NEWS: Journalism partnerships - Collaborations

The European news media sectors play a crucial and valuable role in Europe. Yet, they are facing multiple challenges. Partially as a result of the digital shift, with readers shifting to online sources and traditional news outlets losing advertising revenues, the economic sustainability of professional journalism has come under pressure. Media pluralism has also been weakened over the years: many media at the local level as well as those putting their public interest mission before profits, have had to close down, posing risks for the good functioning of democracy.

Topic 1. “Journalism Partnerships - Collaborations”. Helping the wider European news media sector become more sustainable and resilient, thus contributing to trustworthy reporting, to skills development and employment for news media professionals and journalists, in particular by supporting media collaborations. This topic will support cross-cutting actions that address the structural and technological changes faced by the media sector, and support high-quality media production standards and business models by fostering cooperation, digital skills, cross-border and/or collaborative journalism.

Expected Outcome

• Increased innovation and creativity in business models, journalistic production processes and distribution processes
• Increased interest in journalism, among various social groups, language groups and age groups
• Increased viability of professionally produced journalistic content.
• Increased media collaboration
• Sector-wide networks for the exchange of best practices among news media professionals
• Knowledge-hubs for sub-sectors around technical formats (written/online press, radio/podcasts,TV, etc.) and/or journalistic genres (data journalism, general topics, specialised journalism, etc.)
• Acquisition and improvement of professional skills by journalists as well as media business professionals

Activities that can be funded

Support is foreseen for collaborative projects in and between any news media (sub)sector and/or genre that aim to enhance cooperation and instil systemic change across that sector. The proposed activities should be clearly justified and based on the needs of the chosen (sub)sector(s). The proposed partnerships are strongly encouraged to involve organisations from countries/regions with different and diverse media capabilities.

The activities should aim to serve the wider ecosystem across Europe, including small media. Sharing of best practices between operators in media markets with different and diverse characteristics (in terms of languages, production volumes, sizes, digitalisation levels etc.) is encouraged, to promote mutual learning. Activities should include concrete deliverables and set clear, objectively verifiable and quantifiable performance indicators for the mid-term and the end of the project. The estimated reach must be more precise than the sum of available distribution channels, and should be substantiated by a detailed outreach plan as well as proof of interest from the target groups.

All projects need to respect widely accepted professional media standards. The chosen standards should be indicated in the proposal and confirmed with a signed Declaration on Standards & Independence (Annexed to the Application form). Partnerships involving editorial work must operate with full editorial independence.

All Partnerships should consider the ecological footprint of the activities they propose, and where relevant, describe the strategies to ensure a more sustainable and environmentally respectful media sectors.

Proposals should cover one or more of the following priorities: Collaborative business transformation, and/or Collaborative journalistic projects. Overlapping activities combining both priorities may be included.

Priority 1: Fostering collaborative business transformation

Projects could aim to develop, inter alia, better revenue models, management models, new approaches to audience development and marketing, development of common professional/technical standards, new types of newsrooms, syndication networks or other models to exchange content between news media across the EU, or provide assistance to small organisations to develop business readiness.

To this end, projects can include events, online trainings and workshops for media professionals, exchange programmes, mapping of best practices, sector-wide development of technical standards, production of practical guidebooks, development and testing of platforms and technical solutions to exchange ideas and best practices, promotional activities, or other activities that aim to uphold the viability of the sector. Applicants should propose activities supporting media sectors lacking the means of adapting to the digital environment.

Priority 2: Fostering collaborative journalism projects

Professional collaboration can increase efficiency and the quality of reporting. Projects can therefore test original reporting and innovative production methods and formats. Projects can aim to increase exchanges of best practices among journalists and optimise workflows for those journalism genres requiring more time and resources.

To this end projects can include events, online trainings and workshops for journalists, collaborative development of guidelines and editorial standards, exchange programmes, online mentoring schemes, financial support to collaborative journalism projects, promotional activities or other activities that aim to uphold quality and diversity of journalism. Whenever editorial production is included, actions will respect the editorial independence of the media and emphasise the importance of proper and joint editorial arrangements.