News – M100 SANSSOUCI COLLOQUIUM

Summary M100 Sanssouci Colloquium

29 September 2023. 70 participants from Europe, the USA and countries from the Global South, 20 young journalists from 14 European countries, plus observers and reporting journalists – and in the evening a stirring and moving presentation of the M100 Media Award to the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran: that was the 19th M100 Sanssouci Colloquium, which took place on 14 September at the Orangerie Sanssouci in Potsdam.

The state of democracy, the reasons for the crisis of confidence in democratic systems worldwide and the simultaneous rise of autocratic governments, the impact of artificial intelligence on media and society, disinformation and propaganda, and EU enlargement were discussed in several plenary sessions and strategic working groups.
Click here for a comprehensive summary of the day and evening, with links to the opening keynote by Indian bestselling author Pankaj Mishra and numerous interviews with participants, and here to watch the recording of the livestream of the M100 Media Awards ceremony.

Summary of the M100 YEJ

27 September 2023. From 10 to 14 September, 20 young journalists from 14 European countries participated in this year’s M100 Young European Journalists Workshop on the topic of “Reporting on Climate Change and its Significance for Democracy” and in the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium. You can read the summary of the intensive, densely packed seminar here.

A big thank you to our motivated participants Esmira Aliyeva (Azerbaijan), Ia Asatiani (Georgia), Rafael Correia (Portugal), Giorgi Dvalishvili (Georgia), Veronica Gennari (Italy | France), Eneya Georgieva (Bulgaria), Rima Grigoryan (Armenia), Fermin Grodira (Spain), Juliane Maria Hilgert (Germany), David Ilieski (Northern Macedonia), Belle de Jong (The Netherlands), Mariam Kukhilava (Georgia), Miray Önsal (Turkey), Chiara Pertile (Italy), Friedrich Steffes-Lay (Germany), Dimitrios Theologidis (Greece), Francesca Trinchini (Italy), Sofia Turati (Italy), Daria Zelenska (Ukraine | Spain) and M100 assistant Florentin Siegert, who ran the workshop perfectly.

Also a big thank you to the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, the Press and Information Office of the German Government and Journalismfund Europe for the financial support.

All Speeches online

18 September 2023. All speeches of the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium, which took place on 14 September at the Orangerie Sanssouci in Potsdam, are now online.

You can watch the opening speech of the Indian writer Pankaj Mishra as a video here.

The speeches given at the M100 Media Award ceremony for the #WomenLifeFreedom movement in Iran can be found in written form here.

You can find the video recording of the award ceremony with simultaneous English translation here.

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16 September 2023. Today marks the first anniversary of the death of 22-year-old Kurdish student Jina Mahsa Amini.
She died as a result of violence inflicted on her in her home country of Iran on 16 September 2022 by the so-called “morality police” for allegedly not wearing her headscarf correctly. Her murder triggered the largest wave of protests in Iran since its founding 44 years ago, led mainly by women and girls who no longer want to be oppressed and maltreated by the mullahs. The protests continue to this day.
This moving video, which justifies awarding the #WomenLifeFreedom movement in Iran by the M100 advisory board, was shown on Thursday at the M100 Media Award ceremony at the Orangerie Sanssouci in Potsdam, before EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen gave the laudation for the #WomenLifeFreedom movement. The award was accepted by Iranian women’s rights activist Shima Babaei.

“We will not return to darkness!”

The M100 Media Award honours the Iranian “Women, Life, Freedom” movement | Shima Babaei accepted the award on behalf of the movement in Potsdam
Potsdam, 15 September 2023. Yesterday evening, the 19th M100 Sanssouci Colloquium ended with the presentation of the M100 Media Award at the Orangerieschloss Sanssouci in Potsdam. The high-profile European award was given to the Iranian “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, which started one year ago, on 16 September 2022, with the violent death of 22-year-old student Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody. The award honours the courageous women and girls, but also men, who protest against oppression and for freedom and human rights in their home countries. Iranian women’s rights activist Shima Babaei, who has been living in exile in Belgium since 2020, accepted the award on behalf of the movement.

“Today, with the M100 Media Award, we honour the ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ movement in Iran, which, despite threats of violence and draconian punishments, stands up for women’s rights as they are taken for granted in the civilized world,” said Potsdam’s Lord Mayor Mike Schubert in his welcome of the approximately 160 invited international guests: “Let us take today’s award ceremony as an inspiration to continue to work together to promote equality, human rights and democracy everywhere in the world. The Iranian women’s movement, just like our own Potsdam history, shows us that the will to overcome obstacles is too strong for petrified and encrusted regimes, that it is possible to shape a better future for all.”

Düzen Tekkal: The People of Iran need our Support!

