Latvian Journalists' Association holds annual conference in Riga

On Friday, September 4, the "Noass" art centre in Riga is hosting the annual conference of the Latvian Journalists' Association (LŽA), bringing together journalists, editors and media researchers to discuss current challenges facing the industry. The conference begins at 1 p.m. and is being streamed live on the Delfi portal.

Four panel discussions

The programme includes four thematic panels. The first addresses public trust in media and how it can be restored, featuring Riga Stradiņš University professor Anda Rožukalne, media producer Roberts Vīksne, and Daiga Bitiniece, editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Kurzemnieks".

The second panel examines the growing influence of platforms and algorithms on the information space, with Delfi journalist Raivis Spalvēns, TV3's "Nekā personīga" journalist Guna Gleizde, Latvian Public Media editor-in-chief Anita Brauna, and Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences lecturer Solvita Denisa-Liepniece.

The third discussion focuses on where a journalist's professional life ends and private life begins, including safety concerns, featuring Delfi editor-in-chief Filips Lastovskis, Sanita Jemberga of the Baltic Centre for Investigative Journalism "Re:Baltica", Latvian Television's "De facto" journalist Ivo Leitāns, and Mārīte Raks-Lasmane of the newspaper "Talsu Vēstis".

The fourth panel is dedicated to how newsrooms and journalists work during the upcoming election period, featuring "Re:Check" head Evita Puriņa, TVNET GROUP editor-in-chief Toms Ostrovskis, and University of Latvia researcher and LETA editor Anastasija Tetarenko-Supe.

Excellence awards ceremony

At 6:30 p.m., the LŽA will hold its "Excellence Awards 2026" ceremony, recognizing outstanding works of Latvian journalism produced between June 2025 and July 2026. Both association members and other interested parties were able to submit entries for the awards.