Mediterranean Journalists Festival to Spotlight Press Freedom in Otranto, Italy

The 18th edition of the Festival Giornalisti del Mediterraneo will be held from 1–4 September 2026 in Otranto, Italy, at Largo Porta Alfonsina. Patron Tommaso Forte says the festival will centre on the urgency of press freedom, a theme described as belonging to citizens as much as to journalists.

Vittorio Di Trapani, president of the Italian National Press Federation, will attend as a guest and emphasise the need for a renewed alliance between journalists and the public to protect constitutional rights. The programme will feature Italian and foreign journalists, analysts, writers and officials discussing geopolitics, climate change, human‑rights issues and new media languages. A recurring case study will be the abduction of U.S. freelance reporter Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad in March, highlighting the risks faced by reporters in conflict zones.