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Lessons from 12 Days of Unpacking Press Freedom with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation

Deconstructing Press Freedom: The Populist Question

I had the pleasure of being invited to join an unforgettable 12-day seminar on Press Freedom from June 22 to July 4 at the beautiful small town of Gummersbach, situated 40 minutes from Cologne, organised by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

The programme brought together 23 journalists, media and NGO professionals from more than 20 countries across Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. What united us was not a common language or political context, but a shared struggle: how to keep journalism alive, independent, and relevant in fragmented media ecosystems that are under siege from all directions.

One of the most thought-provoking sessions of the course was the presentation by Dr. Gernot Wolfram, who explained how entertainment, pleasure, and propaganda are being weaponised by populists to distract and dismantle democratic values. His message was clear: populists don’t need to silence the media if they can simply make people stop caring.

Some sessions felt deeply personal, including a talk with the German Press Council on its role in offering a balance between accountability and editorial independence. The session brought me back to my first FNF-supported trip to Berlin in 2017, which I travelled with six other colleagues from Malaysiakini. Inspired by what we learned from the German Press Council, two of us returned home and became actively involved in lobbying for the establishment of a Malaysian Press Council. Last year, the Malaysian Press Council was finally set up. It’s a reminder that reform can happen with sustained pressure, vision, and the right kind of support.

Another personal highlight of the programme was meeting Branko Brkic, co-founder of Daily Maverick from South Africa, an independent newsroom set up by journalists, just like Malaysiakini. Despite everything his newsroom has endured, surveillance, lawsuits, and funding battles, Branko remains defiantly committed to defending the survivability of independent media. As a fellow media executive navigating a rapidly changing landscape, I found his courage deeply inspiring. It was a reminder that we do not have the luxury of giving up, no matter how critical or fragile our industry may seem.

The exchanges with peers from other newsrooms also forced me to look inward. What kind of culture are we building in our own newsroom? As a leader, am I creating the right spaces that protect our journalists while encouraging them to experiment and adapt? Cynicism about the future of journalism is easy, but collective problem-solving offers something more powerful: the reminder that we are not alone. This solidarity keeps us going when the odds seem stacked against us.

I am grateful to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for creating a vital space for this international exchange. By connecting journalists globally, FNF reinforces a simple but powerful truth: press freedom thrives when defended across borders, enriched by shared knowledge, solidarity, and an unwavering resolve to act.