The importance of preserving trustworthy, authentic news content has never been greater. That was the central message at a recent industry workshop in Paris, jointly organised by AFP, BBC, and Media Cluster Norway, and supported by the International Press Telecommunications Council (IPTC).
Kicking off the day, AFP CEO Fabrice Fries stressed the need for a united front in facing the challenges posed by tech giants. “We must strengthen our voice and hold our ground,” he urged. AFP’s Eric Baradat echoed the sentiment, highlighting the agency’s commitment to ensuring that both the public and fellow media professionals can verify the origins of their images—a crucial step in maintaining transparency and trust.
The workshop focused on the use of image metadata and how standards like C2PA (also known as Content Credentials) can help media organisations secure and communicate the provenance of their visual content. Participants from more than 20 international news organisations explored how these tools are critical in an era of AI-generated media.
Helge O. Svela, CEO of Media Cluster Norway, noted, “The only way forward is together. Media credibility isn’t just a journalistic concern—it’s essential to democracy itself.”
Attendees also heard results from a study conducted by MediaFutures at the University of Bergen, which found that audiences respond positively to detailed media provenance information. BBC’s Judy Parnall shared how users engage more deeply with content when they’re shown where and how images were taken and verified, and how C2PA offers a secure, reliable way to share that context.
Key participants included representatives from CBC-Radio Canada, Deutsche Welle, France TV, ITV, NHK, and Al Jazeera. Discussions covered everything from integrating metadata throughout the media lifecycle (“glass to glass”) to redaction workflows and archiving best practices.
Brendan Quinn, IPTC’s Managing Director, concluded, “It’s essential that the needs of news media are clearly heard as these standards continue to evolve.”
The IPTC Media Provenance Committee is actively driving several initiatives to implement and refine C2PA technologies within the media industry. Many of the workshop’s contributors are closely involved in this work.
Read the original article on IPTC’s website.
Image credit: Kiran RIDLEY / AFP