Universal Peace Federation – UK
International Media Association for Peace (IMAP)
‘Media Bias and Democratic Freedoms: Protecting Religious Minorities’
43 Lancaster Gate, London, W2 3NA
Tuesday, 30 September 2025 
Video of the Programme Here
Facebook Livestream Here
Ian Pelham Turner: Broadcaster and Commentator, former BBC Royal Correspondent
Peter Zoehrer: IMAP Europe and the Middle East Coordinator
Hera Kruja – IMAP UK Chair, TV Presenter and Journalist
Marco Respinti: Italian Journalist and Director-in-Charge of The Journal of CESNUR and Bitter Winter. 
The Universal Peace Federation (UPF UK) convened a significant meeting to highlight its mission of fostering peace, dialogue, and collaboration across nations, religions, and cultures. The event introduced UPF’s global initiatives, including the International Media Association for Peace (IMAP), and brought together distinguished journalists and media professionals to discuss the role of media in promoting peace and addressing the challenges faced by religious minorities.
Journalism’s Evolution and Future Challenges
Ian Pelham-Turner, veteran journalist and UPF UK Patron, reflected on the shift from traditional media to the digital age. He highlighted the rise of AI-driven content and the dominance of social platforms as “new press barons,” which threaten journalistic integrity. Stressing the importance of listening to audiences, he praised UPF’s global network of Ambassadors for Peace as uniquely positioned to address media bias and misinformation in today’s world.
Promoting Positive Media Messaging
Pelham-Turner emphasized the responsibility of religions and civil society organisations to proactively share their values through social media and blogs. He noted that kindness, compassion, and inclusive representation are essential tools to overcome social unrest and media distortion. View speech video here
Media Bias and Religious Minorities
Peter Zoehrer, journalist and Executive Director of Forum for Religious Freedom Europe, (https://foref-europe.org) analysed the dangers of biased reporting. Drawing on examples he explained how stigmatization of minority religions often leads to state repression, undermining democracy and human rights. (Speech transcript here)
Ethical Journalism and Minority Rights
Zoehrer called for ethical journalism rooted in accuracy, neutrality, and responsibility.See video here
Hera Kruja, journalist and media professional, highlighted the echo chamber effect of social platforms and stressed the need for accurate and fair coverage of religious minorities. Together, they affirmed that ethical reporting is crucial to safeguarding freedom of belief and protecting democratic societies.
Ms Kruja begins commenting that journalists are ‘entrusted with the unique responsibility to inform the public, hold power to account and act as a crucial safeguard for democratic values’ being the ‘fierce voice of the public interest’. However, the changing media landscape, namely its social media plurality and the required speed of reporting, has challenged the capacity of journalists to both report accurately and verify when covering minority groups that can be highly complex. She proposes ways to improve reporting standards. See video here.
Worldwide Religious Persecution Insights
Marco Respinti, editor and journalist, stated that 'religious persecution is the most alarming news of the world we live in, but most people are not aware of it'. This he concludes is because of the filter of the mass media. He continued to highlight that Christianity is the most persecuted religion worldwide, while many other minority groups also suffer stigmatization andrepression. He highlighted how totalitarian regimes and even democratic nations filter or omit coverage of persecution, reinforcing prejudices. He urged responsible journalism that defends freedom of religion and belief as a core democratic value. See video here.
Video of the Programme Here
Facebook Livestream Here
Speakers Bios:
Peter Zoehrer: International Media Association for Peace (IMAP) Coordinator for Europe and the Middle East
Peter Zoehrer is a Vienna-based journalist, media analyst, and committed defender of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). He co-founded the Forum for Religious Freedom Europe (FOREF https://foref-europe.org) and has served as its Executive Director since its formal establishment in 2005. FOREF originated in 1998 as a media response to Austria’s restrictive laws on minority religions. Under Zoehrer’s leadership, it developed into one of Europe’s most active independent watchdogs for FoRB, monitoring violations by both state and non-state actors. Zoehrer has participated in numerous international conferences, fact-finding missions, and advocacy campaigns. In recognition of his contributions to press freedom and civil society, he was awarded the Silver Pin by the Austrian Journalists Club (ÖJC) and is a member of Reporters Without Borders.
Ian Pelham Turner: UPF - UK Patron
Ian Pelham Turner is an international TV broadcaster with a history of over 3000 shows with major TV networks specialising in Royal Family / politics and promoting Great Britain. Sky 585 and USA Global Tv and radio, Fox media and NBC Telemundo. He is a television broadcaster and journalist with 58 years in news reporting. In recent years he specialises on commentating on the Royal Family, Politics and community affairs. He is also a political commentator for Sky 585, on a show called Talking Politics which has a billion plus audience across the world. As a Royal commentator he advises broadcasters across the world on the Royal Family activities.
Hera Kruja: International Media Association for Peace (IMAP) UK Chair.
Hera Kruja is a TV presenter, journalist, and producer at ALB UK TV and FAB UK TV, known for creating engaging content across fashion, lifestyle, and culture. She has covered major events like Miss England and London Fashion Week, interviewed top designers and celebrities, and co-produces the lifestyle show *Elegance Jete*. Hera also explores hidden gems of the city in her series *The London Magic*. She holds a master’s degree in Multimedia Journalism from the University of Westminster and has reported on a wide range of topics as a multimedia journalist and freelancer. With a strong background in video production and storytelling, Hera combines creativity and leadership to craft content that informs and inspires.
Marco Respinti: Italian Journalist and Director-in-Charge of The Journal of CESNUR and Bitter Winter.
Marco Respinti is an Italian professional journalist, member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), author, translator, and lecturer. Author of books and chapter in books, he has translated and/or edited works by, among others, Edmund Burke, Charles Dickens, T.S. Eliot, Russell Kirk, J.R.R. Tolkien, Régine Pernoud and Gustave Thibon. A Senior fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal, he is also a founding member as well as a member of the Advisory Council of the Center for European Renewal . A member of the Advisory Council of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief, in December 2022, the Universal Peace Federation bestowed on him, among others, the title of Ambassador of Peace. From February 2018 to December 2022, he has been the Editor-in-Chief of International Family News. He serves as Director-in-Charge of the academic publication The Journal of CESNUR and Bitter Winter: A Magazine on Religious Liberty and Human Rights. https://bitterwinter.org/
Backgrounder:
Around the world, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), enshrined in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is under increasing threat—not only from governments but also from the media narratives that stigmatize minority faiths. In democratic nations, legally recognized faith communities are routinely branded as “sects” or “cults,” terms with no legal or academic definition but devastating social consequences. Such labels fuel discrimination, ostracism, and even violence, despite multiple rulings by the European Court of Human Rights affirming the rights of religious minorities. What begins as careless reporting too often results in real-world persecution, undermining both press freedom and FoRB, which are bound together as essential pillars of democracy.
These patterns show how media bias accelerates persecution: through silence, distortion, or smear campaigns, irresponsible reporting emboldens hate, legitimizes repression, and erodes democratic freedoms.
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