Media leaders gather in Krakow to face key challenges

This Sunday, media leaders from across the globe will converge in Krakow for the start of the 76th edition of WAN-IFRA’s World News Media Congress – an event that arrives at a pivotal time for the journalism industry.

Hosted from 4-6 May, this year’s Congress promises to tackle the urgent challenges facing publishers today, under the theme Mastering Media’s New Playbook.

As newsrooms contend with the twin pressures of technological disruption and shifting audience behaviours, the Congress offers a forum for publishers to explore fresh strategies and hear directly from peers who are innovating under pressure. The agenda spans everything from AI’s impact on editorial workflows to rebuilding local trust, diversifying revenue and defending press freedom in volatile environments.

In a preview of the event, WAN-IFRA president Ladina Heimgartner underscored the need for both strategic reinvention and moral clarity: “We must confront a more fundamental and urgent challenge: the role of professional media companies in an evolving world order.”

She warned of growing public scepticism towards journalism, increased competition for attention and advertising and rising external pressures on newsrooms from political and commercial forces. “Preserving credibility, trust, and sustainable business models must be our top priority,” she said.

The choice of Krakow as host city is both symbolic and strategic. Poland has been a frontline state in Europe’s struggle for democratic values and press independence. Its media landscape, while turbulent, has produced some of the continent’s most agile and forward-looking outlets. In that context, Krakow offers an ideal setting for a gathering focused on resilience, responsibility, and renewal. The Congress will also be addressed by Lech Walesa, the former trade union leader turned Polish president.

The speaker line-up reflects the global nature of the industry’s current crossroads. Leaders from major publishers in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas will share case studies on how they are adapting to platform shifts, AI disruption and the decline of traditional advertising models. Sessions will highlight successful membership strategies, emerging content formats, AI tools in the newsroom, and the growing importance of journalism’s civic mission.

Among the speakers are representative from OpenAI and Google who will give their perspective on the changing landscape and the position of their companies and publishers within it.

The founders of Tomorrow’s Publisher, Alan Hunter and Michael Brunt, are also among the speakers. Drawing on their experience of using new tools and setting up a publication from scratch in a matter of days, they will talk about practical AI solutions for newsrooms.

Importantly, the Congress is not only for those already steeped in innovation. It is also designed to provoke conversation and collective action on the fundamental question of journalism’s public value. As Heimgartner put it, “Journalism must remain an essential public service and public good.”