The media development sector is facing turbulent times. Spaces for freedom of expression are shrinking and funding for public interest journalism is under increasing pressure. The recent freeze in U.S. funding revealed detrimental dependencies on a single donor. Meanwhile, Big Tech is getting rid of fact-checkers and using journalistic content to train AI – without compensation.

Yet in this digital, so-called "post-truth" era, the need for trustworthy information and platforms for constructive dialogue has never been greater. This is especially true in fragile and crisis-affected contexts where access to safe, reliable information is essential.

fome Symposium 2025

This year’s fome Symposium will critically review established funding mechanisms and explore new approaches to increase media support worldwide. It will examine how the humanitarian and media development sectors can collaborate more effectively to strengthen local information ecosystems. Marking 20 years of fome, the event will showcase global initiatives that empower communities to make informed decisions through independent and credible journalism.

Discussions will explore:

• strategies to increase support to a healthy information environment,
• challenges of increasingly politicized funding landscapes and the influence of Big Tech,
• advocacy coalitions to promote media viability and defend journalists’ rights, 
• tangible value of media development and humanitarian communication

The symposium is organized by DW Akademie and Fondation Hirondelle.

CDAC’s Public Forum: Information in Crisis

The 2025 fome Symposium will be held together with CDAC’s Public Forum. CDAC (Communication with Disaster Affected Communities), is a global network committed to ensuring people can access safe, trustworthy information during crises. Its members include media development, UN agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement, NGOs and specialist communications entities. CDAC network is committed to putting the power in humanitarian and development action back in the hands of communities.

The Public Forum is an annual event which brings CDAC members and public voices from across the humanitarian and media development spectrum together. This year the focus is on Information in Crisis. This has been a year of extraordinary turbulence for people in crisis: geopolitical rules have been re-written, budgets have crashed, whilst organisations aiming to support communities have come under increasing attack from hate speech and misinformation. In this climate we will consider what a future focused, tech-enabled and community centred approach to supporting people in crisis should look like in 2026 and beyond.

• When: December 9-10, 2025
• Where: Deutsche Welle, Bonn, Germany 
• Program