Hamburg Press Freedom Week

Awareness Week on Freedom of the Press from 11 to 17 October 2026

Freedom of the press is a cornerstone of our free society. It is essential for ensuring that events can be freely reported, that those in power can be publicly criticised, that diverse opinions are published, and that people have access to accurate information. Democracy needs a free press and media pluralism.

Yet freedom of the press is under threat – not only in many countries around the world, but also here in Germany. These threats include not only the intimidation of journalists, but also targeted and widespread publication of disinformation, manipulated content and AI-generated images, which make it difficult for citizens to distinguish genuine news from fake news. This leads to a fundamental loss of trust in journalistic work.

Körber-Stiftung and ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS therefore initiated Hamburg Press Freedom Week. Launched in 2023, the week now involves more than 40 partners – including Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR Info) and STRÖER Media as founding partners – and offers a wide-ranging programme of events for all age groups on the themes of press freedom, media pluralism and disinformation at numerous locations throughout the Hamburg metropolitan region.

The week sends a message beyond the city of Hamburg: press freedom and independent journalism are cornerstones of free societies and resilient democracies.

This year, the Hamburg Week of Press Freedom will take place from 11 to 17 October 2026. On 13 and 14 October, Körber-Stiftung is once again organising the Exile Media Forum, Germany’s largest conference on exile journalism.

The programme for the Hamburg Week of Press Freedom will be published in early September.