Voices in Florence

Between 10 and 12 March 2026, the Voices Festival returned to Florence. A lively crowd of journalists, practitioners, media professionals, as well as students, citizens and civil society representatives from across Europe and beyond, filled the large rooms of the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

This edition moved beyond general discussions, engaging instead with the specific challenges that journalists and media practitioners face in their daily work, offering practical solutions and actionable insights. With over 90 speakers and 60 sessions, a wide range of perspectives was brought to the table. A major focus of this edition was the safety of journalists: what happens when their work is threatened? How can they defend themselves against retaliation, spyware and the risks associated with the profession? And what are the current policy frameworks in place to safeguard media freedom?

Together, participants explored the biggest challenges facing the media, built practical skills through workshops, and celebrated new voices at the Speakers’ Corner.

This edition reinforced a shared belief that supporting free media tackling disinformation, and supporting media literacy requires a collective effort. Zagreb marked a powerful step in building this community across Europe, creating connections that will last long after the festival ended. The work continues and will develop at the next edition in Thessaloniki and beyond.

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Programme

This year’s festival programme combined practical sessions, active discussions, interactive activities, panels, an all-day cinema programme, and the Eyeshot x Voices exhibition.

The workshop area featured sessions led by practitioners, equipping journalists, teachers and citizens with hands-on skills drawn from real-world experience. Topics included how to defend against spyware and surveillance, how to use AI tools creatively, how to engage classrooms in the AI era, and how to access funding as a journalist, among others.

The Speakers’ Corner hosted short but dynamic sessions, where experts from fields connected to journalism and media freedom presented their projects and work. It offered an opportunity for dialogue and for discovering how practitioners are shaping the field.

Sessions in the main hall formed the core of the festival, where discussions on the past, present and future of journalism took place. Topics included regulation, policy, best and worst practices, and much more.

Rewatch some sessions
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Voices for Justice

The festival concluded with the launch of Voices for Justice, a declaration calling for stronger international action to protect journalists and end impunity for crimes against the press.

Supported by leading press freedom organisations, the declaration warns that attacks on journalists threaten not only individual reporters but also the public’s right to access information and hold power to account.

It calls for independent investigations into crimes against journalists, stronger legal safeguards for media workers, and greater international cooperation to combat impunity-. The declaration concludes with a message that resonated throughout the festival: protecting journalists means protecting democracy.

The initiative is supported by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom, the European Federation of Journalists, the International Press Institute, Reporters Without Borders, and the European Broadcasting Union.

Read the declaration

The Florence edition was organised by

Partners
Supported by

Voices Awards

Voices granted 25 over prizes over 7 categories, for 1200 euros each to outstanding young journalists and media literacy advocates to come to Florence and participate in the festival’s first edition.

Meet the awardees