November Newsletter 2011

Maastricht - November 9, 2011

In the wake of the recent Arab Spring uprisings, this year’s European Development Days will have a special focus on issues of democracy and sustainable development. The EJC and the European Commission’s DG Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid are offering a select group of 12 journalists from EU-27 member states the opportunity to attend the event on 15-16 December in Warsaw. Costs for travel, accommodation and most meals will be covered. Apply here ».

CL!CK ABOUT IT, EJC’s international photography competition, is pleased to announce its revamped website, which now features a fascinating selection of winning and shortlisted photographs from all three past rounds. CL!CK’s fourth edition is scheduled to be launched in early 2012. Sign up here to stay updated ».

Fresh from the Estonian capital of Tallinn, MAITRE is now travelling south to the Iberian Peninsula. The media training programme for food researchers will hold its next seminar on 1-2 December at the Research Institute of Technology, Food and Agriculture in Monells (Catalonia) before moving on to the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia in Porto (Portugal) on 5-6 December and the Marine and Food Technological Centre in Bilbao (Spain) on 12-13 December. Apply here ».

Ahead of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2012, the EJC and the European Commission's DG Economic and Financial Affairs are organising an exclusive three-day seminar on the Economic Priorities of the Danish Presidency. Scheduled to take place in Brussels on 29 November – 1 December, the seminar is especially tailored for Danish journalists covering economic, finance and business issues. Apply here ».

The first comprehensive Data Journalism Handbook started being drafted at the recent Mozilla Festival in London in a session run by the EJC and the Open Knowledge Foundation. Data journalists and developers from leading news organisations and journalism schools are contributing to this ongoing Data Driven Journalism project. Feel free to share your own material and pitch in your ideas via the public data-driven-journalism mailing list, the #ddj or #ddjbook hashtags on Twitter, or by sending an email to bounegru@ejc.net ».

The EJC and the Thomson Reuters Foundation have officially launched a five-year Dutch Foreign Ministry funded programme to establish a financial news service in Zimbabwe. The Source will be a news service owned and operated by Zimbabweans, aiming to serve Zimbabwean media organisations, financial organisations and citizens with accurate and informed business news and analysis ».

The EJC and the Open Knowledge Foundation have started running a series of data journalism workshops on EU spending. The first two workshops took place in September in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and in October in Warsaw, Poland. A collection of useful resources on the topic, such as articles, videos, links to datasets, tools and tutorials, are available at datadrivenjournalism.net ».

The EJC and the Dutch humanitarian NGO Mensen met een Missie jointly implemented a media skills training course in Marsabit, Kenya, for the Kenya Peace Network. The association of over 20 Kenyan NGOs seeks to create an atmosphere of dialogue among the country's ethnic groups in the run-up to the 2012 elections. The two-day practical workshop in October focused on media strategy and skills building for the network’s communication officers ».

Leading thinkers such as sociologist Saskia Sassen, MIT professor Beth Coleman and New York University researcher and artist Mark Shepard took a close look at the potential of urban data environments during EJC’s highly attended From Database Cities to Urban Stories session last September at PICNIC Amsterdam. Videos, articles and pictures covering the event are available at datadrivenjournalism.net ».

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October Newsletter 2011

Maastricht - October 14, 2011

DataDrivenJournalism.net is a new EJC initiative dedicated to providing journalists interested in the emerging field of data driven journalism with relevant news, a comprehensive collection of learning resources and a community platform. The website benefits from the input and guidance of an expert editorial board, which includes data journalists Paul Bradshaw (City University London), Alan McLean (New York Times), Simon Rogers (The Guardian Datablog) and Matt Stiles (NPR) ».

More than 200 journalists and media professionals from southern Mediterranean, Eastern European and Southern Caucasus countries met on 10-11 October at the ENJN closing conference in Brussels to exchange views on the democratising power of new media in the context of the Arab Spring revolutions and gather insights from experiences in Eastern Europe. Speakers and participants engaged in a lively debate on the challenges facing the business of news reporting in transition countries. For full coverage of the event, visit the conference website ».

After a successful kick-off in Opatija, Croatia, the MAITRE project for food researchers will hold its second seminar on 27-28 October in the Estonian capital of Tallinn. By sharing their knowledge and experience, senior journalists will train participating food and nutrition scientists to better communicate their findings to the public. The seminar will take place alongside the FLAVOURE International Conference "Food/Feed Quality, Safety and Risks in Agriculture" organised by the Estonian Research Institute of Agriculture. Apply here ».

