Press release - EANA held first ever online conference instead of a meeting in person in Kiev

Due to the unfortunate context generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, EANA (The European Alliance of News Agencies) held its first ever online conference, instead of a meeting in person in Kiev. The conference, which usually meant one full day of keynotes and panel discussions, was transformed into a series of online meetings spun over 6 weeks, starting September 17th and ending October 23rd, with the title “Coronavirus: Changes and Chances”.

„News agencies are more than ever the blood vessels of the international information flow. The COVID 19 crisis has emphasised that role – but at the same time it has produced unprecedented challenges. The permanent knowledge exchange between the 32 members of EANA is even more important now.”, said Peter Kropsch, President of EANA and CEO of dpa.

Turning the one-day meeting in person into a series of online panel discussions proved to be beneficial for the engagement between EANA and its members, and also for strengthening ties inside the EANA community.

Focusing on the effects of the pandemic on the news agencies, the panels tackled topics ranging from crisis-driven product diversification to the (re)consideration of news agencies’ roles in society during the past few months.

“News agencies have proven again that they have the ability to assume the role of the backbone for all of the media ecosystem. During these tough times, our members stepped up and evolved in a way which was best for their clients, their partners and societies as a whole, by providing trustworthy, accurate and verified information to all.”, said Alexandru Giboi, EANA Secretary General.

For EANA:

Peter Kropsch

President of EANA and CEO of dpa

Alexandru Ion Giboi

Secretary General of EANA