This year’s World Expression Forum (WEXFO) in June brings frank, targeted discussion to the stage across myriad walks of life.

By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson

‘Truthtellers Under Attack’

It’s clear that some of the most serious book publishing and literature events in Europe this season are picking up on the international vibe of political challenge, social concern, and economic uncertainty.

Vera Michalski-Hoffman‘s Fondation Jan Michalski in Montricher is programming an event into its literary festival this weekend titled Society Under Oppression: To Adapt or Revolt.

The Association of American Publishers has held its annual meeting this month, in which HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray tells his associates, “We must acknowledge that we are in an unprecedented legal battle with Big Tech, not only for the future of content and intellectual property in this country, but also for our foundational and fundamental rights as citizens.”

And Kristenn Einarsson‘s World Expression Forum at Lillehammer (WEXFO, June 2 and 3) is themed The Year of Resistance.

With its huge programs for young people housed under the WEXFO Youth umbrella—and a fast-growing reputation for attracting key thought leaders, often Nobel laureates—the program that Einarsson has founded and leads annually performs with striking dexterity: It manages to serve the concerns of multiple business and social sectors and fields while mixing them.

International leaders in public policy and governance; public health; the climate crisis; the news media; technological development; education and the arts as well as book publishing and communication sciences meet each other here and find themselves quickly moved past their own daily focal constructs into a platform range of free-expression issues.

Einarsson’s ability to keep his interdisciplinary program focused while working across so many realms (including competing parts of society) is well-known to the 84-nation member-organizations of the International Publishers Association (IPA). Einarsson has led that association’s flagship Freedom to Publish committee since 2017.

Once more this year, the IPA’s freedom to publish award—the Prix Voltaire directed by James Taylor—will name its winner during the WEXFO gala. Our story on the shortlist is here.

For publishing professionals in particular, WEXFO is a doorway to nearby industries, issues, and insights, all working in a highly unusual synergy onstage and in interactive workshops.

Highlights Ahead

While the full program can be seen here, several highlights of the 2025 World Expression Forum are expected to include:

• Syrian human rights advocate and former political prisoner Omar Alshogre
• The V-Dem Institute’s Staffen I. Lindberg in a keynote titled Freedom of Expression and Democracy in the World—After the Year of Elections
• A discussion featuring Emmanuel Ganse, Irene Khan, and Yascha Mounk on The Global Freedom of Expression Order Under Attack
• A return to WEXFO by Nobel Peace Prize laureate and journalist Maria Ressa, speaking on The Freedom of Expression Definition Battle, asking “Who has the power to define what freedom of expression is?”
• Indicating how the WEXFO way is never to tiptoe around issues, disinformation specialist Nina Jankowicz gives a keynote on The Trump Era: Where To Go From Here, USA? Her series of commentaries also feature Populism, Propaganda, and US Nationalism and Did the Traditional Media Lose the Elections?
• A key panel on Election Aftermath Worldwide: Future Possibilities for Freedom of Expression includes IPA president Gvantsa Jobava; David Smolansky; Hiqmat Sungdeme Saani; and Nicholas Williams

Opening on June 3 with a sub-theme Redesigning Democracy in the Digital Age, Adele Matheson Mestad, Agnese Lace, and Richard Gingras discuss The Ongoing Fight Between Big Tech and the Regulators: How to Secure Democracy?, a topic very directly aired last week a the Association of American Publishers’ annual meeting.

• Governance Challenges in the Information Ecosystem During the AI Revolution features UNESCO’s Ana Christina Ruelas
• Press Freedom vs. Freedom of Speech – Are We Fighting the Same Battle? is debated by Branko Brkic, Joan Barata, and Kadavi Zaman
• Is Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Out of the Agenda? features Gulnaz Ratu, Omer Malikyar, Samira Mohyeddin, and Vebjorn Selbekk

And there are targeted breakout sessions, one of which we’ll preview for you in coming days.

Quickly for those who would like to be at WEXFO in June:

• Ticketing for individual attendees or groups on June 2 and 3 can be found here.
• An extra conference day called WEXFO Take Action can be had, with details here.
• Accommodation is booked separately at Scandic Lillehammer Hotel, using a link sent to you with your conference pass.
• And for any inquiries, the WEXFO staff is patient and quick on the response at post@wexfo.no.

In preparing for her upcoming commentary at WEXFO, Jankowicz, an author who founded the American Sunlight project, has written, “In an age where the term ‘free speech’ is being weaponized by the very people who claim to be defending it, I’m honored to be speaking at the World Expression Forum and sharing my insights from a decade of fighting disinformation. Truth tellers in the United States and in democracies around the world are under attack, and I can’t think of a better place to discuss this.”

It will interest our international publishing industry readership to know that Germany’s Holtzbrinck Buchverlage GmbH and Norway’s Folkeakademiets landsforbund have become new shareholders this year of the nonprofit company that produces the program.

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More on the World Expression Forum, WEXFO, is here. More from Publishing Perspectives on issues of the freedom to publish and freedom of expression is here, more on the Prix Voltaire is here, and more on the International Publishers Association is here. 

Publishing Perspectives is the International Publishers Association’s world media partner.