The current situation of freedom of press around the world was discussed in London as part of the “Global Conference for Media Freedom: London 2019”.

The conference was realized thanks to the support of the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada, and held due to the increased backsliding in freedom of press and the escalation of violence against journalists. Vice Chairman of the Association of Journalists and Project Director of the Media for Democracy Programme Yusuf Kanlı attended the conference as a representative for the association, many journalists from Turkey also attended the conference.

Journalists from around the world were able to share their experiences and expectations for two days during the conference. One of the most important topics discussed in the conference was foreign media organizations and foreign governments using support as a means to compromise media independence.

Another important topic discussed in the conference was “public broadcasting”. Many voices drew attention to the problem of public broadcasting organizations acting as a state apparatus. It was concluded that public broadcasting organizations must function on behalf of the public to provide the public with news, and not act on behalf of governments. The increase in “fake news” was also discussed in the conference, it was agreed that there is an increasing need for independent and objective public broadcasting organizations to curtail the problems caused by “fake news”. It was observed the issue of public broadcasting is not only a problem of “the East” but also a problem for “the West”, as well.

Association of Journalists Vice Chairman Yusuf Kanlı exchanged ideas and discussed problems surrounding the media with many representatives of different countries and institutions. Kanlı also gave information about the Media for Democracy Programme, which is financed by the European Union and implemented by the Association of Journalists. Kanlı also met with OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir. The decision to increase organizational cooperation taken in the meeting held in Vienna with the participation of the Association of Journalists Chairman Nazmi Bilgin was confirmed during this meeting.