Welcome
German Canadian Media Symposium debates Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age
Panelist German Canadian Media Symposium, © German Consulate Toronto
On April 24 we brought German and Canadian journalists together for the first German Canadian Media Symposium (GCMS) titled “(Un) Truth – Journalism and Democracy in the Digital Age”.
The symposium examined journalism from European and North American perspectives, looking at the media’s role in promoting democracy through the presentation of facts.
Dr. Gregor Mayntz, chairman of the Federal Press Conference (BPK), Ursula Weidenfeld, freelance business journalist and author, as well as AI expert Behzad Tabibian were the German panelists and discussed with Canadian colleagues from renowned major media outlets such as CBC, Toronto Star, Globe and Mail and Walrus Magazine topics like editorial necessity of fact checking, the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the discovery of fake news, as well as a required call for regulation in an extremely changing media market.
The night before, Consul General Thomas E. Schultze hosted all speakers and other representatives of Canadian media at his residence for a dinner reception.
GCMS is an annual platform for journalistic exchange between Germany and Canada; it is co-hosted by Massey College and the University of Toronto Communications.
Reading Material:
UofT News interview with Gregor Mayntz, Chairman of the Federal Press Conference)