Day 4 is about the word on every marketer’s mouth. Everyone’s focusing on it, but it’s not a focused word. What does it mean exactly? Why does it matter? And how do we do it right? Attend small group workshops about mobile ads, mobile responsive site and mobile app development. Learn about the rapid rise of mobile browsing (and what that means to us) in our interactive globe installation. And hear from Ruth McCarthy, Founder of Mobili Media, about how to get caught up -- and then get ahead.
Day 4 is about the word on every marketer’s mouth. Everyone’s focusing on it, but it’s not a focused word. What does it mean exactly? Why does it matter? And how do we do it right? Attend small group workshops about mobile ads, mobile responsive site and mobile app development. Learn about the rapid rise of mobile browsing (and what that means to us) in our interactive globe installation. And hear from Ruth McCarthy, Founder of Mobili Media, about how to get caught up -- and then get ahead.
Resilient Media For A Resilient Democracy: Navigating the Future of Information
RSVP:
Full Festival Attendance here.
Since its inception in 2018, MMA’s Media Freedom Festival (MFF) has served as a vital platform for dialogue, collaboration, and advocacy, bringing together journalists, media practitioners, policymakers, civil society, and the public to discuss critical issues facing media freedom, information integrity, digital rights, and democracy. Under the theme of “Resilient Media for a Resilient Democracy: Navigating the Future of Information”, the 2025 Festival will delve into exploring and unpacking topical issues relating to the media and information landscape in South Africa and globally.
With insightful speakers and impactful sessions, this year’s Festival is one not to miss! RSVP for the Festival using the link below and keep an on our social media and mailing list for more information on the different sessions and speakers!
Resilience and Sustainability - Building a Media Ecosystem that Lasts. What is next for the Johannesburg Declaration?
The M20 Summit culminated in the historic Johannesburg Declaration. It is now time for us to move from words to action in strengthening media freedom and sustainability and information integrity. With media facing financial precarity, growing threats to journalist safety, algorithmic pressures from social media platforms, shrinking newsrooms, and the unique challenges posed by artificial intelligence - the Johannesburg Declaration is needed now more than ever.
It has been the year of G20 in South Africa, with civil society to businesses engaging in the different streams and prepping for the G20 Summit set to take place in November. Given the state of information integrity and digital rights across the globe, tackling media issues on a global stage is imperative but media issues are still missing from the formal G20 agenda. With the US formally announcing that they will not be attending, it is time that the Global South delves into what the G20 actually means for us - is it a structure that sufficiently highlights and provides solutions to issues affecting the Global South?
In our highly connected world, hate speech spreads faster than ever, often targeting young people and those from marginalized communities. This workshop, "Empowering Youth: Critical Media Literacy to Combat Hate Speech," is a crucial step in the fight against online and offline hate. The session will equip youth organizations with the essential skills to identify, deconstruct, and effectively counter hateful narratives.
In today’s interconnected digital world, online platforms offer immense opportunities for communication, expression, and information sharing. However, these spaces also harbour significant risks, exposing individuals to various forms of online harm, causing physical and psychological distress, often translating to real life harm and consequences. With the rise of artificial intelligence, these harms are becoming harder to navigate. Understanding the scope and nuances of online harms is crucial, particularly for those tasked with adjudicating such cases, as they directly impact individuals; fundamental rights.
This session will unpack how the law is increasingly being weaponised to silence journalists, activists, and whistleblowers through Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs). It will also mark the launch of MMA’s Slappback, a new platform designed to help provide advice around SLAPP suits and key case studies. The discussion will explore how civil society, the media, and legal experts can work together to “slap back” and protect the right to speak truth to power.
Critical MIL - Understanding the Difference between What's News vs New and Influential and Unpacking Children and AI
Over a four-week period, children monitored traditional print newspapers to understand how they are represented in the media and how children’s issues are covered. The findings, analysed by Musa Rikhotso, offer key insights into children’s perspectives on news content and accessibility. The session will also explore how children engage with news in digital spaces: do they encounter credible information online, follow news outlets, and find news accessible? In addition, Phenyo will present the Children and AI Discussion Document, highlighting how artificial intelligence intersects with children’s rights and media engagement in the digital age.
For the first time ever, Reporters Slam is coming to South Africa! In collaboration with the Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) this competition aims to provide journalists with a platform to bring their story to life in a fresh, powerful way: a 7-minute live performance where they reveal the story behind their reporting. Think of it as journalism meets storytelling, sharp, entertaining, and deeply human. Whether their work exposes corruption, unpacks social struggles, or celebrates resilience, Reporters Slam is the platform to show audiences not just what they reported, but how they got there.
Foreign interference in media through dis-information campaigns, covert influence operations and the manipulation of information on digital platforms continues to undermine democracies and public trust across the globe - particularly in conflict zones. This session explores how strengthening information integrity can serve as a tool to ensure accurate, independent, and accountable journalism.
A quickfire session which provides leading experts in the field the opportunity to delve into important issues and topics that affect our media and democracy.
- Understanding PAIA and how the Information Regulator can Help - Pansy Tlakula, Information Regulator
- Navigating Elections in the Digital Age - Avani Singh
Delving into the Real Life Consequences of AI for - Journalists in the Newsroom - Phathiswa Magopeni, Press Council
- From Constitutional Talk to Digital Dialogue: Media as a Pillar of Democracy - Sandra Mujeni, We the People SA
- Journalists as Human Rights Defenders - Cassandra Dorasamy, Amnesty International South Africa
- Hacked attention: Journalism in the Age of Algorithms - Farangies Ghafoor
Keynote speaker to outline their vision for the future of media and media freedom, touching on themes of public broadcasting, combating disinformation, and promoting public-interest journalism. This includes reflecting on the role of information integrity in strengthening democracy, as well as the challenges and opportunities posed by artificial intelligence, algorithms, biases, and the balance between engagement and fact-checking.
For over three decades MMA has stood firm and has been at the forefront of holding the line against anti-democratic, populist, and oppressive forces and defending democracy, advancing media freedom, and promoting human rights. In a world where such forces are on the rise, we have not only held the line but have shaped the conversation around media ethics, transparency, and information integrity. The time has now come for us to do more than just hold the line. The time has come for us to advance it.
As part of a bold new chapter, MMA is rebranding. This new identity reflects courage and a renewed energy to actively meet the challenges of the digital age while staying true to our core mission: defending freedom of expression, ensuring information integrity, and protecting the public’s right to information.
"Media freedom matters not just because it is protected in our constitution, but because it is at the heart of democracy. It enables dissent, fosters agreement, embraces diversity of ideas, allows for ideas to be tested and challenged, holds the powerful accountable, and gives expression to our democracy.
As we confront growing threats such as online harms, unchecked global power, a declining news sector, and media models in crisis, the need for credible, accurate information is greater than ever. Amid all this, AI is increasingly impacting our lives. But how can we harness it to address the digital divide, promote a better world, and reduce polarization, rather than fueling it? The Media Freedom Festival seeks to explore these dimensions and examine how public interest content and media freedom positively impact our lives."