What we do
ECJP
ECJP 2023
The European Collaborative Journalism Programme (ECJP) supports crossborder collaboration among journalists from all over Europe. The twofold programme is offered in cooperation with Arena for Journalism.
Digital transformation is putting the media system under pressure. This affects the quality and diversity of the media landscape but also impedes resource-demanding investigative journalism. At the same time, cross-border stories have become more prevalent such as in the fields of migration, organized crime, pollution or consumer protection. Collaborative journalism provides the means to maintain investigations despite declining resources. It allows to pool resources and expertise, to analyse facts and data jointly and to publish in several media at the same time.
5-days programme:
In the frame of ECJP, experts provide input and training on cross-border collaborative journalism, participants are encouraged to build up a network among each other, to explore and discuss a collaborative story, receive feedback from experts and peers and to reflect their own work practices.
Target group:
Junior and mid-career journalists from all over Europe, freelancers as well as staffers from all media who already have first experiences with collaborative journalism or firmly intend to work in this field.
Dates 2023:
28 March - 1 April 2023: Conference Centre Gut Siggen, Baltic Sea
1 - 4 June 2023: Follow up-meeting at Dataharvest 2023, Mechelen, Belgium
Applications are closed
The applications for ECJP 2024 will open in autumn of 2023
- ECJP - What you can expect
You might wonder how the four days programme looks like in more detail. Please find some answers here:
The aim of ECJP is to explore the potential of collaboration and to encourage participants to collaborate. For this purpose, the programme is based on input provided by various experts as well as on work sessions during which you are asked to discuss in small groups topics you want to develop into an investigation. Whether they will end up in a finished story or remain in the state of elaboration is not decisive, the aim of the work sessions is to join hands on a topic of your interest and reflect on how you can adress it. The topics dont need to be ready made upon arrival, they usually are discussed and elaborated during the programme. Fireside lounge talks in the evening are meant to combine input by experts and informal debate with experts and peers in a sort of living room atmosphere.
The setting of ECJP can also be described as a sort of „mini conference“, but surely as a safe space where you can meet like-minded journalists to form lasting or more loose working relationships, discussing topics of mutual interest as well as exchanging on how to adress the challenges of your work. In turn, we assume that you are willing to fully engage with the programme, with your fellows and the experts and that you are committed to make this programme thrive. „Lets collaborate!“
The schedule, exemplarily, looks as follows:
Day 1: Welcome, intro to the programme, focus on getting to know each other, presenting your story ideas or topics of interests
Day 2: Input on terms, methods and tools of collaborative journalism, Work session 1, walk to the beach, Fireside lounge talk
Day 3: Work session 2, additional input on: „How to… research, coordinate, deal with encompassing data, pitch, protect your sources etc., Fireside lounge talk
Day 4: Pitching your story to experts/peers or developing a work plan how to continue, wrap up and preparing for Dataharvest 2023, feedback - Feedback ECJP 2020 - 2022
Participants of ECJP 2022 said:
"I feel way more motivated now, after this program; I know more about cross-border collaborative journalism; I got to know amazing people with whom I definitely stay in touch in the future and with whom hopefully I can cooperate in the near future." (Zsófia Fülöp, Hungary)
"It [ECJP] gave me very valuable inputs on how to conduct investigation journalism and precious contacts with other like-minded colleagues. It would definitely improve my work." (Andrés Mourenza, Spain/Turkey)
"It has reinforced my desire to work on collaborative topics and has allowed me to start building a network of fellow journalists." (Víctor Martínez Maciá, Spain)
Participants of ECJP 2021 said:
"ECJP has been such a source of inspiration for me and I’m still coming back to the insights I got during the programme every once in a while. Thank you very much for the enormous effort you’ve put to pull it all together." (Felicia Cretu, Moldavia)
"Thank you again for organising the programme. It was really inspiring and I had so much fun!" (Neus Vidal, Spain)
"It was a wonderful experience and one that I will remember. I found every single moment we spent together inspiring." (Gianluca Liva, Italy)
Participants of ECJP 2020 said:
"Everything was well communicated and clear, easy to follow, and throughout the program, it was easy to get all the information and help. All the experts and team members were super open and easy to communicate with." (Anna Romandash, Ukraine)
"I also appreciated the fact that each trainer stayed for a certain time with us, allowing us to approach them for individual advice. The individual advice sessions with Brigitte helped me understand key issues regarding the management of a small media organisation such as Átlátszó Erdély." (Zoltán Sipos, Romania)
"We are already working on a collaborative project and what I appreciate the most are all those wonderful contacts from several countries!" (Piret Reiljan, Estonia)
- Recent publications from our fellows
- "The Great Robbery: during illegal pushbacks in Greece, refugees are robbed by border guards" by Stavros Malichudis and Andres Mourenza
- "The Forever Pollution Project - Journalists tracking PFAS across Europe" by Tim Luimes, Gianluca Liva and over 20 other journalists
- "How EU funds for bike infrastructure are being misused" by Barbora Janauerová, Daiva Repečkaitė, Zoltán Sipos
- "Deals unter Freunden. Russische Oligarchen in Europa" by Paul Toetzke
- "Hiigelhaaranguga lõhki rebitud rahvusvahelises skeemis paljastus väike Eesti firma" by Eliisa Matsalu & Grzegorz Szymanowski
- "How Vaccinations Became a Matter of Belief. Lithuania’s Case" by Daiva Repečkaitė
- The podcast "The Inoculation Podcast " with Daiva Repečkaitė as Co-Host
- "Carbon-neutrality is a fairy tale': how the race for renewables is burning Europe's forests" by Hazel Sheffield
- "Wälder, verheizt im Namen des Klimas" by Paul Toetzke
- The Making off Video of the Money to Burn investigation. Hazel Sheffield, Paul Toetzke, Piret Reiljan and Silvia Nortes were part of this collaborative crossborder team.
- Europäisches Journalistenprogramm - Informationen auf deutsch
Mit dem Europäischen Journalistenprogramm fördern Toepfer Stiftung und Arena for Journalism in Europe die Vernetzung und Zusammenarbeit von Journalist:innen aus ganz Europa.
Das Mediensystem steht unter dem Druck der digitalen Transformation. Dies beeinträchtigt die Qualität und Vielfalt der Medienlandschaft ebenso wie die Möglichkeiten für aufwändigeren und v.a. investigativen Journalismus. Zugleich steigt die Zahl grenzüberschreitend relevanter Themen an, so in den Bereichen Umwelt, Migration, organisierte Kriminalität oder Verbraucherschutz. Der kollaborative Journalismus bietet einen Weg, trotz schwindender Ressourcen vertiefte Recherchen zu ermöglichen und auch über Grenzen hinweg investigativ zu arbeiten.
Das Programm Im ECJP vermitteln Expertinnen und Experten Know-How, Methoden und Tools zum grenzüberschreitenden Journalismus. Die Teilnehmenden haben die Möglichkeit ein Recherchethema (weiter) zu entwickeln, sich zu vernetzen und intensiv über ihre jeweilige Arbeitspraxis auszutauschen und Feedback und Rat von Expert:innen und Peers zu erhalten.
Zielgruppe sind freie und feste Journalistinnen und Journalisten aller Mediengattungen aus ganz Europa mit ersten Erfahrungen oder großem Interesse am cross-border journalism.
Termine 2023:
28. März - 1. April 2023: Seminarzentrum Gut Siggen, Ostsee
1. - 4. Juni 2023: Folgetreffen während der Dataharvest Konferenz in Mechelen, Belgien
