The Voices Festival builds on the success of the aideMedia pilot, expanding the Voices to empower journalists, media professionals, civil society, and citizens. The central objectives are to create an inclusive spaces for dialogue on journalism, media freedom, and democratic resilience; support awareness and implementation of the European Media Freedom Act among key stakeholders; provide a knowledge hub for media professionals, policymakers, and civil society to exchange expertise and improve media and digital policy; and to bridge the European and local perspectives in promoting media freedom, journalism, and information integrity.
Key activities entail the organisation of three editions of Voices – European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom in Florence, Thessaloniki, and Leipzig.
This initiative will foster a more informed and resilient media landscape in Europe.
Why it matters — now more than ever
Across Europe, democratic values are under strain. Free, independent media, shielded from commercial and political interference, is essential to keep power accountable. Equally vital are informed citizens who are resilient to disinformation and manipulative discourse, equipped with the critical skills to spot and resist misinformation and fake news. Voices is where these two forces meet, reinforce each other, and defend what they share.
These two forces need more space to get closer, and that space can’t be another platform — they deserve a place to meet face-to-face, with real rooms for insightful and inspiring conversations. This is what Voices has built over the past two years – and that is what we will continue doing.
What Voices does
In a society that too often makes us feel disconnected, Voices brings people back together. Journalists, media professionals, scholars, students, and citizens meet in an informal, hands-on setting to learn, exchange, and experience: workshops that teach verification and storytelling; public debates that surface hard questions; screenings, exhibitions, and live performances that turn complex issues into cultural and festive experiences, creating a shared understanding of what journalism and media freedom mean for our societies.
Locally rooted, European in spirit
European in scope, Voices is rooted in the local. Each edition is locally coordinated and built with partners on the ground—from associations and community outlets to students and young professionals—so that conversations land where they matter most: in neighbourhoods, classrooms, newsrooms, and town halls. The 2026 return to Florence, where the festival began, is both a homecoming and a fresh start: the same, and more.
Project consortium
Behind Voices stands a varied consortium of European organisations committed to protecting media freedom. These are the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (lead partner based at the European University Institute), the European Federation of Journalists, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the AISBL EBU-UER, the European Association for Viewers Interests, Lie Detectors, Savoir Devenir, and Deutsche Welle. The Journalists’ Union of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH) is an affiliated partner of the project.
Voices is co-funded by the European Union.
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