With the traditional opening ceremony featuring flags and a standing roll call of all countries represented — 43 this year — the 85th-annual World Congress of News Media welcome 600+ participants to The TimesCenter in New York on Wednesday.

INMA President Gert Ysebaert, CEO of Mediahuis in Belgium, advised attendees to do a better job of telling the story of the news industry, reconnecting with young generations, and using tech to their advantage.

“The future is uncertain, so we’d better prepare for multiple scenarios,” he said, mentioning that most of the attendees are from legacy brands.

“But what’s wrong with legacy? We have a legacy to defend. Let’s not settle for survival. Let’s go for thrive.”

Highlights from Wednesday’s programme include:

Bob Woodward on why journalism matters

Bob Woodward, one of the most renowned investigative journalists in American history, joined for a conversation focusing on the state of journalism and his experiences covering U.S. presidents Nixon and Trump.

“I think it’s a wonderful time to be in journalism,” said Woodward, who at 82 years old has spent more than half a century chronicling U.S. presidents and power. 

During his over 50-year-long career, he said he has covered three major crises: the Vietnam War, Watergate, and the rise of Donald Trump. 

President Donald Trump is today’s story, while also reminding the audience of his past. Woodward shared how, in a 2016 interview, when Trump was still only a candidate for the US presidency, he said, “Real power is fear,” which Woodward said he is bluntly using now.

Woodward emphasised that journalists must resist the intimidation and instead double down on rigorous reporting.

“I think in journalism we need to — I’ll be very direct here — up our game, raise our standards, talk to more people,” he said. It matters to be more “aggressive in the asking of questions and aggressive in the listening.”

Navigating the next wave of news transformation

INMA CEO Earl J. Wilkinson kicked off the World Congress by exploring U.S. President Trump’s effect on news media and the macro-trends shaping the industry today.

“Say what you want to about Donald Trump, but he’s the biggest news story in the world today. He is testing the guardrails of our democracy in the United States, he’s attacking pillars of society and remaking them in his own image.”

But in the face of these challenges, Wilkinson expressed optimism about the ability of journalists to meet this moment and hold those in power accountable: “Look at what’s happening in our news organisations,” said Wilkinson. “There’s a renewed sense of mission, a surge in investigative reporting and an expansion of fact-checking operations.” 

Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones CEO on the new economy of news

Almar Latour, CEO of Dow Jones, said the company noticed a significant shift when it stopped trying to produce too much content and began focusing more deeply on what it offered its audiences.

The Dow Jones company had 6.1 million paid subscriptions as of the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.

“We try to create what we call a full stack, have the leading premier news on a certain focus area,” he said. “If you combine those two, you get analytics of forecasting, the incredibly important group news stream for us, and add networking to that. So you combine news, data, analytics, networking, and you get a virtuous circle.”

Global CEO panel discusses the news media ecosystem

Dr. Rainer Esser from Die Zeit, Katharina Link from Pulse Africa, and Jessica Peppel-Schulz from Tamedia spoke to attendees about the essentials of an active and united newsroom, as well as effective ways to use AI.

Esser explained to attendees that to foster a sense of excitement for change and innovation, you need to engage with your staff: “I was the first CEO to come in and talk to every person, and put them on the right track.”

Jessica Peppel-Schulz, CEO of Tamedia, also spoke on the value of a supportive newsroom and her techniques for doing so: “Nothing will ever work if we don’t have the effort of the people to make it happen. The employees satisfaction is at the core of success.”

Katharina Link spoke about exciting developments in AI happening at Pulse Africa, from coming up with new ways to use AI effectively to the launch of their “digital twin” programme. Link explained how Pulse Africa has been able to dominate the social media world on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Rethinking next-gen audiences, talent, leadership

Attendees heard from a panel of both young and experienced media leaders on how the industry can reach younger audiences while also empowering the next generation of talent. 

Panellists included Sinead Boucher, owner and publisher of Stuff in New Zealand; Mitchell Gaylord, manager/subscriber acquisition at The Washington Post in the United States; Anna-Katharina Kölbl, head of business development at Funke Regionalmedien in Germany; and Maria Sakki, lead data insight analyst, Financial Times in the U.K.

Kölbl cautioned that media outlets cannot simply repost their content on social media and expect strong results. They need to tailor their content to what is most effective on these platforms. 

“You really have to adhere to the rules that the platforms have,” Kölbl said. “It’s short content, it’s emotional, it’s entertaining, and you have to show faces.”

U.S. news leaders compare strategies

Leaders from three of the largest local media companies in the United States came together to discuss how each of their companies is reinventing local newsrooms by redefining business models, leveraging AI, and rebuilding community trust.

“I think our future depends on our ability to establish relationships, consumer direct relationships, and get them to pay,” said Tony Hunter, CEO at McClatchy.

Hunter was joined by Andrew Morse, president and publisher of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, as well as by Michel E. Reed, Gannett’s CEO. 

“If you’re running a business and you’re not starting to think about how to apply AI to every facet of the business … you’re making a huge mistake,” Reed said.

The panellists also discussed the challenges of maintaining neutrality in political coverage while building a strong brand, the impact of the changing political environment, and the need for adapting to rapid industry changes and reskilling their organisations.

“Neutrality equals death because you need to have a perspective, you need to tell customers that you stand for something, and you need to have value,” Morse said. 

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