The EJC and the European Commission’s DG Economic and Financial Affairs are organising a three-day seminar on EU’s response to the economic and financial challenges facing the Euro area. The seminar, to be held on 8-10 November in Brussels, is exclusively open to journalists from non-Euro area EU member states, Australia and New Zealand. Apply here ».

The EJC is proud to announce that Larry Louie (Edmonton, Canada) has been awarded the grand prize of the third round of the CL!CK ABOUT IT international photography competition on the theme of Aid. Louie’s showcasing of the "story-telling" of photojournalism has won him a reporting trip in early 2012 to a number of Oxfam-run projects. The three runners-up are Sarika Gulati (India), Daniel Marenco (Brazil) and Paolo Patruno (Italy) and will each receive a EUR 500 Amazon gift card. The competition, organised in partnership with Oxfam International and the European Commission, received entries from over 250 professional/amateur photographers ».

EU journalists covering technological, legal and business issues related to cyber security are invited to apply for the tailor-made Data Protection and Justice for Growth seminar, to be held on 8 November 2011 in Brussels. EU officials and independent experts will update 30 journalists on the latest developments in the field. The programme includes a session with EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding. Travel, meals and accommodation expenses will be covered for the duration of the programme. Apply here ».

A group of 15 journalists will be offered the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in EU space exploration and policies at the Third International Space Exploration Conference on 9-10 November, in Lucca, Italy. The group will meet representatives from the European Commission, the European Space Agency as well as European Ministers and Heads of Delegations from the US, Japan and Russia. Apply here ».

Over 200 journalists responded to the EJC survey on the emerging practice of data-driven journalism and shared their opinion on their training needs in this new field. The survey results, gathered between April and August 2011, are now publicly available and have been analysed by two experts in data journalism, journalist and trainer Mirko Lorenz and journalism professor and trainer Paul Bradshaw ».

EJC's Brussels office is pleased to announce the arrival of Iraqi journalist Maryam Mohammed Jaafar who won the inaugural Kamel Shiaa Prize with her article Violence is spreading among the Iraqi children. During her three-month stay in Brussels, Maryam will receive a skills training programme under the auspices of the EJC and report on European topics ».

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September Newsletter 2011

Maastricht - September 6, 2011

From database cities to urban stories is the title of EJC’s session on 15 September at this year’s PICNIC Festival for the creative industries. The event will examine the potential of urban data environments, the media ecologies they generate and the way these new approaches transform our relationship with our cities. The list of speakers includes Saskia Sassen (Columbia University, USA), Mark Shepard (State University of New York, USA and Mirko Lorenz (Deutsche Welle, Germany). Contact Liliana Bounegru for ticket discounts ».

Experienced journalists will this month start training a target group of 600 food and nutrition scientists to equip them with the tools to better interact with the media and communicate with the public. The first two MAITRE seminars will take place on 23 September in Opatija, Croatia, in collaboration with the 7th International Congress of Food Technologists, Biotechnologists and Nutritionists, and on 26 September in Varna, Bulgaria, in the run up to the 3rd MoniQA International Conference: Food Safety and Consumer Protection ».

EU journalists covering the internal market or cyber security issues are invited to apply for two tailor-made seminars in Brussels: European Contract Law on 20 October and Data Protection on 8 November. At each seminar, EU officials and independent experts will update 30 journalists on the latest developments in the fields. Travel and accommodation arrangements for the duration of the events will be covered ».

Resource efficiency, biodiversity and climate change are among the environmental priorities of Poland’s ongoing EU Presidency. Exclusively tailored for Polish journalists specialised in environmental affairs, the two-day information briefing Covering the Polish Presidency: Environmental Priorities will on 29-30 September enable participants to meet with EU high-ranking officials, policy makers and experts from Brussels-based think tanks and international NGOs. Apply here ».

The Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign Affairs has for the fourth consecutive year asked EJC to organise a series of four workshops for journalists. The first two seminars, for Icelandic and Turkish journalists, will take place from 14-22 September in Reykjavik, Ankara and Luxembourg. With a focus on young journalists under 30, each group will also include a number of senior members of the press ».

