Griffen’s appointment comes at an increasingly perilous time for press freedom and independent journalism worldwide, IPI Executive Board Chair Márton Gergely said. “As we start the year 2025, IPI’s work has never been more important. Attacks on journalists and the free press are on the rise everywhere we look. After a thorough review process in the search for a new director, the IPI Executive Board found that we already had the right person in place”, Gergely said. “Thanks to his long tenure at IPI, Scott has an unmatched understanding of our mission – but he also brings the fresh energy IPI needs to meet this moment and become fit for the future.”

Griffen takes the helm as IPI marks its 75th anniversary – a seminal moment in the global fight for press freedom and free expression. IPI was founded in 1950 by 34 visionary editors from 16 countries dedicated to protecting press freedom as a pillar of free and informed societies. Today, IPI is a network of leading media professionals in more than 100 countries.

“Just as we have over the past seven decades, the IPI global network is once again stepping up as independent, public-interest news comes under growing threat.” – IPI Executive Director Scott Griffen

A respected media freedom advocate and expert who has dedicated his career to this field, Griffen joined IPI in 2012 as press freedom adviser focusing on Latin America and the Caribbean. He later served as IPI’s deputy director from 2018 to 2024 as IPI embarked on a period of successful growth and adaptation to the changing needs of its global membership network. He is the author of numerous widely cited reports on press freedom and independent journalism and has led IPI missions and visits to dozens of countries on six continents.

“As it was 75 years ago, press freedom is indispensable to democracy, to our rights and freedoms, and to addressing the urgent problems that our communities and our world face”, Griffen said. “And just as we have over the past seven decades, the IPI global network is once again stepping up as independent, public-interest news comes under growing threat. We’re strengthening our advocacy, solidarity, and support, and reaffirming the universal values that we share. I’m honored to lead IPI at this crucial moment and to work with our partners, team, and courageous members – leading journalists and editors – around the world.”

In October, IPI will host its 75th anniversary World Congress in Vienna, bringing together the global media freedom community to learn, exchange, and debate solutions to the challenges we face. Drawing on the history of journalistic resilience, the Congress and parallel Media Innovation Festival will offer a platform to collectively strategize on defending the future of free media.

Originally from the U.S., Griffen studied in three countries, holding degrees from Yale University, King’s College London, and the University of Linz (Austria). A polyglot, he speaks English, German, Spanish, French, and Basque, and has studied numerous others, from Greenlandic to Turkish.