World News Day – 28 September 2026

Written by: Rtr. Krishni De Silva

Every day, we wake up to a world already filled with news.

A new development somewhere across the globe. A decision made thousands of kilometres away. A scientific discovery. A natural disaster. Before we have even finished our morning coffee, the world has already found its way onto our screens.

But in a world where news is constantly around us, there is something we rarely stop to think about:

“How do I know if this is true?”

That simple question lies at the heart of World News Day.

Observed annually on 28 September, World News Day celebrates fact based journalism, promotes media literacy and highlights the essential role of trusted news in society. The date coincides with the United Nations’ International Day for Universal Access to Information, recognising the importance of people being able to access reliable information.

World News Day began in 2018 through the Canadian Journalism Foundation and has grown into a global initiative involving organisations including the World Association of News Publishers and the World Editors Forum. More than 1,000 news organisations across over 100 countries have participated in the campaign, demonstrating how widely the conversation about trusted journalism has spread.

World News Day is not simply about celebrating newspapers, television channels or journalists. It is about recognising the value of reliable information in a world that increasingly depends on it.

And perhaps the best way to understand that value is to look behind the news itself.

When we read a finished news report, we see only the final product. Behind it may be hours of interviews, research, document checks, contacting sources, verifying claims and discussing what information is relevant. Journalists have to distinguish what is known from what is uncertain and what is supported by evidence from what is simply being claimed.

That process may not appear in the final headline.

But it is what gives the story its foundation.

This matters because the way we receive news has changed dramatically.

News no longer waits for us in a morning newspaper or an evening television bulletin. It arrives through social media, messaging applications and websites. A story can reach people around the world within seconds.

This transformation has made information more accessible than ever before. It has also made the need for trusted journalism more visible.

When information moves this quickly, there is little stopping an unverified claim from travelling alongside a carefully researched report. A photograph from years ago can be presented as a recent event. A statement can be removed from its context. A rumour can be repeated so many times that it begins to feel like a fact.

The challenge is not that we have too little information.

It is that we have so much of it.

And this is where journalism and technology meet.

Technology has given journalists new ways to investigate, analyse and communicate. Data can be examined more efficiently. Events can be reported from almost anywhere. Audiences can follow developments in real time. At the same time, the same digital environment can be used to create and distribute misleading content.

Artificial intelligence has added another layer to this changing landscape. AI can assist journalists with research, analysis and content production, but it can also generate realistic text, images, audio and video. As these technologies develop, audiences increasingly need the ability to question not only what they are seeing but where it came from.

This is why media literacy has become an important part of trusted journalism.

Being media literate does not mean assuming that everything online is false. It means knowing how to approach information thoughtfully. Who published it? What evidence is provided? When was it published? Is the source reliable and identifiable?

Sometimes, being informed means taking a few extra seconds before pressing “share.”

But World News Day reminds us that the responsibility does not rest entirely with the audiences.

Journalists have a responsibility to report carefully. News organisations have a responsibility to maintain professional standards. Technology platforms influence how information is distributed. And audiences have a responsibility to value and support reliable sources rather than allowing the loudest or fastest information to automatically become the most visible.

This shared responsibility is what gives World News Day its relevance.

Carrying the message of #ChooseTrustedJournalism, the campaign will be running from 25 September to 2 October, encouraging news organisations to bring audiences closer to the work behind the news and to demonstrate why fact based journalism continues to matter.

And the word “Choose” is the most important word.

We choose what we read. We choose what we share. We choose which sources receive our attention. In an information environment where thousands of stories compete for that attention every day, these choices matter.

Choosing trusted journalism does not mean believing without questioning. It means recognising the value of a process built around questioning.

It means choosing information that has been investigated rather than simply repeated.

So this World News Day, the next time a story appears on your screen, look beyond the headline.

Think about the people who investigated it. The sources they checked. The evidence they examined. The questions they asked.

Because the most important part of a news story may sometimes be the part we never see.

The work behind it.

The questions behind it.

The verification behind it.

And perhaps that is the real story behind the story.

A story worth trusting begins with someone willing to find out what is true.

Graphic Designed by: Rtr. Nethmi Tharushika