Media in a Crisis of Trust

“Journalism is more threatened than ever. And more important than ever.” – Bernhard Pörksen

The media landscape is under immense pressure: systematic attacks, merchants of doubt, disinformation, and financial constraints, all exacerbated by AI applications, pose significant challenges for journalists. At the same time, trust in the media’s role is crucial for democratic action and social cohesion. Internal issues within editorial teams further complicate the situation, including a lack of diversity, outdated market models, and dependency on audience-driven algorithms.

The panel features journalist and activist Esra Karakaya discussing the urgent need for diversity and inclusive storytelling, long-time ORF journalist and now IAASA expert Nadja Hahn addressing the challenge of communicating complex issues like the climate crisis in a world where fact-checking is dismissed as a restriction on free speech, as well as Correctiv co-founder Daniel Drepper and political journalist Georg Renner debating transparency, investigative journalism, and new financial models.

What internal reforms are necessary to make newsrooms future-proof? How can journalists maintain their independence in the face of systematic attacks? And what is the role of the Fourth Estate in the 21st century?