Highlights from the Fifth Annual New Horizons in Journalism Conference in Sofia
In an era of rising disinformation, political pressure, and artificial intelligence, the fifth annual New Horizons in Journalism conference, held in Sofia, Bulgaria, emerged as a global call to action. The central question—“Who tells the story?”—echoed throughout the event, bringing together journalists, media leaders, and advocates committed to protecting the integrity of the profession.
A Celebration of Resilience and Storytelling
The conference opened with energy and gratitude as Zach Mullinax, Executive Director of the World Press Institute (WPI), welcomed participants. “We’re so excited to kick off our fifth annual New Horizons in Journalism conference here in Sofia,” he said, acknowledging the presence of WPI alumni and partners from the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) and the Association of European Journalists (AEJ).
Desislava Taliokova of ABF addressed the heart of the event’s theme: “Who tells the story? This, in many ways, is the question of all questions in journalism today.”She highlighted the dual promise and peril of artificial intelligence, cautioning that while AI may enhance efficiency, it risks displacing the very human essence of journalism. “It is the professionalism, the passion and the integrity of journalists—of people like you—that truly makes the difference,” she affirmed.
Maria Cheresheva, president of AEJ-Bulgaria, recounted being asked to speak on resilience to American journalists. “In most of my professional career, things have been happening the other way around. I would learn from people who work in free and thriving media environments.” Now the political winds have changed and colleagues around the world need to support each other even more actively than before. Cheresheva spoke about the daily challenges faced by journalists: political pressure, economic capture, harassment, and legal intimidation. Despite these hardships, she said: “Many are still standing. And insisting on protecting our right to be the ones who tell the stories—the stories the ones in power don’t want to be heard.”
David McDonald, Chairman of WPI, reflected on the WPI fellowship’s profound impact through the years. “This will be the 60th year of our U.S. fellowship. Over 600 journalists from 100 countries have taken part,” he said and added that the experience is “not just about training—it’s experiential.”
Former WPI fellow Ralitsa Fitcheva echoed this, describing her journey that took place in 2024 through the United States as a transformative experience: “We were privileged to travel across a democratic United States, whose very existence as such is under threat right now.” For Fitcheva, the fellowship offered not just skills, but community: “We found more than just professional enrichment. We found a family.” She announced the name of the 2025 fellow from Bulgaria – Janan Dural, world news editor for the Bulgarian National Television (BNT).
Empathy as a Tool to Redefine the Role of Journalism
The conference culminated in a powerful keynote by Arwa Damon, award-winning former CNN senior correspondent and founder of the humanitarian nonprofit INARA. Drawing on 20 years in war zones, she spoke with profound emotional depth. Arwa Damon emphasized that a critical element lacking in journalism, policymaking and our collective approach to understanding the world is empathy, especially in its deeper, emotional sense. She argues that our failures stem from not appreciating emotional history—the trauma passed down through generations that shapes how individuals and societies perceive and react to the world.
Damon explains that trauma influences how DNA interacts internally, meaning no one is born as a blank slate. Our perspectives are molded by countless factors—including family, culture, and history—which affect how we process events and conflicts. “What we need to recognize as journalists is what are those factors that have already shaped our perspectives and how do we overcome the impact that they are having on us so we can be better journalists. We should be able to create better stories that can drive a deeper understanding of conflicts and of people. I believe that our biggest failure is our inability to truly understand each other and what motivates us.”
Her journey into journalism was driven by her desire to bridge understanding and combat manipulation. She stresses that “we are constantly being manipulated, all of us, every single day,” often through campaigns that dehumanize others—be it military dehumanization campaigns, propaganda, or disinformation.
A core concept she advocated is that empathy is essential for journalism because “without empathy, you cannot be open to other people’s emotional history or to their emotional journeys.” Damon underscores the importance of self-awareness for journalists: understanding our biases and emotional triggers to foster genuine storytelling. She called for journalists to include emotional histories in their reporting to better serve truth and humanity. She noted how emotional conditioning, especially when unresolved, creates mental walls that hinder empathy, and how “we need to penetrate that wall” to connect genuinely.
