Indigenous journalists and media organisations across the world must be bold and strive to deliver content driven by their audiences.

The plea came at the World Indigenous Broadcasters Network (WIBN) conference in Norway where Indigenous broadcasters and publishers convened from across the globe.

Human rights advocate and former Sami Parliament president, Aili Keskitalo, told conference attendees Indigenous media organisations were crucial to strengthening democratic institutions and holding those in positions of power to account.

The Sami are Indigenous people from Sapmi, a region spanning northern Norway, Sweden and Finland, as well as Russia's Kola Peninsula. The Sami parliaments in the Nordic countries are primarily consultative bodies which give Sami people a voice in decisions affecting their communities. They are comparable to the federal advisory body, or Voice to Parliament, proposed in Australia's 2023 referendum.

Ms Keskitalo's opening keynote address highlighted the crucial role Indigenous media organisations and journalists play but stressed they must be more ambitious and driven by the needs of their audiences, and demand transparency from the institutions which largely control opportunities for Indigenous people.

"One of the most important roles of Indigenous media is to ... offer scrutiny of those who hold power over Indigenous peoples," Ms Keskitalo said.

"This includes both the majority society, and within our own communities."

Ms Keskitalo said the work of journalists was crucial to supporting democratic systems, which had much to offer Indigenous cohorts across the world.

"Indigenous people deserve representation and accountability from their leadership ... and Indigenous media is essential to nurturing whatever kind of governance Indigenous people have organised," she said.

Ms Keskitalo said Indigenous journalists had to hold their own community leaders accountable.

"If Indigenous excellence is our ambition, then it must be examined, it must be questioned, and it must be tested," said Ms Keskitalo, a member of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

"This may mean Indigenous media turns their spotlight to Indigenous institutions and leaders.

"That can be hard for our communities and individuals ... but if Indigenous excellence is what we strive for, we need the political questions."

The 2026 WIBN conference was held in Guovdageaidnu-Kautokeino, on Sami land in the Arctic Circle of Norway.

Ms Keskitalo urged journalists at the 2026 conference not to romanticise the past.

"Indigenous excellence is also about having the courage to look honestly at ourselves," she said.

"We should not sugarcoat our pre-colonial societies; our cultures were not perfect.

"Even before the colonial masters took over, there were people in our societies that were holding power, and this means that power could be abused."

The WIBN was established in 2008, with its annual conference the primary gathering for the alliance of global Indigenous media leaders, content creators and broadcasters to foster international co-productions, share cultural stories and strengthen digital networks.

Australia will host the 2027 WIBN conference, featuring media from regions including New Zealand, Canada and Taiwan.