Tomas Brunegård, former chairman and chief executive of Sweden's Stampen Media Group, gets a second two year term as president of WAN-Ifra in elections during this week's World News Media Congress.

In line to follow him in the position in June 2017 is Michael Golden, vice chairman of the New York Times, who was elected vice president.

Brunegård say the organisation's role as a global, independent voice for press freedom is more important than ever: "In many countries around the world, media are facing threats not only from censorship, attacks and surveillance, but also to their basic business models as well.

"This restricts their ability to carry out their societal role - and, more and more, these challenges occur not only under repressive regimes, but in democratic societies as well."

Brunegård is currently vice chairman of Stampen's owner, Skäreleja and a director of Norway's Mentor Medier, Fojo Media Institute in Sweden and Swedish Radio. He was chief executive and chairman of Stampen from 1996-2014. Golden has been vice chairman and a board member of the New York Times since 1997, and is on the boards of the Associated Press and the NAA.

The ten new members elected to WAN-Ifra's board are José Roberto Dutriz (Grupo Dutriz, Salvador), Ricardo Hepp (Chilean Newspaper Publishers Association, ANP), Michèle Leridon (Agence France-Presse, representing the news agencies), Markus Mair (Styria Media, Austria), Jose Manuel Lozano y Orus (Heraldo de Aragón, Spain), Geert-Jan van der Snoek (Telegraaf Media Group, representing NDP, Netherlands), Sture Bergman (Västerbottens-Kuriren Media, Sweden), Neo Momodu (Media 24, South Africa), Miguel Henrique Otero (El Nacional, and vice-president of the Venezuelan Publishers Association) and Gerald Grünberger (Austrian Newspaper Association, representing WAN-Ifra member associations).

Brazil's Marcelo Rech has been elected president of World Editors Forum. He is executive director of journalism for RBS Group, and succeeds Erik Bjerager, editor-in-chief and managing director of Kristeligt Dagblad in Denmark, who becomes a vice president.

As WEF president, Rech also joins the WAN-Ifra board and executive committee and becomes part of its presidency.

Wolfgang Krach, editor-in-chief of Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung, was also elected a WEF vice president.

Five new board members elected are Carlos Guyot (La Nación, Argentina), Toyosi Ogunseye (Sunday Punch, Nigeria), Matti Kalliokoski (Helsingin Sanomat, Finland, Javier Garza, a Knight International journalism fellow from Mexico (special advisor on journalists' safety), and Anders Nyland (Bergensavisen, Norway).