Working alongside organisations including Associated Press, The New York Times, Microsoft, Google, BBC Media Action, Free Press Unlimited and more than 25 governments to advance media freedom

WPP (NYSE: WPP), supported by its media investment arm GroupM, today announced it has joined the Media Freedom Cohort, established during President Biden’s 2021 Summit for Democracy to advocate for free and independent media worldwide.

The Media Freedom Cohort is led by Internews, the world’s largest media support non-profit, and the governments of Canada and the Netherlands.

WPP will work alongside organisations including Associated Press, The New York Times, Microsoft, Google, BBC Media Action, Free Press Unlimited and more than 100 governments involved in the cohort.

The cohort will focus its support across three key areas: protecting journalists’ safety and security; advancing freedom of expression; and bolstering independent and diverse media. The news comes ahead of the second annual Summit for Democracy which takes place this week.

Through its media investment arm GroupM, WPP has committed to:

• Create dedicated marketplaces exclusively with domains vetted by Internews’ Ads for News for responsible journalism across our top markets.
• Drive awareness among our clients and the wider industry about the importance of investing in responsible journalism.
• Add the domains for responsible journalism in local media supply offered to clients.

Mark Read, CEO of WPP, said: “Independent journalism plays a vital role around the world and we are pleased to be able to support that through GroupM. We look forward to working with the Media Freedom Cohort to ensure a diversity of credible media outlets worldwide.”

Christian Juhl, CEO of GroupM, added: “A healthy media ecosystem depends on a thriving news business that supports journalists and incentivizes fact-based reporting. As the world’s leading media investment organization, we’re proud to support the work of the Media Freedom Cohort through our global partnership with Internews and commitment to investing in responsible journalism.”

The news follows the announcement of GroupM’s latest commitment to support responsible journalism with its ‘Back to News’ initiative in partnership with Internews – a programme that will fund investment of media budgets in credible news publishers around the world.

For more information on the Media Freedom Cohort, please visit the link here.

About WPP

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients and communities. For more information, visit www.wpp.com.

About GroupM

GroupM is the world’s leading media investment company with a mission to create a new era of media where advertising works better for people. Responsible for more than $60 billion in annual media investment, according to COMvergence, the company innovates, differentiates, and generates sustained value for clients wherever they do business. GroupM’s portfolio includes agencies Mindshare, Wavemaker, EssenceMediacom and mSix&Partners, as well as Choreograph (Data & Technology), GroupM Nexus (Cross-Channel Performance & Activation), and GroupM Investment. Discover more at www.groupm.com.

About Internews

Internews is a nonprofit that supports independent media in 100 countries. Internews trains journalists and digital rights practitioners, tackles disinformation, and offers business expertise to help media outlets thrive financially. For 40 years, it has helped partners reach millions of people with trustworthy information that saves lives, improves livelihoods, and holds institutions accountable. Discover more at www.internews.org.

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