The Media4Europe summit, organised on 3 March 2021 by Europe’s Media Lab (Fondation Euractiv), called for greater collaboration between media professionals and media outlets. Publishers, EU policy makers, media and journalists’ representatives, including EFJ President Mogens Blicher Bjerregard, discussed solutions to make the media sector more financially sustainable and close to citizens’ needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that journalists and reliable news information are more necessary than ever. It has also tested the weaknesses and limitations of most of the European media business models. The awareness at the European level is growing: “the health of the news media sector…

The second edition of the Stars4Media exchange and training programme is now open for media professionals from different EU countries who wish to develop new editorial products or test innovative ideas. The call for application will run until 1 July 2021. The EU-funded programme is born with the ambition to make the media sector more sustainable by fostering innovation and quality journalism and building new partnerships between media organisations across Europe. The first edition started at the end of 2019, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a turbulent year, it successfully supported 105 media professionals from 42 media outlets in…

The EU training and exchange programme Stars4Media has delivered its promises despite the COVID-19 outbreak. During one year, the pilot project involved 105 media professionals from 42 media outlets in 17 European countries. At the occasion of the Media4Europe conference, which took place on 14 October, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) awarded the most outstanding Initiatives, among the 21 completed. “You are all winners, stressed EFJ director and jury member Renate Schroeder as the programme already selected 21 Initiatives in Spring 2020. Together with the jury members, we decided to…

The Stars4Media Pilot Project is supporting innovation in the media sector, through training and cross border cooperation. For its first edition, Stars4Media will support 22 innovative partnerships, bridging 100 media professionals from 17 countries. Out of all beneficiaries, 47% are women, 30% work as journalists, while the rest come from other professional backgrounds such as content marketing, social media management, editing, engineering,  and business. 18% of the total participants are freelancers.  The last call for initiatives, with deadline 20/05/20, was a success! Overall, 41 proposals have been evaluated and 22, the best and most promising, have been selected.  More information…

Applications open until 20 May 2020! More than ever before media companies need new skills and innovation. The Stars4Media programme is offering financial and constructive support to inspire change in the media sector. The first selection awarded six innovative proposals to be implemented in the upcoming months. The media professionals who have been pre-selected presented their initiatives during the Stars4Media Lab, the Stars4Media training and presentation virtual event, from 30 March to 1 April. After pitching their initiatives and one-on-one coaching sessions with the jury, five proposals received a green light and are ready to start implementing their projects. Amongst…

From 30 March 30 to 1 April, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Fondation Euractiv, in partnership with the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) and WAN-IFRA, will organise in Brussels the Stars4Media Lab. The event, part of the EU exchange programme for media professionals, aims to provide applicants with more information about Stars4Media, create the opportunity to network, and offer specific training and insights from academics, high-level media experts, and media practitioners.  Who can participate?  Stars4Media participants who have already applied and been pre-selected for the programme Stars4Media participants who have applied but are still looking for a media partner Interested young…