PRIORITIES

I Promote development of free and independent press globally

II Expand and develop activities to help newspapers with their business and strategies

III Promote young reader and literacy programmes

IV Expand activities in emerging markets

V Promote the value and role of print media

VI Increase WAN/WEF membership

VII Develop cooperation with other organisations

VIII Improve WAN finances

I Improve Global Press Freedom Situation

1. Aggressive and persistent campaigning against press freedom violations and restrictions, through missions, protests, on-line petitions and e-mail campaigns.

2. Special focus on countries with critical press freedom problems, through conferences and capacity-building programmes, including the Media in Danger event series, and on the reconstruction of the press in post-conflict areas.

3. Development of closer cooperation with international organisations such as the World Bank, UNESCO, the United Nations and development agencies.

4. Focus on training and assistance programmes and the building of effective infrastructures for a free and independent press.

II Expand and develop activities to help newspapers with their business and strategies

1. Advise and direct newspaper industry leaders towards solutions for the future.

2. Continue development of the special project on Shaping the Future of the Newspaper, providing advice to help newspapers become better and more profitable.

3. Expand research in all areas of newspaper operations and on future trends.

4. Reinforce new information management structures in WAN to ensure the most effective distribution of ideas, solutions and strategies to the global newspaper industry.

5. Transform more WAN products and research into web-based services, available in more languages, particularly for emerging democracies, and in particular extend the use of Chinese and Arabic.

6. Organise high quality, highly focussed management and marketing programmes dealing with the essential challenges facing the industry.

7. Develop new management training initiatives.

8. Develop electronic forums for newspaper leaders to discuss the principal issues facing the industry.

9. Expand the SFN project, increasing the number of partners from 6 to at least 8.

III Promote young reader and literacy programmes

1. Develop and expand Newspapers in Education and young reader programmes, particularly in emerging democracies and markets.

2. Develop closer relations with educational institutions world-wide, to improve education and fight illiteracy.

IV Expand activities in emerging markets

1. Continue to expand WAN services geographically, with new focus and multiple-language initiatives, both in print and electronically, to Russia, China, the Middle East, Central Asia, South East Asia and Africa, in particular, to help newspapers make the transition to emerging market economies.

2. Extend electronic networks, based on the successful RAP 21 model, to new regions, including Asia (particularly Cenral Asia) and the Middle East.

V. Promote the value and role of print media

1. Develop initiatives to prove and promote the effectiveness of the print media both as a force for democracy and as an effective platform for advertising.

2. Focus on initiatives to help newspapers improve the quality of news and information.

3. Raise issues of concern and interest to WAN at international meetings, including the ASEM, APEC, World Bank-IMF, World Economic Forum (Davos), etc.

VI Increase WAN/WEF membership

1. Continue to recruit new national member associations and help their creation in developing countries.

2. Improve promotion and marketing of individual memberships in WAN and WEF to highlight their considerable benefits.

VII Develop cooperation with other organisations

Develop closer cooperation and coordination of policy and activities with other organisations serving the press industry.

VIII Improve WAN finances

1. Continue to seek new revenues and funding to enable WAN to fully accomplish its mission.

2. Review all WAN products and services with a view to increasing revenues from each of them.

3. Sell more sponsorship and advertising with WAN products and services.