Damon emphasized that “news only has value in the context of humanity” and that the moral obligation of journalists extends beyond objectivity to fairness, education, and human connection. She criticized the myth of neutrality, stating, “the notion that we are neutral is a farce,” and instead advocated for “being fair,” which involves highlighting human pain and context without crossing into activism.
She explained that “truth has multiple sides,” and that understanding emotional and psychological factors—fear, trauma, manipulation—is vital for meaningful reporting. She illustrated this with examples ranging from the motivations of fighters in conflict zones to the devastating impacts of war driven by human stories and emotions. Damon reminded of the importance of language—being mindful of dehumanizing descriptors—and called on journalists to “evolve,” to move beyond traditional frameworks of objectivity, and to use empathy as a tool to redefine the role of journalism.
Crisis is a Moment of Choice
The conversation about journalism’s identity—its past and its possible futures—continued throughout the conference. Yoanna Elmy, one of Bulgaria’s rising journalistic voices, offered a stirring account of how the profession looks to those just starting out. “Journalism has become ground zero for the vocation crisis,” she said. With fewer young people entering the field and even more leaving for public relations or content creation careers, she urged older colleagues to engage with the next generation.
She advocated for embracing change while maintaining core principles rooted in people-centered journalism. The rise of influencers and content creators as part of this evolution, but traditional journalists often look down on them. Elmy stressed that crisis is a moment of choice: “Every crisis is an opportunity,” emphasizing that journalism must adapt to new mediums like the internet, which always disrupts but also enriches the industry. She encouraged journalists to think innovatively—incorporating tools like OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), explainer journalism, infographics, and podcasting—while remaining grounded in ground-level stories that focus on genuine human experiences. “What seems new is just the forgotten old,” she said, reminding the audience that the core principles of journalism—listening, empathy, storytelling—must be preserved, even if the formats evolve.
Elmy shared her own confusion when she first entered the profession in 2017, amid political chaos and shifting roles. “Was I a reporter, activist, citizen journalist, or influencer?” she asked. The question was not rhetorical. It pointed to a wider crisis of identity in the digital age—an age where, as she put it, “young people don’t have any attention span,” and where long-form pieces compete with 15-second videos for meaning.
At the fifth New Horizons in Journalism conference, international media leaders tackled urgent challenges facing journalism today — from the spread of disinformation and AI’s unchecked influence to the erosion of public trust and the collapse of traditional business models. The event took place in Sofia, Bulgaria in April 2025 and it was organized by the World Press Institute (WPI) and partners from the America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) and the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria).
“Who Tells the Story?” – Journalism in the Age of Influence, Disinformation, and AI
Panelists and keynote speakers called for a renewed focus on ethics, transparency, empathy, and audience connection, arguing that journalism must adapt not just technologically, but fundamentally, to remain a vital force in society.
The panel began unconventionally, with a poetic and metaphorical presentation by Graham Griffith, a veteran American audio producer. He challenged the audience to reimagine the role of journalists altogether: “What if we are not journalists, but gardeners—tending to public spaces where curiosity still lives? We don’t just report; we shape understanding, we nourish community.” He encouraged journalists to think like teachers, artists, meteorologists—even chefs—serving not just information but understanding. In an age of media distrust, he suggested transparency, not objectivity, should be journalism’s anchor: “There is no objectivity. But there can be objective processes. Like history books need footnotes, journalism needs transparency.” Griffith also warned that without action, disinformation—particularly Russian state propaganda—would continue to exploit platforms and fill every informational vacuum: “There is no news gap. The stream is constant. The question is: how do we stand out, and who do we serve?”
Zakhar Protsiuk, CEO of The Kyiv Independent, spoke from a literal war zone. For him, the stakes of storytelling were not abstract—they were existential. “News media are no longer gatekeepers. Everyone creates news now. Our strength is doing what others cannot—deep investigations, frontline reporting, context in chaos.”
He warned that staying only within echo chambers of “engaged readers” isn’t enough. If ethical journalism doesn’t reach the undecided or misled, propaganda wins: “Russia fills the gaps. If we don’t offer alternatives, we’ll be safe in our bubble—maybe even funded—but isolated, and irrelevant.”
Fauziyya Tukur, an investigative journalist with BBC Nigeria, offered a perspective from a continent both booming with content and vulnerable to misinformation. For her, the challenge is compression—telling the truth in TikTok’s attention span: “How do you debunk viral disinformation in 30 seconds? That’s what the audience wants. But can we really explain the truth that fast?”