The EU funded media development project, The European Neighbourhood Journalism Network, a consortium led by the Thomson Foundation, the European Journalism Centre and the International Federation of Journalists will hold a conference on Media Futures – Policy, Politics and Power on 10-11 October 2011 in Brussels. The two-day international event will bring together a cornucopia of top level speakers to discuss the future of journalism, press freedom, the business of news and the influence of social media on the 2011 revolutions. ».

Development is at the heart of EU´s external action. The European Commission will this autumn set a new direction for the EU´s development policy, with two new key communications. EU journalists are invited to apply for a seminar on the Future of EU development policy, to be held on 18-20 October in Brussels ».

The closing event of the 30-month Media Literacy education in Macedonia project took place on 2 September in Skopje. Organised by EJC's local partner, the Macedonian Institute for Media, the one-day conference brought together over 40 media and education professionals with Dutch and Macedonian government officials to share project outputs. Over 1000 primary and secondary school teachers from across the country were trained on designing and implementing media literacy courses, which are now to be embedded in the national education curriculum ».

The two-year Press4Transport project will conclude at the end of September. EJC was part of the consortium dedicated to giving media exposure to sustainable local and regional surface transport projects. The consortium was active in writing and disseminating press releases for projects across EU-27. All press material will remain available on the project website ».

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June Newsletter 2011

Maastricht - June 14, 2011

The EJC has entered a cooperation contract with Sanoma Group, a broad European media group with operations in more than 20 countries. The project centres around new media trainings for editors-in-chief and also looks into the future of journalism and media economics. Sanoma Group includes Sanoma Media, a leading European magazine publisher with a magazine portfolio of some 280 titles as well as strong online, mobile and television/radio activities. Contact: Anne Autio ».

The EU funded project MAITRE (Media Actions for International Training of Researchers) will, starting in October 2011, run 50 training seminars in several EU and associated countries. Journalists and media experts will train a target group of roughly 600 researchers from organisations involved in food science to better communicate scientific information to the public at large. Contact: Cristina Romero ».

The EJC has signed a four-year contract with the European Commission to implement information events for journalists related to EU affairs. The contract will allow the EJC, in cooperation with European institutions, to produce seminars, workshops, briefings and conferences for journalists from Europe and across the globe on the EU and its policies. The contract also allows for the further development of the multilingual website eu4journalists.eu ».

With support from Oxfam Novib, the EJC will in the beginning of July 2011 launch the third edition of the CL!CK ABOUT IT international photography competition. The three-month contest will focus on aid related issues and will be held prior to the G20 meeting scheduled to take place in late November in France. Stay tuned! ».

The three winners of the EJC competition Young Reporters Against Poverty are about to set off on a four day trip to Tanzania. Katie Davies (UK), Alba Malaga Homs (Spain) and Chiara Zappalà (Italy) will on 20-24 June have a chance to meet with the President of Tanzania H.E. Jakaya Kikwete and visit a EU Mission. Follow the coverage of their experience at youngreporters.net ».

As governments and international agencies are making collections of data freely available online and more tools for data analysis and visualisation are being developed, the short survey “Data-Driven Journalism - Your opinion” aims to gather the opinion of journalists on the emerging practice of data-driven journalism and their training needs in this new field. The results of the survey will be publicly released and one of the entries will be awarded an Amazon voucher of EUR 100! ».

A story depicting the impact of the war on Iraqi children and their perception of the various religious communities around them has won the Kamel Shiaa Prize. Gathered in Brussels on May 31st, a jury committee of six international journalists awarded the Iraqi journalist Maryam Mohammed Jaafar for her article "Violence is spreading among the Iraqi children". The winner will receive a three-month skills training programme in Brussels under the auspices of the EJC ».

The EJC has selected six European journalists to take part in a Fellowship programme covering political, economic and social issues in the Korean peninsula. The press visit organised in co-operation with the Korea Press Foundation will take place between August 23 - September 3 and includes trips to the Demilitarised Zone, Jeju Island and other key locations in South Korea ».

With the closing of the fifth and final round of the international blogging competition TH!NK5: Water, the TH!NK team is now looking for enthusiastic TH!NKers, as well as anyone interested in the project, to contribute ideas and feedback on the future development of the TH!NK ABOUT IT project. Thank you for taking the short survey and TH!NKing with us to the next level! Who knows, you may even win a 100 USD Amazon gift card in the process! ».

The EJC has job openings for the positions for Project Manager and Project Assistant at its offices in Maastricht and Brussels ».

