EANA Spring Conference 2025 in Tirana ends with strong messages on media freedom, news agencies’ resilience and AI challenges
The Spring Conference of the European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA), hosted by ATA – the Albanian Telegraphic Agency, took place on May 15th, 2025, gathering news agency CEOs, editors in chief, and other media managers from 30 of the leading European news agencies. The topic of discussion was “Threats to Journalism & News Agencies & Tools to Fight Back.”
The event, held at the Maritim Plaza Hotel, opened with welcoming remarks from Valbona Zhupa, Director General of hosting agency ATA, and Fabrice Fries, President of EANA and CEO of AFP. Both underlined the urgency of defending news agencies from growing threats, including the unregulated use of journalistic content by AI systems, financial pressure, political interference, and physical threats to journalists on the ground.
The keynote address by James Jordan, News Director for Europe and Africa at The Associated Press, emphasized the need for resilience in journalism. Drawing on decades of experience covering conflicts and crises worldwide, he warned of the dangers of diminished trust and stressed the irreplaceable value of accurate, on-the-ground reporting. He showcased the work of the Associated Press in Ukraine, with the trailer video of “20 Days in Mariupol”, AP’s internationally-acclaimed, award-winning video documentary on the beginning of the Russian invasion, praising the work of journalists on the ground, working in the service of truth.
The conference featured contributions from leading news agency managers from across Europe:
- Tina Mari Flem, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of NTB (Norwegian News Agency), described how NTB is adapting to (and deploying) digital disruption by embracing change while preserving editorial integrity and standards.
- Peter Kropsch, CEO of dpa (Deutsche Presse-Agentur) and Chair of the EANA Copyright Committee, provided practical recommendations for structuring AI-related contracts and navigating new EU copyright rules.
- Nataliya Kostina, Deputy Director General of Ukrinform, offered powerful reflections on covering war and preserving historical memory through news agency images, drawing from Ukrinform’s reporting in Ukraine.
- John Georgiou, Editor-in-Chief for Research & Development and Marketing Director at ANA-MPA (Athens-Macedonian News Agency), presented a case study of the agency’s digital transition and innovation from a traditional news organization to a modern one.
- Hanspeter Kellermüller, CEO of Keystone-SDA (Swiss News Agency), explored philanthropy as a potential model to fund journalism focused on the public good.
- Bilgehan Öztürk, Strategic Communications & International Relations Manager at Anadolu Ajansi,Turkey, analyzed the implications of AI for copyright and the need for stronger protections for original content, with a focus on the Turkish approach.
A live survey conducted among the EANA members during the conference and presented by EANA Secretary General Alexandru Giboi revealed urgent trends and priorities in the industry:
- Fake news, artificial intelligence, and attacks on the media were seen as the most serious threats to journalism today, according to a participant word cloud. Other notable concerns included copyright infringement, political interference, and declining public trust.
- In terms of preparedness to handle emerging threats like AI, state pressure, and financial instability, the overall views were leaning more towards the positive side:
- 27% of participants said news agencies are somewhat prepared
- 22% said well prepared
- 17% saw them as fully prepared and resilient
- Meanwhile, 12% felt agencies were slightly unprepared
- Only 3% described them as very poorly prepared, and 3% as not at all prepared
- 27% of participants said news agencies are somewhat prepared
- On the question of strategic priorities, participants identified the following as top actions to strengthen journalism:
- Training of journalists (including for AI use)
- Ensuring sustainable business models
- Strengthening legal protections
- Fostering international collaboration
- Promoting media literacy for the public
- Investing in journalists’ safety
These results reflect the sector’s pressing need for clear regulatory support in regards to copyright from both states and the European Union and for solidarity to withstand both technological and political disruption.
The conference concluded with a visit to the House of Leaves Museum, a former Albanian secret surveillance headquarters, symbolically underscoring the role of journalism in confronting repression and protecting the truth.
EANA and ATA thank all participants and speakers for their invaluable contributions to a timely and necessary dialogue.
For more information:
Media Contact:
Alexandru Ion Giboi
Secretary General, EANA
secretarygeneral@newsalliance.org
