Public Broadcasters International conference concludes with renewed commitment to public media’s future

Oct 10, 2024

Photo credit: Yoshua Bengio, Founder and Scientific Director of Mila – Quebec AI Institute, recognized worldwide as one of the leading experts in artificial intelligence (right), and moderator Sonali Verma, Generative AI Initiative Lead, International News Media Association (INMA).

The 2024 Public Broadcasters International conference (PBI Ottawa 2024) concluded today, bringing to a close three days of critical discussions on the rise of artificial intelligence, the spread of disinformation, ever-increasing audience fragmentation, threats to public broadcasters’ long-term sustainability, and how best to amplify Indigenous voices.

Hosted by CBC/Radio-Canada, this year’s conference brought together leaders from more than 40 public broadcasters from over 20 countries, with the participation of journalists, filmmakers, and academics from across the globe.

“This year’s Public Broadcasters International conference reaffirmed our shared commitment to public service media as a cornerstone of democracy, an engine of citizen empowerment, and an essential antidote to the proliferation of misinformation. The challenges we face are significant, but we should never underestimate our collective ability to tackle these challenges and continue to better serve our audiences.”

—Catherine Tait, President and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada

A highlight of the conference included the introduction of the Ottawa Declaration, which calls for public media organizations to ensure wide access to high-quality news for all citizens, combat disinformation, restore civil democratic debate, look for greater accountability from social media platforms, and use AI for the public good.

Next year’s PBI conference will be hosted by Bulgarian National Radio in Sofia, Bulgaria.

About CBC/Radio-Canada

CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.

Media contact:

Eric Wright
Senior Specialist, Media Relations
eric.wright@cbc.ca

NT5