Overview

• An open letter published September 27 by a High-Level Panel that includes Nobel laureates warns that a global information breakdown endangers prosperity and social welfare.
• The panel says traditional media models are failing as advertising and audiences shift to digital platforms, weakening independent outlets.
• In 2024 roughly 90 countries faced state-backed manipulation, with Russia spending at least three times more on propaganda than leading democracies spend supporting free media, and generative AI intensifying the spread of false content.
• Recommendations call for government investment paired with strong independence safeguards and for multilateral financing tools such as the International Fund for Public Interest Media.
• The letter notes plans for an international conference to be convened in the coming weeks by the presidents of France and Ghana to coordinate responses.