The Media Freedom Coalition (MFC) engaged in two flagship forums this October.
On the margins of the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit in Spain (October 7–9, 2025), the MFC co‑led a side session with the Government of Ghana titled “Keeping news alive: strengthening media independence and viability.”
Hon. Lydia Lamisi Akanvariba, the Minister of State for Public Sector Reforms in Ghana, opened the session with a personal reflection that underscored the value of sustained investment in media freedom. She noted that as an MP she had been trained by panellist Catherine Anite, a member of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts. The minister set the tone for the session, stating “Simply put, media freedom is not just about protecting journalism. It is about protecting society itself.”
Catherine Anite stressed that money alone won’t save independent media. “The most important thing [for media sustainability] is the strategic alliances… civil society, the judiciary, [and] policymakers need to continuously strengthen” media freedom.
As co-founders, and former co-chairs of the MFC, the UK’s Stefan Kossoff highlighted that “freedom of expression and free media are the bedrock of a healthy democracy.” Meanwhile UNESCO’s Saorla McCabe talked about the challenges of media freedom, stating “democracies are outnumbered for the first time in 20 years,” and “on average, one journalist is killed every four days.”
On October 8 in Warsaw, the MFC Co‑Chairs Finland and Germany and the MFC Secretariat convened a side session, “Safeguarding Women Journalists to Enhance Media Freedom, Security, and Democracy” during the OSCE Human Dimension Conference.
The session was opened by Ambassador Susanne Schütz of Germany as co-chair of the MFC, who highlighted the gender specific threats women journalists face—especially in war zones. Finland’s Ambassador for Human Rights, Katja Pehrman, who moderated the discussion, framed media freedom as a pillar of security, asserting that there is no security without media freedom.
As part of the discussion, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Jan Braathu described the safety of women journalists as a frontline issue for his office. The discussion also featured Kyiv Independent’s Deputy Chief Editor, Toma Istomina, who highlighted that women have dominated the media landscape in Ukraine for several years; and the International Press Institute’s Scott Griffen, who emphasized that attacks on women journalists impact their physical security.
Both side sessions highlighted the importance of bringing conversations about media freedom to different conferences and forums and emphasised the need to work together across sectors and government divisions. As Rosie Parkyn stated at the OGP Summit, “We are seeking to save journalism for the people who benefit from it.”
