Tomas Brunegård, former Chairman and CEO of the Stampen Media Group in Sweden, has been re-elected President of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) for a two-year term.
Michael Golden, Vice Chairman of The New York Times, was elected Vice President and is in line for the Presidency when Mr Brunegård’s term ends in June 2017.
They were elected by WAN-IFRA members on Tuesday during the organization’s World Newspaper Congress, World Editors Forum and World Advertising Forum in Washington, D.C. More than 900 publishers, chief editors and other senior news executive are attending the events, which continue through Wednesday. The conferences can be followed on the conference blog or on Twitter, #wnc15 #editors15.
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During his initial two-year term, Mr Brunegård supported a host of new initiatives, including the organization’s new Global Alliance for Media Innovation, increased cooperation with media industry stakeholders including advertisers, broadcasters, and digital players, development of services in growing markets, and strengthening World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers’s role in Europe and in the Americas.
“The role of WAN-IFRA as a global, independent voice for press freedom is more important than ever,” said Mr Brunegård. “In many countries around the world, media are facing threats not only from censorship, attacks and surveillance, but also to their basic business models as well. This restricts their ability to carry out their societal role. And, more and more, these challenges occur not only under repressive regimes, but in democratic societies as well.”
Mr Brunegård is Vice Chairman of Skäreleja AB, the majority owner of Stampen Group, and is a Board member of Mentor Medier AS in Norway, Fojo Media Institute in Sweden and Swedish Radio AB. He was CEO and chairman of the Stampen Group from 1996 to 2014, chairman of the Swedish Media Association (TU) from 2008 to 2013, and has been WAN-IFRA President since 2013.
Mr Golden has been Vice Chairman of The New York Times and a member of the Company’s Board of Directors since 1997. He served as president and chief operating officer of The New York Times Company Regional Media Group from 2009 to January 2012, and was publisher of the International Herald Tribune, now the International New York Times, from 2003 to 2008.
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Mr Golden is chairman of the board of directors for the International Center for Journalists, a non profit organization that raises journalism standards through training workshops, seminars, fellowships and international exchanges. Additionally, Mr. Golden serves on the boards of The Associated Press and the Newspaper Association of America.
Ten new members were also elected to the Board of WAN-IFRA: José Roberto Dutriz, Executive Chairman of Grupo Dutriz in El Salvador;Ricardo Hepp, President of the Chilean Newspaper Publishers Association (ANP); Michèle Leridon, Global News Director for Agence France-Presse, representing the news agencies; Markus Mair, CEO of Styria Media in Austria; Jose Manuel Lozano y Orus, Senior Advisor to Heraldo de Aragón in Spain; Geert-Jan van der Snoek, Chief Executive Officer of Telegraaf Media Group, representing NDP Nieuwsmedia in The Netherlands; Sture Bergman, President and CEO of Västerbottens-Kuriren Media in Sweden, Neo Momodu, Head of Corporate Affairs, Media 24, South Africa, Miguel Henrique Otero, editor and publisher of El Nacional, and Vice-President of the Venezuelan Publishers Association, and Gerald Grünberger, Managing Director of the Austrian Newspaper Association, representing Directors of Member Associations of WAN-IFRA.
The World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, based in Paris, France, and Darmstadt, Germany, with subsidiaries in Singapore and India, is the global organisation of the world’s newspapers and news publishers. It represents more than 18,000 publications, 15,000 online sites and over 3,000 companies in more than 120 countries. Its core mission is to defend and promote press freedom, quality journalism and editorial integrity and the development of prosperous businesses.