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April Newsletter 2011

Maastricht - April 5, 2011

To promote a better understanding of Korea, the EJC and the Korea Press Foundation are organising a two-week fellowship programme in South Korea on 22 August – 3 September 2011. The study trip will feature a series of seminars on issues such as EU-Korea relations, the Free Trade Agreement, green growth policy and security on the Korean peninsula. Six EU journalists and editors from written and online media, news agencies and broadcasting companies with at least five years of professional experience will be selected on the basis of motivation and concrete ideas for reporting. Freelance journalists may also apply. Excellent level of English required. Deadline for application: Sunday 29 May at 00.00 CET. Contact Cara Smith ».

EJC director Wilfried Rütten has been invited to join the Board of the Global Editors Network, the new international network for editors. Fellow board members include Jeff Jarvis, Al Trivino and other renowned academics, editors and news executives. The network will be headed by former WEF President Xavier Vidal-Folch (El Pais) and former WEF Vice-President Harald Stanghelle (Aftenposten) ».

Young people in Europe have been particularly hard hit by the recent social and economic crisis. In response, the European Commission recently launched the “Youth on the Move” initiative, aimed at helping young Europeans succeed in the knowledge economy. The main challenges facing European youth today will be addressed in a two-day seminar for EU-27 journalists on 8-9 May in Florence, alongside the State of the Union conference and the Festival of Europe. Apply here ».

Justice, fundamental rights and security issues close to EU citizens will be the focus of a three-day seminar in Brussels on 2-4 May. The programme will touch on specific themes such as victims’ rights, Roma policies, data protection and procedural rights and include a meeting with Viviane Reding, Vice-president and Commissioner for justice, fundamental rights and citizenship. EU-27 journalists are invited to apply here ».

The first prototype of the SYNC3 blogosphere mapping tool has been met with a lot of positive feedback. The media analysts, journalists, editors and bloggers involved in the first round of user evaluation, praised SYNC3’s capacity to synthesise public opinion and allow users to follow conversations and track sentiment centered on key issues, events, or persons as they unfold in the blogosphere. An improved prototype is planned to be released this month. Read more ».

Improving European economic governance and the return to sustainable economic growth have been noted as priorities for the upcoming Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU in July 2011. Exclusively for Polish journalists covering economic issues, the EJC and the European Commission’s DG Economic and Financial Affairs are organising a three-day seminar on the "Economic Priorities of the Polish Presidency" on 17-19 May in Brussels. Apply here ».

The three-year CASAM research project led by a consortium of commercial, academic, and non-profit partners including the EJC, concluded in March with a final round of user evaluation of the software prototype. The project successfully created an innovative semantic tool which facilitates and speeds up the task of annotating (or "tagging") of videos through semi-automatic intelligent processing. Test users in broadcasting, media production and news agencies welcomed the CASAM prototype and expressed the hope to soon be able to use the tool in their regular working environments ».

The grand prize for the 36 winners of the TH!NK and CL!CK competitions is a water themed reporting trip scheduled to take place in Lisbon from 18-21 April 2011. Congratulations from the EJC team! Contact Rina Tsubaki for more information ».

Follow our in-house video productions by subscribing to the EJC Vimeo Channel. New video films include lectures from recent EJC conferences on Water and Sports and the second reporting trip of the East4South intercultural project! ».

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March Newsletter 2011

Maastricht - March 8, 2011

As a sequel to the 2010 conference in Brussels, the EJC invites 60 journalists from the EU-27 to the "Climate Action Conference - Water", to be held in Budapest on 23-24 March 2011. The conference is tied with the Hungarian EU Presidency event "Futures of European Water" and will focus on climate change and water related issues as a follow-up to the COP16 summit in Cancún last December. Apply here ».

The EJC with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Luxembourg has developed a series of briefings in 2011 for journalists from candidate and possible candidate countries. The seminars aim to familiarise participating journalists with the European Institutions based in the Grand Duchy. Participants will also visit the town of Schengen where the agreement abolishing border controls was signed on 14 June 1985 at the border between Luxembourg, Germany and France. Contact: rochez@ejc.net for more information ».

