The Guardian Foundation has appointed Rosie Parkyn as its new executive director. Rosie will join the charity in mid-February from Internews Europe and will lead The Guardian Foundation’s mission to promote press freedom and access to liberal journalism.
At Internews Europe, Rosie has held a variety of roles, including senior director of programmes and global director of impact. Before joining Internews in 2017, she spent ten years with the BBC’s international charity BBC Media Action, initially overseeing programming and fundraising in the Africa Region before becoming head of policy and, latterly, country director for Indonesia. She serves on the boards of the Communicating with Disaster Affected Communities Network and Orchestras For All.
The Guardian Foundation’s board of trustees said: “We are delighted to appoint Rosie as executive director of The Guardian Foundation. As the Foundation continues to build and strengthen its work supporting press freedom, independent journalism, media literacy and access to reliable information, Rosie brings exactly the right combination of experience and vision. Her deep expertise in media freedom, alongside her strategic leadership and commitment to public-interest journalism, will be invaluable as she leads the development of the Foundation’s new strategy and guides the organisation into its next phase.”
Rosie Parkyn said: “I am thrilled to be joining The Guardian Foundation at a critical moment in its mission. The world is awash with information, yet so much of it is false, unverified, manipulative, irrelevant and harmful. As journalists take ever greater personal risks to report the truth, audiences are turning to content that appears to meet their needs but does not always offer a well-informed picture. The Guardian Foundation’s programming has proven how well it supports people to navigate and participate in rapidly evolving information ecosystems, engage with the world and seek out the best available information. I couldn’t be more excited to work with this stellar team, the Board, stakeholders, and the community to advance this vital work and shape the future media landscape.”
The Guardian Foundation says it has recently launched a new WhatsApp chatbot in multiple countries, designed to help people identify disinformation. It has also expanded its NewsWise programme to Italy. NewsWise empowers school children with the critical thinking skills they urgently need to navigate the online world. The charity continues to run its journalism bursary programme.
Keep up-to-date with publishing news: sign up here for InPubWeekly, our free weekly e-newsletter.