13 September 2023. “I am very grateful that the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium dedicates the M100 Media Award 2023 to the freedom movement in Iran for “Woman – Life – Freedom” and it is also of special significance that a fearless woman like Shima Babaei is accepting this award on its behalf!,” says Düzen Tekkal, journalist, human rights activist and founder of HÁWAR.help. “With HÁWAR.help we have been supporting women like Shima Babaei from day 1 of the new wave of revolutionary protests that started with the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini one year ago. Like the women who are now fighting for their self-determination, Babaei challenged the regime and its systemic misogyny back in 2017 – and had to flee the country due to the life-threatening situation for her. Her father is still missing today. The people of Iran deserve to live in freedom, human dignity, and political self-determination – and they need all of our support to make this dream come true!”Together with German-Iranian actress and musician Jasmin Tabatabai and Iranian women’s rights activist and sports influencer Mersedeh Shahinkar, Düzen Tekkal will make a political statement at tomorrow’s award ceremony at the Orangery Palace in Potsdam-Sanssouci. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver the laudatory speech.

The M100 Media Award ceremony will be streamed live on 14 September from 18:00 (CET).

Jasmin Tabatabai: They are Symbol of Courage and Resilience in the World

12 September 2023. On Thursday, the M100 Media Award will be presented to the #WomenLifeFreedom movement of Iran. The Iranian women’s rights activist Shima Babaei will receive the award on behalf of the movement. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will deliver the laudatory speech.

“With the M100 Media Award to the #WomenLifeFreedom Movement of Iran we celebrate the Iranian people, who’s women have rightfully become the symbol of courage and resilience in the world during the last year,” says German-Iranian actress and musician Jasmin Tabatabai. “Let’s honour their fight for freedom and self-determination against a brutal, medieval regime. Let’s show them, that although our politics keep failing them, we will continue our support, no matter how long it takes. We love you and we are proud of you – Zan Zendegi Azadî! !”

Jasmin Tabatabai will join human rights activist and journalist Düzen Tekkal and Iranian women’s rights activist and sports influencer Mersedeh Shahinkar to make a political statement at the award ceremony on 14 September. Mersedeh Shahinkar had her eye shot out by an Iranian policeman with a paintball last year; she has only been in Germany for two weeks.

The M100 Media Award ceremony will be streamed live on 14 September from 18:00 (CET).

In three days the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium will begin!

11 September 2023. In three days, on Thursday, 14 September, the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium will begin! Under the title “Between Ambition and Disarray – The Future of Democracy” around 70 international editors-in-chief, academics and representatives from politics and civil society will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of democracy, reasons for global democracy fatigue and the future of journalistic media in times of rapid technological progress and disinformation.
The opening speech will be delivered by Indian essayist and writer Pankaj Mishra, who became internationally known in 1995 with his non-fiction book “Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India”, will be streamed live here from 10:00am (CET).
The conference will conclude in the evening with the presentation of the prestigious M100 Media Award to the Women, Life, Freedom Movement of Iran. The award honours the courageous women and girls, but also men, who are protesting against oppression and for freedom and human rights in their home country.
Iranian women’s rights activist Shima Babaei, who has been living in exile in Belgium since 2020, will receive the prize on behalf of the movement.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will deliver the laudatory speech.
The German-Iranian actress and musician Jasmin Tabatabai, the journalist and human rights activist Düzen Tekkal and the Iranian women’s rights activist Mersedeh Shahinkar will make a strong political statement on stage.
The award ceremony will be hosted by TV presenter Pinar Atalay. The ceremony will be streamed live from 6:00pm (CET).
The M100 Media Award has been presented at the international media conference M100 Sanssouci Colloquium since 2005. Previous laureates include Lord Norman Foster, Bernard Kouchner, Bob Geldof, Ingrid Betancourt, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Kurt Westergaard, Vitali Klitschko, Charlie Hebdo, Roberto Saviano, Natalia Sindeeva, Nicola Sturgeon, Alexei Navalny and the people of Ukraine.

Covering Climate Change in Focus at the 19th M100YEJ

10 September 2023. Today the 19th M100 Young European Journalists Workshop starts, for which 20 young journalists from 14 European countries (including Armenia, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, North Macedonia, Spain and Ukraine) have been selected. Under the title “Reporting on Climate Change – and its Significance for Democracy”, the participants will spend four days discussing the following questions: “What does climate change mean for journalism? Are journalists adequately covering the climate events that are having such an impact on all our lives? Does journalism need to change to better inform the public? And how does climate change and its coverage affect our democracy?

Astrid Frohloff on the justification of the M100 Media Award to #WomenLifeFreedom

8. September 2023. Astrid Frohloff, TV presenter, journalist and M100 Advisory Board member, on the reasons for honouring the #WomenLifeFreedom movement of Iran with the M100 Media Award this year, which will be accepted by Iranian women’s rights activist Shima Babaei in Potsdam on 14 September:
“The resistance of courageous women in Iran is deeply impressive. Many women are risking their freedom and sometimes their lives to protest against decades of gender inequality and discrimination against women in Iran. M100 supports women’s struggle for fundamental freedoms by honouring the Women, Life, Freedom Movement of Iran and advocating for an immediate end to state violence and the safe release of thousands of politically imprisoned citizens.”
The laudatory speech at #WomenLifeFreedom will be held by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission. The event will be streamed live from 6 pm (CET).