In today's ever-evolving media landscape, WAN-IFRA continues to stand as a beacon of integrity and progress. With a rich history dating back to 1948, the organization has weathered countless changes while staying grounded in its core values. Upholding the belief that freedom of information is the lifeblood of journalism, WAN-IFRA remains committed to supporting a thriving, diverse and sustainable business for the news.
As we look to the future, the need for sustainable and innovative practices has never been more pressing. Embracing new technologies, fostering collaboration, and championing ethical journalism are all part of WAN-IFRA's ongoing mission. By staying true to its roots and embracing change, WAN-IFRA ensures that the global press can continue to serve as a vital force for truth and democracy in the years to come.
À l’image de la presse internationale qu’elle sert depuis 1948, WAN-IFRA est passée par de nombreuses phases de transformation. Votre organisation s’est adaptée, mais est toujours restée fidèle à ses préceptes fondateurs : la liberté d’informer est consubstantielle à l’existence de la presse qui ne peut garantir cette liberté qu’en s’appuyant sur un modèle économique fiable et innovant.
Eight decades of innovation for a free press
1948 The Founding Year Twelve publishers join forces to found FIEJ at its inaugural Congress in Paris in June 1948. Johan van de Kieft (NL) is elected the first FIEJ President. Claude Bellanger (FR) is appointed Secretary-General | 1961 INCA is behind IFRA Inca (International Newspaper Colour Association) was established in 1961 by Dr Walter M. Matuschke (Axel Springer) and 17 other international publishers to uphold newspaper print technology at its high level and promote commercial developments through the mutual exchange of experience and joint research projects. In 1967, an agreement between FIEJ and INCA led to the foundation of IFRA (Inca FIEJ research Association) in 1970. | 2009 Business and Journalism join Tech. WAN and IFRA join forces to create WAN-IFRA, the world's leading representative news publishers' association. | 2024 We are 75 years young WAN-IFRA is the leading global trade organisation serving thousands of news publishers and media tech companies, and the umbrella body for dozens of national publishers association. | |
1949 - 1950
1956
1961
1965
1966
1970
1995
2001
2010
2017
2019
2023
Consultative Status at UNESCO and the UN
Newspaper techniques
Golden Pen of Freedom
IPTC
INCA Research Centre
IFRA
Expo
READY
Newsplex
eRev
DCX Digital Content Expo
Table Stakes Europe
WIZONE
FOUNDING CONGRESS
Paris, 1948
Founding Members of FIEJ received at the
Élysée presidential palace, Paris, June 1948.
From left to right: Albert Bayet, Vincent Auriol (French President), Johan van de Kieft, President Nederlandsche Dagbalders, The Netherlands (President FIEJ 1948-1952), Dr Karl Sartorius (Switzerland). FIEJ Annual Congress, Paris, June 1948.
Reception on the occasion of the FIEJ Constitutive
Assembly, Eiffel Tower, Paris, June 1948
Paul Miller, Gannett Executive Newspapers, represents the US
Publishers at the FIEJ Second Annual Congress in Amsterdam, 1949.
FIEJ General Assembly in
Amsterdam, 14-18 June 1949.
Press Freedom Resolution, FIEJ Annual Congress, Amsterdam, 1949.
THE 1950'S
Reports published at the conclusion of the 3rd
FIEJ Annual Congress in Rome, 1950.
Theodor Heuss, first President of the Federal German
Republic (1949-1959) addresses the FIEJ Congress in
Berlin, 1957.
THE 1960'S
Board reception at Stockholm City Hall,
FIEJ Annual Congress, 1966.
Official opening of INCA’s headquarters in
Darmstadt, 1962.
FIEJ Annual Congress,
New York, 1960.
George Pompidou, FIEJ Annual
Congress, Paris, 1962.
French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou and Tommaso Astarita, President
Federazione Italiana Editori Giornali, Italy (President FIEJ, 1954-1962) FIEJ Annual
Congress, Paris, 1962.
Tommaso ASTARITA, President, Federazione Italiana Editori
Giornali, Italy (President FIEJ, 1954-1962) London, 1963.
Gabriel Makoto, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
receives the Golden Pen of Freedom 1964 from Claude
Bellanger, FIEJ Secretary-General, in Montecatini, Italy.
1965: FIEJ News Bulletin reports on early eye-tracking
innovations.
1965: Dr. Matuschke (seen here on the left, standing on the stairs beside Lord Mayor Dr Engel in the INCA’s Printing Lab in Darmstadt.
INCA’s headquarters in
Darmstadt in the 1960's.
THE 1970'S
FIEJ Annual Congress,
Washington DC, 1970
Spiro Agnew, Vice President of the United States at the FIEJ Annual
Congress,Washington DC, 1970
Richard Nixon, President of the United States
FIEJ Annual Congress,Washington DC, 1970
FIEJ Annual Congress,
Hamburg, 1975.
FIEJ Annual Congress,
Bologna, 1976.
FIEJ Annual Congress,
The Hague, 1978.
FIEJ Annual Congress,
The Hague, 1978.
FIEJ Annual Congress,
The Hague, 1978.
Bill Gates at the FIEJ Annual
Congress in Las Vegas, 1979.
FIEJ Organigram, 1978
THE 1980'S
King Juan Carlos I at the FIEJ
Congress, Madrid, May 1981.
Jacques Chirac (then French Prime Minister) and Sir Gordon
Linacre (President FIEJ 1984-1988).