She described how traditional media is adapting by hiring influencers—not always journalists—to reach digital audiences: “They’re hired because they have followers, not ethics. That’s the problem. Influence is not a substitute for training.”
Tukur also noted the waning trust in legacy institutions like the BBC in parts of Africa, despite their continued cultural relevance. “The BBC used to be sacred. It still reaches millions, especially through radio. But trust is no longer automatic.”
Kaius Niemi, former editor-in-chief of Helsingin Sanomat, reflected on the long view of journalism’s struggle for survival. For him, media’s biggest threat is not just tech, but societal disregard for facts: “We’re facing a crisis of expertise. Professors, journalists—no one is seen as a real expert anymore. That’s dangerous for democracy.”
Niemi called for investment, creativity, and media startups that blend ethics with innovation. He also warned that in countries where people consume news through aggregators rather than directly from newsrooms, trust in media plummets.
What Happens If We Truly Put Our Audience at the Centre?
Camilla Bath, journalism consultant, delivered a powerful, thought-provoking keynote that redefined what journalism should mean in today’s saturated, digital world. Drawing from her personal experience launching a WhatsApp news service in South Africa, she emphasized the urgent need for journalism to reconnect with its audience—not through more content, but more meaningful content. “The problem isn’t that people don’t care about the news,” she said. “The problem is that we keep giving them something they don’t value—and then we blame them for tuning out.”
Bath argued that traditional news values—timeliness, conflict, prominence—often serve journalists more than they serve the public. Instead, she proposed a framework of three modern news values:
- Make it Make Sense – Provide clarity, surprise, and meaning.
- Make it Matter – Offer resonance, build community, and uphold accountability.
- Make it Useful – Explain the world, offer solutions, and provide momentum.
Bath’s concept of “news therapy” exemplified her call for a more human-centric approach. She advocated for initiatives like “slow news days” or AI-assisted “choose your own news journeys,” allowing audiences to engage with stories based on their emotional or informational needs: “What if our audiences aren’t broken? What if our model is what’s broken?” She concluded with a call to journalists to become trusted companions, not just trusted sources, in people’s lives. “We need to become a part of our audience’s worlds again… That’s how journalism becomes truly alive, useful, and human.”
The Future of Journalism
Moderated by Bridget Rawlinson, the panel tackled the immense challenges facing journalism—from economic threats to AI disruption—with a sharp focus on actionable solutions.
Courtney C. Radsch, Director of the Center for Journalism & Liberty, delivered a blistering critique of AI’s unchecked influence on journalism. “Generative AI has been built on theft—on stealing our content, bypassing paywalls, and not paying for it.” She warned that unless urgent copyright reform and policy action are taken, “we have only a few years left in journalism.” Her proposed strategy included license, litigation, legislation—with emphasis on creating fair compensation systems for news content. “It’s great to talk about trust, but if you are working against monopolies that control the information ecosystem, then you’re not in control of your sustainability.”
Veronika Munk, Director of Innovation and New Markets, Denník N, started by drawing from her bold experience leading the mass walkout from Hungary’s Index and launching another journalism project called Telex. Munk shared how deep public trust and transparency saved independent journalism. “We said to people: You knew us for 20 years. Now we need your help—and they gave €1 million in three weeks.”
She also discussed a wildly successful campaign at Denník N that gained 24,000 subscribers in two weeks by making ten civic promises, like distributing newspapers to elderly homes and giving free subscriptions to first-time voters. “Transparency and public service values are key. When people understand your mission, they show up.”
Peter Erdelyi, Founding Director of the Center for Sustainable Media, emphasized the rise of lean, sustainable media models made possible by new technology. “With tools like Ghost, Substack, and newsletters, small teams can launch impactful journalism within hours and monetize it.”He praised audience revenue models while warning against rushing paywalls, advocating for slow, iterative community building. “It’s not a sprint. It takes 12–24 months for an audience to understand and support what you’re doing.” He also demystified EU funding, emphasizing the importance of staying engaged in upcoming 2028 budget negotiations.
Conference highlights courtesy of AEJ Bulgaria.
