The IPI 2022 World Congress kicked off yesterday on the campus of Columbia University in New York City – the same location where IPI was founded 72 years ago, in 1950.

This year’s Congress is focused on how independent journalism can meet the challenges of the moment. With journalists, editors and media thought leaders from around the world, we’re discussing how independent media can survive and thrive amid growing repression. And we’re exploring how we can harness new technologies and drive innovation to ensure the survival of a critical press.

With over 400 in-person registered participants and many more online, the #IPIWoCo 2022 is more than a conference. We’re a movement for journalism.

Here are some of the key highlights from Day 1:

We kicked off with welcome messages from IPI Executive Board Chair Khadija Patel, IPI Vice Chair John Daniszewski of the Associated Press, and Simon Li, former IPI Board vice chair and former Los Angeles Times foreign editor.

The IPI World Congress then had the pleasure of hosting Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dimitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Russia’s Novaya Gazeta. In conversation with the New Yorker’s Masha Gessen, Muratov described how Russia’s independent media faces total eradication.

Read our summary of Gessen’s conversation with Muratov.

After that, a star-packed IPI Town Hall tackled the question of disinformation and what newsroom can do about it, including when it comes to protecting journalists from the smear campaigns that have become a weapon of intimidating and silencing the press.

Read our summary of the Town Hall meeting.

See our Day 2 preview here!