Climate change threatens to exacerbate current challenges to the achievement of the UN’s Millenium Development Goals. At the same time, there is a link between access to energy and fighting poverty. EU's external aid providers try to combine access to energy necessary for the achievement of the MDGs with an increased political awareness among decision makers on the role energy can play in sustainable development. A joint EJC-EuropeAid seminar in Brussels will between 13-15 April 2011 examine the expected outcomes of this strategy. EU journalists can apply here ».

The volatility of food prices accompanied by the energy and financial crisis has subjected millions to hunger and malnutrition. With over 70 percent of the world's poor living in rural areas, support to agriculture and rural development is fundamental to help over 900 million hunger victims, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa and in South Asia. To which extent is the EU engaged in the achievement of MDG number 1 - reducing by half the number of malnourished people? These topics will be addressed at the EJC-EuropeAid joint seminar on 4-6 May in Brussels. EU journalists can apply here ».

The Kamel Shiaa prize is a new annual competition launched on 21 February 2011 that will grant one Iraqi journalist a three-month fellowship in Brussels. The prize is dedicated to the memory of Iraqi/Belgian writer Kamel Shiaa Abdullah, assassinated in Baghdad in 2008, and commemorates Shiaa’s role in promoting human rights values such as press freedom. Iraqi journalists fulfilling the required criteria are invited to apply online until 30 April 2011 ».

The 13 winners of TH!NK3 - the third round of the TH!NK ABOUT IT blogging competition – took part in a reporting trip to Kenya from 31 January – 4 February 2011. The programme included a visit to the first Millennium Cities Initiative in Kisumu and the first Millennium Village Project in Sauri. Watch the video clip of the trip and video reports of the visits to Ushahidi/iHub, the Manyatta community and the Kenya National Domestic Biogas Programme. Do you also want to observe development on the ground? Join the latest round of TH!NK ABOUT IT blogging competition: TH!NK5: Water for your chance to a reporting expedition to Portugal between 18-21 April 2011 ».

The EJC welcomes journalists who want to contribute to EJC.net with reports on the media landscape in their backyard and bring original insights into innovations or challenges related to print, online, television, copyright, video and mobile journalism. Check the EJC Magazine ».

Over 1600 journalists currently use the EJC online Journalism Community to connect and exchange ideas with worldwide colleagues. Specific interest-groups are added on a regular basis, the latest additions being Sports Journalists and Media Jobs. Sign up here ».

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SYNC3: Harnessing public opinion around news events from the blogosphere

Maastricht - February 28, 2011

Over the past few years, blogs have become one of the major platforms for people to express personal opinions and sentiment. Previously, opinions on issues of public interest were commonly identified through the use of opinion polls. Now, in the Internet age, the wisdom of the crowds can be harnessed by means of automated sentiment analysis technologies that map emotionally charged opinions in user-generated content.

One may wonder, how media analysts can follow conversations and track sentiment centred on key issues, events, or persons as they unfold in the blogosphere. How is it that a journalist can get an overview of public debates regarding news stories while at the same time identifying expert interlocutors and opinion-makers? The answer is simple: SYNC3 makes this possible.

How users see SYNC3: An efficient tool for media analytics

The SYNC3 prototype received a lot of positive feedback from users coming from major news agencies and national and international communication and media monitoring agencies in Europe, including Russia, during the first round of user evaluations which took place in November of 2010 through January of 2011. The media analysts, journalists, editors, and bloggers who tested the first prototype praised SYNC3 for its capacity to synthesise public opinion by clustering together disparate individual opinions around news events presented in traditional media.

Search interface in the first SYNC3 prototype

The first integrated version of the SYNC3 prototype comprised of a search interface that enabled easy exploration of news articles and blog posts which were organised around news events. Narrowing the search down to certain persons, organisations, locations, and/or news sources that were involved could filter out the search results even further.

Overview and Map view in the first SYNC3 prototype

During discussions with users, new uses for the Workspace, a collaborative space that provides users with tools to analyse media content and create news maps, reports and new articles, were revealed. The simplicity through which media content could be archived in the Workspace for later use was much appreciated by media monitoring specialists. Communication professionals also envisioned using the SYNC3 tool for possible demonstrations that would introduce compelling case studies of media coverage and cross-media influence to a major audience such as an important client.

Workspace in the first SYNC3 prototype

Next steps

The last year of research and development of this three year EU funded project will be dedicated to gathering and integrating user feedback to increase the usability, applicability, and usefulness of the system. Sentiment analysis, which is one of most user-awaited functionalities of the system, will be among the key issues on the agenda of research and development. Exploring potential business opportunities is also on the agenda of the consortium in the coming months so, if you’re interested in talking to us about interesting ideas, collaborations, or things that we can add please write us!

