WEBDESK – MediaBites News
The elections were held on May 6 and 7 during the IFJ’s centenary celebrations in Paris, where delegates from around the world gathered to discuss press freedom, journalist safety, media sustainability, and the future of journalism.
The International Federation of Journalists represents more than 600,000 journalists worldwide and remains one of the most influential international media organizations advocating for journalists’ rights and press freedom.
Peruvian journalist Zuliana Lainez Otero from the Asociación Nacional de Periodistas (ANP) was elected President of the IFJ for the 2026–2029 term.
Palestinian journalist Nasser Abu Baker from the Palestinian Journalists Syndicate (PJS) was elected Senior Vice President, while Tunisian journalist Zied Dabbar and Canadian media representative Jennifer Moreau were elected as Vice Presidents.
Italian journalist Raffaele Lorusso was elected Honorary Treasurer.
The newly elected Executive Committee also includes representatives from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Greece, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Argentina, France, Colombia, South Korea, Germany, Cameroon, Australia, Indonesia, Angola, the United States, and Spain.
The first meeting of the newly elected Executive Committee was held immediately after the elections in Paris.
The IFJ said the newly elected leadership will serve until 2029 and will focus on defending journalists against increasing threats, including censorship, attacks on media workers, artificial intelligence-related disruptions, economic instability in newsrooms, and growing misinformation challenges.
The centenary Congress also highlighted ongoing concerns over journalist killings, conflicts affecting media workers in Gaza, Ukraine, and other regions, as well as growing pressure on independent journalism worldwide.
The newly elected advisers include Adhwan Al-Ahmari (Saudi Arabia), Mohamed Al Araimi (Oman), Rashid Al Hamer (Bahrain), Maria Antoniadou (Greece), Laura Davison (UK and Ireland), Samira de Castro (Brazil), Carla Gaudensi (Argentina), Mylène Girardeau (France), Adriana Hurtado (Colombia), Park Jong Hyun (Korea), Joachim Kreibich (Germany), Marion Medjo Obam (Cameroon), Adam Portelli (Australia), Guruh Dwi Riyanto (Indonesia), Maria Luisa Rogério (Angola), Jonathan Schleuss (USA), and María Ángeles Samperio (Spain).
Team MediaBites and Editor Imran Malik have congratulated newly elected IFJ President Zuliana Lainez Otero, Nasser Abu Baker, Senior Vice President, Zied Dabbar, and Canadian media representative Jennifer Moreau, and, as Executive Committee members, have called their appointments an important moment for global journalism and press freedom.
