Headliners of the 77th World Congress of News Media

The co-founder and CEO of Mistral AI Arthur Mensch, the CEO of Publicis Groupe Arthur Sadoun, the editor-in-chief of The Guardian Katharine Viner, and the executive director of L’Orient-Le Jour Rima Abdul Malak. The list of expected personalities at the 77th World News Media Congress is revealed. Organized by the World Association of News Publishers Wan-Ifra and the media group CMA Media (RMC BFM, La Tribune), the event takes place from June 1st to 3rd at the Pharo Palace in Marseille. Over 1,000 participants from more than 60 countries, representing over 450 publishers and media groups are scheduled to attend.

Other names confirmed by the organizers include the president of the New York Times A.G. Sulzberger, the president of the Wall Street Journal Almar Latour, the executive vice-president of the European Commission in charge of technological sovereignty, security, and democracy Henna Virkkunen, and the AI strategy lead of Reuters Jane Barrett. From the French side, the audience will meet the founder of Iliad Xavier Niel, the chairman of the board of the Le Monde group Louis Dreyfus, the president of the EBRA group Sophie Gourmelen, as well as the director of information at Agence France-Presse (AFP) Phil Chetwynd.

They will each discuss the three themes of this edition: artificial intelligence in media, the future of journalism, and revenue and growth models. The role of content creators, new financing models, the importance of “search,” the use of AI in newsrooms, and the future of newsrooms are among the topics that will also be addressed. The Golden Pen of Freedom 2026 from WAN-IFRA will be awarded to an individual, group, or institution for their exceptional commitment to press freedom on Monday, June 1st at 5 pm. The detailed program is available online.

Un “New Deal”

The organizers aim to bridge the gap between press publishers, tech players, and policymakers this year. Jean-Christophe Tortora, CEO of CMA Media, advocated for a “new deal” between these three worlds during a press conference on February 11th.

Stig Ørskov, CEO of WAN-IFRA, explains: “The World News Media Congress returns to France at a pivotal moment for our industry. Marseille, a city open to the world and a historic meeting place, provides an inspiring setting to bring together the global media community. The Congress brings together publishers, technology leaders, and public decision-makers for a targeted and impactful dialogue, at a time when their interactions are fundamentally reshaping our sector. Our ambition is to bring a global vision: anticipating changes, sharing best practices, and shaping together the future models of journalism.”

The World News Media Congress is held every year by Wan-Ifra with a local partner. The event had not been held in France since 1995.