Note to editors:

SYNC3 is under development by a consortium comprising of reputable research institutes, universities and companies in the field of technology. Some of the associations currently affiliated with the project are: Athens Technology Centre (ATC), National Centre of Scientific Research ‘Demokritos’, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz Universität Hannover (L3S), The University of Edinburgh, Xerox Research Centre Europe, i-Sieve, and Google as well as two media organizations, the European Journalism Centre and RIA Novosti. 

To stay up-to-date with the latest project developments please check the project website, and also our updates on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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January Newsletter 2011

Maastricht - January 13, 2011

We are pleased to announce the launch of the next CL!CK2 (photo) and TH!NK5 (blogging) competitions. The theme for both is water - a natural follow up to the previous climate change focus. Sign up to enter and you could win a reporting trip to Portugal in the spring! Register for CL!CK2 / Register for TH!NK5 ».

The two year long RELATE science journalism project comes to a close on 28 January with a final conference in Brussels. Young reporters and researchers from across Europe and beyond, will speak about 'bridging the gap between science and journalism' following a series of one-week study tours. Markus Lehmkuhl of the Freie Universität Berlin will also present his latest findings on 'Science in Audiovisual Media: Production and Perception in Europe'. Contact Howard Hudson ».

Gender equality greatly contributes to promoting growth and reducing poverty across every continent: the UN's fifth Millennium Development Goal is maternal health. However, in the developing world women suffer disproportionately from poverty and its related ailments, malnutrition, poor health and illiteracy. These will be the key themes of the next EJC-EuropeAid joint seminar on 28 February-2 March in Brussels. Contact Cara Smith ».

The inaugural Young Reporters Against Poverty (YRAP) competition winners have been finalised after tough deliberation. Members of the European jury awarded the three Tanzanian press trips, to Katie Davies (UK) for the best written article, Alba Malaga Homs (Spain) for the best radio broadcast and Chiara Zappalà (Italy) for the most original reporting. Check out the winning entries ».

Beginning in February 2011, a select number of foreign affairs reporters will have the chance to visit countries neighbouring the EU. Three high level briefings will take journalists to Armenia, Israel and Moldova, with each intensive five-day workshop focusing on a different theme. Apply online ».

EJC is accepting applications for the ‘Platform Against Poverty’ briefing in Brussels, 7-8 March. Tailored for 30 journalists from across the EU-27, it will consider how the Union is addressing poverty across its member states. Apply online ».

At the end of January EJC continues with the last 20 trainings for primary and secondary school teachers in Macedonia as part of its media literacy project funded by MATRA. CDs will also be produced to accompany the programme. Contact Marjan Tillmans ».

The European Journalism Centre is very pleased to welcome two new Asian fellows to its ranks in 2011. Ms Choi Hyo An from Korean TV's Seoul Broadcasting System and Mr Ichiro Matsuo from the Japanese daily Asahi Shimbum will spend their time learning more about covering the European Union, its institutions and policies, whilst experiencing life in Europe. ».

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December Newsletter 2010

Maastricht - December 16, 2010

Thirty senior sports journalists will get an exclusive briefing on the EU’s sports agenda this February in Budapest, Hungary. The three-day seminar will coincide with the European Commission’s annual Sport Forum, in the first year it has ever been made public. Discussion will focus on sport’s societal role and threats to open and fair competition, as well as changes occurring with sport financing. Contact ».

January 1, 2011 is P-day for Hungarian journalists getting ready for their country’s takeover of the EU Presidency. In preparation, EJC has organised two December seminars: Economic Priorities of the Hungarian Presidency and EU Environment Policy – Anticipating the Hungarian EU Presidency. Both briefings will inform groups of 15 journalists on the role of their nation's presidency in hopefully shaping tighter European cooperation in economic and environmental policies. Click here to download a free e-copy of EJC’s booklet ‘Reporting the Hungarian EU Presidency’. Contact ».

International software development project SYNC3 is looking for people to put its first prototype to the test. The innovative tool in question will monitor and map how the blogosphere comments on news, and how opinions related to current affairs develop over time. Journalists, communication professionals and scientists based in the Limburg area of the Netherlands, are invited to take part in the first SYNC3 user tests. Contact ».

