AKP Phnom Penh, May 15, 2026 —

The World Press Institute (WPI) held the international conference New Horizons in Journalism: Truth Under Pressure on Thursday. The forum was organized with the Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria) and support from the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

At the opening, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) President Stephen Capus said the world is in an information war and credible journalists are losing ground. “Countries such as Russia, Iran and China are investing billions in censorship, internet controls and restrictions on access to independent information, while democratic societies often respond by cutting public media budgets,” Capus said.

Capus cited Iran, where he said the regime had carried out perhaps the most successful instant internet shutdown to date. He said Russia was also emerging as a global leader in internet censorship, with authorities blocking thousands of websites and VPN services over the past year. “If history has taught us anything, it is that walls fall. Not by themselves. They fall because journalists keep working, engineers build technologies and people refuse to accept censorship,” Capus added.

At the conference opening, America for Bulgaria Foundation President Nancy Schiller also addressed the crisis of trust in information and the pressure on journalism. “The need for quality journalism has never been greater, and your task has never been harder,” Schiller told participants.

AEJ-Bulgaria President Maria Cheresheva discussed censorship and self-censorship in Bulgaria. She said that while brutal forms of censorship, including the murders and arrests of journalists, exist around the world, pressure in countries such as Bulgaria often remains invisible.

Journalist Maria Tsantsarova also addressed Thursday’s international conference, speaking about pressure on reporters and editorial dependence in Bulgarian media. She said self-censorship is often triggered by political and economic dependencies, while editorial decisions frequently follow political will or the interests of hidden bosses. Tsantsarova also spoke about being taken off air. “I was simply the latest journalist to be silenced and removed in recent years,” Tsantsarova said.

The international conference programme also included discussions and presentations on the impact of global politics, wars and economic dependencies on journalism and access to information.

AKP-BTA