The Forum on Information and Democracy says the only way to effectively reach the G20 Presidency goals is by tackling the crisis of media integrity and sustainability head-on.

This was the message at the start of the M20 Summit, which kicked off on Monday morning in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg.

The M20 Summit is a two-day international conference that is running on the sidelines of the G20 programme in South Africa.

Warming up for The Media20 initiative highlights media, journalism and information integrity issues relevant to the #G20 process and mirrors official G20 engagement groups for #B20 business, think-tanks and civil society, among others. @Media20ZA pic.twitter.com/2ifpx1c2Zp

— SANEF (@SAEditorsForum) August 31, 2025

The main focus of the Summit is the role of media and journalism to foster information integrity as a cornerstone for human rights, effective governance, international cooperation and public trust needed for social and economic development.

Policy director at the Forum on Information and Democracy, Katharina Zuegel, says if they can tackle the information integrity crisis, sustainability and media financing as well as media freedom, where media are increasingly under harassment, then they can tackle the G20 Presidency goals.

“So, the objective of today’s conference is to bring attention to the topics of information integrity to the G20 leaders. We really want this to be a key element of G20 negotiations,” says Zuegel.

VIDEO | South Africa hosts a two-day media summit -Katharina Zuegel: