DW's international media conference closes in Bonn
June 14, 2018
The third day was all about digital start-ups and innovations and their impact on society and human rights. The workshop and panel topics of the Media Innovation Lab Day ranged from cybermobbing, verification tools and chatbot technology to data journalism and drones. The interactive sessions allowed for participants to answer questions and add new perspectives to the discussions.
“After the Millennials” founder Anne Boysen said in her keynote address that “being a digital native means your whole reality is determined by the interconnection between your digital and non-digital realities.”
Iraqi comedian Ahmed Albasheer returned to Bonn after two years to talk about his from-reporter-to-satirist career and his highly popular news satire and talk show TV program which airs weekly on DW (Arabia). On the show, Albasheer makes fun of political figures and celebrities from the Middle East, the media and often also of himself. He said that sometimes ”you have to laugh to keep from crying,” and that he hoped for a Global Media Forum to be held in Iraq one day.
Nanjira Sambuli, digital equality advocacy manager at The Web Foundation in Nairobi, and Facebook’s Emilar Gandhi, public policy manager for the Southern African Development Community region, discussed the benefits and potential dangers of networking platforms, especially for potential voters. Participants criticized Facebook's influential role in authoritarian countries.
The closing panel “Four against fake: Media and information literacy in the digital age,” hosted by DW Akademie, focused on measures and methods to counter fake news and propaganda in a digitalized media landscape, taking into account different cultures, societies and audiences. Four international experts shared their personal experiences.
British artist Anne Clark performed at various time throughout the day and wowed the audience with her songs and poems.
The Media Innovation Lab Day rounded off the three-day media conference with 2,000 participants from over 100 countries. The next Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum will take place from May 27 to 29, 2019 at the World Conference Center Bonn.
The GMF was co-hosted by the Foundation for International Dialogue of the Savings Bank in Bonn with the BMW Group as a premium partner. Other sponsors included the German Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia and the city on Bonn.