The 2025 M20 summit: A crucial moment for independent media and information integrity

Independent public interest journalism is caught in a perfect storm. Traditional business models have collapsed, donor support is fading, and authoritarian practices are increasingly normalised. Meanwhile, disinformation has long become systemic.

Yet, one constant remains: societies that preserve independent media are better able to withstand political shocks: Where accurate, reliable and relevant information circulates, it is harder to weaponize polarisation, corrupt public debate and undermine accountability. 

Independent journalism cannot by itself resolve the crises we face. But without it, our ability to navigate them is fundamentally diminished. We need to invest in systems that keep societies safe, informed and accountable. Our task is not merely to sustain independent media outlets under pressure but to ensure that transparency, accountability and public access to reliable information are embedded in the evolving global order.

In addition to investments, to achieve this we need strategic alignment between local actors on the ground and international coalitions capable of acting and influencing norms, policy and innovation at scale. 

The M20 initiative – which I have been closely involved in since its inception – is evolving to be a highly promising vehicle for doing just that, and I am excited to be representing IMS at this year’s M20 summit in Johannesburg, organised and hosted by the South African National Editors Forum (SANEF) and Media Monitoring Africa (MMA).

The M20 group mirrors official G20 engagement groups for business, thinktanks and civil society, among others. It comprises a variety of stakeholders, from media outlets, and media development organisations to thinktanks, CSOs and independent researchers. 

I continue to be intrigued by the group’s vibrancy and how it strives to look beyond traditional actors. And I am honoured to have been invited – as part of the forum’s international advisory group – to help forge M20’s recommendations to the G20 and to offer IMS’ perspective on the most pressing challenges facing independent media globally.

As a global media development organisation, the local realities of IMS’ partners is our starting point for finding scalable solutions. While independent media are in survival mode all over the world, the question is not how to restore what is lost – it is how to build systems that can survive and serve the public in the world as it is.

The challenge is global, and we need to act in global solidarity to protect and promote independent media.