Journalism in regions of conflict
Functioning, resilient democracies consist of more than democratic institutions and procedures. They are also based on dialogue, debate and democratic participation. Key competencies and challenges in connection with public communication and journalism under often difficult conditions are at the center of our capacity building activities - which have so far focused on Eastern Europe. In cooperation with local partner organizations, the projects focus on strengthening quality and diversity in the media, promoting transparency, aloofness and independence in journalism or dealing with fake news and propaganda. The focus of the workshops is less on conventional formats such as lectures etc., but rather on a process characterized by the reflection, consolidation and context-related application of current research developments from various disciplines, strong practical relevance and mutual learning. In 2018, young journalists from Russia and Ukraine were able to exchange views on the challenges of journalism in the context of digitalization and propaganda (project #verify).
Further topics
#01
Digital Knowledge Architectures
Digitization offers completely new opportunities for knowledge processing and networking that we as a society can use. This also means leaving the attention economy behind and, for example, placing strategic social megatopics on resubmission. To achieve this, science and journalism need to move closer together to think in terms of joint information platforms.
#02
Public Welfare Oriented Media Policy
A media order that emphasizes the remoteness of the media from the state, seeks to secure diversity, protects public-law systems from market power, and seeks to prevent monopolies of opinion as well as economic cartels is still a good foundation for a modern or even technically revolutionary media world. We think future-proof concepts that protect and further develop this foundation.
#03
Business models in digital journalism
With the digital age, two pillars of media financing have collapsed: advertising revenues and sales figures. The financing of journalism must therefore take new paths today. Non-profit status and platform economy can not only be two options, they can also be thought of together.