Opening Session

We all stood as the King of Sweden arrived. The Goteborg Symphony played a beautiful (really…i actually got shivers) Swedish piece - Midsummer Virgin.

Interesting historical note about WAN from CEO Timothy Balding. Founded in 1948 in Amsterdam with 12 countries, one of its first roles was to advise on the Marshall Plan with regards to the distribution scarce newsprint after WWII. I wonder if young readers would be impressed with that?

Gavin O’Reilly Chair World Association of Newspapers noted:
Journalists - 118 killed - 52 in Iraq alone, 1000 arrested

Tomas Brunegârd - Chair of the Swedish Newspaper Association notes that the newspaper industry has 15% revenue from internet (highest in the world)

The themes for the conference are as follows:

Freedom - of mind expression and press are critical
Innovation- brands are a global success
Sustainability - society cannot be built on short term consumerism

Strong themes that I believe would resonate with young readers if we can actually get it to them.

ABOUT YOUTH MEDIA DNA
Youth Media DNA is a global, multi-phase research project designed to gain a deep understanding of the attitudes and behaviours of young people towards media consumption, news, and newspaper reading. The project has been commissioned by the World Association of Newspapers, along with individual associations in studied countries. It is being conducted by DECODE, a company that combines research, strategy and consulting on issues related to youth, young adults and young families.

Current research is being supported in the U.S. by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation, in Finland by Helsingin Sanomat Foundation , and in the Netherlands by Stimuleringsfonds voor de Pers , Stichting Democratie en Media , and the Windesheim School of Media.

Future country studies will provide a valuable insight into different patters across the world.