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WAN-IFRA announces Taiwan to host the World News Media Congress 2021 and reschedules Zaragoza to 2022

2020-07-28. Due to continued uncertainties and travel constraints around the COVID-19 pandemic, WAN-IFRA is calling off the World News Media Congress, which was initially planned for Zaragoza, Spain, in September 2020. Meanwhile, it has named Taiwan as its venue for the 2021 Congress and rescheduled the 2022 Congress in Zaragoza.

by Vincent Peyrègne vincent.peyregne@wan-ifra.org | July 28, 2020

WAN-IFRA CEO Vincent Peyrègne said: “It is with a great deal of disappointment that we have had to cancel this year’s World Congress. Two years from now, we will make good our promise to take the World News Media Congress again to Zaragoza in 2022.”

Next year, the world’s press is invited to Taipei, Taiwan, from 23 – 25 June 2021, to attend the 73rd World News Media Congress including the 28th World Editors Forum and the 5th Women in News Summit.

“I am delighted to be able to announce today the return of the World Congress to Asia, eight years after its historic landmark in Bangkok,” said Peyregne.”2021 will be a pivotal year at a time when the pandemic has undercut the predictability of normal life, and news publishers are seeking answers to vital, even existential, issues as they adjust their strategies, evolve and transform. At some point Covid-19 will be vanquished, news enterprises will bounce back. But it won’t be a return to normal. Getting to normal is not so much about getting back the old normality as it is about getting back the ability to know what is going to happen tomorrow. Taipei will, therefore, be a crucial and timely meeting point. The 2021 Congress will be a unique occasion to capture the lessons of the pandemic, what it means for our relationship with the public, the new economic outlook for the sector, and reaffirm the role of a free press in keeping our societies well informed and bringing our communities together.”

The 2021 event will be organised by WAN-IFRA in partnership with UDN (United Daily News Group), one of Taiwan’s leading media and technology companies. The events will take place at Taipei´s Nangang Exhibition Center.

“We are extremely excited to be able to host the World News Media Congress 2021 in Taipei! It has been eight years since the Congress was last held in Asia. In 2020, we all experienced dramatic changes in the news industry and our life and work models were heavily impacted by the pandemic. Taipei 2021 will be a great opportunity to hold conversations and reflect on new paths for quality journalism. We look forward to seeing you in free, democratic and beautiful Taiwan!” – Duncan Wang, Chairman, United Daily News Group.


ABOUT THE WORLD NEWS MEDIA CONGRESS. The World News Media Congress is the annual meeting of news publishers, editors and entrepreneurs from all over the world, a “one-stop shop” for news publishing strategies, operational insight and practices. It is hosted in a different city each year. The 2019 Congress in Glasgow drew around 900 people from over 60 countries for three days of conferences, executive meetings, networking, and social events.

ABOUT WAN-IFRA WAN-IFRA is the World Association of News Publishers. Its mission is to protect the rights of journalists and publishers around the world to operate independent media. WAN-IFRA provides its members with expertise and services to innovate and prosper in a digital world and perform their crucial role in society. With formal representative status at the United Nations, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, it derives its authority from its global network of leading news publishing companies and technology entrepreneurs, and its legitimacy from its 80 national association members representing 18,000 publications in 120 countries. www.wan-ifra.org

Vincent Peyrègne

Vincent Peyrègne took up duties as Chief Executive Officer of WAN-IFRA in 2012. Prior to joining WAN-IFRA, he was Head of Development at Edipresse in Switzerland (now Tamedia) with responsibility for audience insights, editorial marketing research and product development, before joining the office of the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.

vincent.peyregne@wan-ifra.org

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