Sergei Grigoryants, Golden Pen of Freedom,
FIEJ Congress New Orleans, 1989
THE 1990'S
Vaclav Havel at the FIEJ Annual Congress,
Prague, 1992.
Timothy Balding and Yasser Arafat
Nelson Mandela at WAN Congress in Prague, 1992.
Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Pius Njawe, Golden Pen of Freedom,
at the FIEJ Annual Congress, Berlin, 1993.
Jayme Sirotsky, Chairman of the Board RBS Zero Hora,
Brazil, President FIEJ 1996-1998.
Kofi Annan, Secretary-general of the United Nations
(1997 to 2006), Jayme Sirotsky, Chairman of the
Board RBS Zero Hora, Brazil (President FIEJ 1996-1998)
with Timothy Balding, Executive Director FIEJ.
THE 2000'S
Newsplex Training Center, University
of Columbia, South Carolina, USA, opens in 2002.
The Table Mountain Declaration signed during the 60th
World Newspapers Congress and the 14th World Editors
Forum in Cape Town, South Africa, 2007
Official Opening of IFRA Expo under the
newly formed WAN-IFRA, 2009.
THE 2010'S
Mexican journalist Anabel Hernández awarded the
Golden Pen of Freedom by Erik Bjereger
(Kristeligt Dagblad), Kiev, 2012.
President of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, Jacob Mathew,
alongside Pichai Chuensuksawadi Media, Former Editor-in-Chief Bangkok Post, and delegates
from local newspapers, addresses the 65th World Newspaper Congress in Bangkok, on June 2,
2013. More than 1,000 publishers, editors and other figures from the media gather for the World
Newspaper Congress taking place in Bangkok from June 2-5.
Dr Than Htut Aung, Chairman and CEO of Eleven
Media Group (Myanmar) is awarded the Golden
Pen of Freedom in Bangkok in 2013.
World Newspaper Congress,
Bangkok, 2013
Tomas Brunegard, Jacob Mathew, Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister
of Thailand, at World Newspaper Congress, Bangkok, 2013.
Eskindar Nega (Ethiopia), awarded Golden Pen of Freedom at the World newspaper Congress in Torino (Italy) in 2014.
Colegio del Cuerpo performance at the opening of the World
Newspaper Congress, Cartagena de la Indias, Colombia, 2016
Marcelo Rech (RBS, Brazil), pays tribute to Guillermo Cano,
Director of El Espectador, assassinated in 1986 at World Newspaper
Congress, Cartagena de la Indias, Colombia, 2016.
President Juan Manuel Santos, Tomas Brunegard, World
Newspaper Congress, Cartagena de la Indias, 2016
Golden Pen of Freedom Awarded to Turkish Journalist Can
Dündar, World News Media Congress 2017, Durban.
Print Innovation Award 2018 received
by the Ara team (Spain) in Berlin.
Manfred Werfel, Michael Golden (President WAN-IFRA), Paul Verwilt
(Treasurer WAN-IFRA) at the World News Media Congress in Estoril, 2018.
World News Media Congress in Estoril, 2018.
World News Media Congress in Estoril, 2018.
World News Media Congress in Estoril, 2018.
World News Media Congress in Estoril, 2018.
Maria Ressa (Rapler) recievedsGolden Pen of Freedom 2018 from David
Callaway (President WEF) at the World News Media Congress, Estoril, 2018.
Michael Golden (The New York Times), President WAN-IFRA
at the World News Media Congress in Glasgow, 2019.
Lisa MacLeod (Vice President WAN-IFRA), Michael Golden (NYT) and Fernando de Yarza
(Henneo Media), incoming WAN-IFRA President, World News media Congress, Glasgow, 2019.
THE 2020'S
Fernando de Yarza (Henneo Media), President WAN-IFRA opens the
World News Media Congress in Saragossa (Spain) in June 2012.
King Felipe VI of Spain at the Opening of the
World News Media Congress, Saragossa, 2022.
Gazeta Wyborcza and Gazeta Wyborcza Foundation, Golden Pen of
Freedom, Saragossa World News Media Congress, 2022.
The Winners of the Women in News Editorial Awards with
Fernando de Yarza. World News Media Congress, Zaragoza, 2022.
Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China, and
Fernando de Yarza, President WAN-IFRA. World News Media
Congress, Taiwan, 2023.
TRIBUTE TO THE SHERPAS
Claude Bellanger, Founder, Secretary General
and President of FIEJ, in his office at Le Parisien Libéré.
Albert Bayet
France
Johan van de Kieft
Netherlands
Claude Bellanger
France
Jules Burton
Belgium
Karl Sartorius
Switzerland
Orla Orde
Denmark
Giuliano Salvadori
del Prato
Italy
WT Curtis Wilson
United Kingdom
The Founding Members, 1948.
Claude Bellanger at Le Parisien Libéré,
September 1950.
La Presse des Barbelés, published in 1951, is a collection of articles and illustrations from prison camp newspapers.
Right: Michel L. de St-Pierre,
Secretary-General, FIEJ, in 1970.
Timothy Balding, Executive Director FIEJ-
AMJ-WAN (right), with Patrice Schneider.
Dr Walter Matuschke (Springer
Verlag), Founder of Inca in 1962.
Reiner Mittelbach (left) and Günther
Böttcher (right), Ifra Executive Directors.
Boris Fuchs (left) and Manfred Werfel at Ifra’s
headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany.
