The second edition of VOICES, the European Festival of Journalism and Media Literacy, officially kicked off yesterday at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb, and will run until Saturday 1 March. This free festival brings together citizens, journalists, and media professionals for three days of discussions, workshops, film screenings, and exhibitions exploring the future of journalism, media freedom, and democracy. Registration is available here.

The event opened with greetings from Zagreb’s Mayor, Tomislav Tomašević, and Zrinka Ujević, Head of the European Commission Representation in Croatia, followed by an interview with Croatian Minister of Culture and Media, Nina Obuljen-Koržinek, on the future of European media: "We are always lagging when it comes to media legislation, constantly trying to keep up with the changes, which presents an ongoing challenge for us (…) This is why it is important to build a framework that allows for self-regulation”, she pointed out.

"Media literacy and journalism is facing threats from all sides," says Wouter Gekiere, Head of the EBU's Brussels office. "This is why it was crucial for the EBU to be a part of the VOICES Festival. We are excited to engage with the public over the next two days on these important themes."

Over the next two days, VOICES will host talks and debates on key issues in the field, as well as photojournalism exhibitions, screenings of documentaries and films—two of which will be followed by exclusive conversations with their directors—and workshops tailored to different audiences.

Some workshops will focus on journalists’ mental health, covering resilience in hostile environments, stress management, and online harassment. Others will explore the role of AI in media storytelling, information processing, or online privacy. Further details of the programme are available on the Festival’s website.

VOICES is the result of a collaboration among seven European partners, led by the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom at the European University Institute. The consortium includes the European Federation of Journalists, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), EAVI (Media Literacy for Citizenship), Journalism et citoyenneté, Lie Detectors, and Savoir Devenir. The project is co-financed by the European Union.