The Brussels-based press corps will finally get a place to call its own in mid-January with the opening of Press Club Brussels Europe. Established by the International Press Association, the European capital’s very first international press club will be walking distance from rondpoint Schuman. EJC is proud to congratulate one of its affiliates, Maria-Laura Franciosi, for her long-standing support for the concept and her appointment as Honorary President. Contact ».

EJC’s TH!NK4 blogging competition first round winners gathered in Cancun, Mexico at the start of December for the COP16 climate conference. The theme of the competition was climate change, and bloggers from around the world shared their local perspectives. Click here for their COP16 reporting. Winners of the competition's second phase for prizes of a MacBook and Flip HD video cameras will be announced soon! Visit the website ».

EJC’s exciting new competition Young Reporters Against Poverty, run on behalf of the European Commission, unleashed 33 student journalist finalists on Brussels this month. The group received hands-on training from seasoned media veterans, before using a bespoke online reporting platform to cover the European Development Days on 6-7 December. Take a look at their work, including articles, audio, video, photos, podcasts and tweets at youngreporters.net ».

EJC helped Macedonian online journalists and web staff get even more tech-savvy this December, at three practical training workshops. Funded by the Fritt Ord Foundation as part of its New Media Training Series, the programs focused on the organisation of online newsrooms, multimedia tools, mobilising interactive readerships and learning new e-platforms. ».

Disruptive innovation is vital for Europe – that was the message for the 30 European economic journalists invited to attend one of EJC’s recent seminars in Brussels. Both the European Commission’s representatives and independent speakers at the seminar such as Ann Mettler from the Lisbon Council thinktank and Simon Hampton, Director of European Public Policy for Google, emphasised the role of journalists in reporting the issue. ».

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November Newsletter 2010

Maastricht - November 4, 2010

Our brand new 'Media Landscape' covers 38 European countries plus 6 neighbourhood states. Fully expanded and updated, our online archive presents the state-of-play for new and 'old' media, EU and national policies, resources and development trends. To find out more click here. ».

Last week the Dutch Foreign Ministry announced that our 'Press Freedom 2.0' consortium will receive €21.8 million for 2011-2015. Our innovative plan is to strengthen press freedom by training journalists, improving the quality of media, and offering a voice to women, children and minorities -- particularly in Africa, Asia and Latin America. For more info contact: Marjan Tillmans ».

The Young Reporters Against Poverty contest has received hundreds of applications from journalism schools and universities across the EU27. In the second half of November, EJC will announce the 33 finalists chosen to attend the European Development Days in December. Ultimately 3 students will visit an EU mission in Africa. For more info click here or contact info@youngreporters.net ».

In January 2011, Hungary assumes the EU Presidency for the first time. To mark the event, EJC brings you ‘Reporting the Hungarian Presidency’, a pocket-sized booklet with details of who to contact (press officers, spokespersons, presidency representatives) along with info on Hungary, its government, and the challenges it faces. Sign up here for a free download or contact: Eszter Pakozdi. ».

EJC presents its autumn curriculum at the Kosovo Media Institute, part of a two-year project funded by EuropeAid, with Irex Europe and the EC Liaison Office to Kosovo. We are now rolling out ‘training of trainers’ courses for local journalists who will become the core group of instructors at the KMI. Courses include environmental reporting, (Oliver Wates), online journalism/computer assisted reporting, (David Brewer), and print journalism (Bert Lanting). For more info click here or contact: Marjan Tillmans ».

Many regions worldwide now prefer the Euro to the US dollar for trade invoicing and financial investment. Our four-day seminar ‘The Global Role of the Euro’ will bring US and Canadian journalists to Brussels and Frankfurt, to meet EU economists, external experts and attend the press conference of ECB President Trichet. For more info click here or contact: Cristina Romero ».

Ahead of the Hungarian EU Presidency, EJC hosts a two-day seminar for reporters covering environment in Hungarian media. On 14-15 December, participants will meet experts in Brussels to debate the environmental priorities of the upcoming EU presidency. The seminar will probe EU strategies in fighting climate change, protecting habitats and species, and using resources efficiently. For more info click here or contact: Eszter Pakozdi ».

In early December, Brussels hosts the ‘European Development Days’, drawing seven Heads of State from Africa, Commission President Barroso and other dignitaries. The conference includes 15 high-level panels, 2 keynotes and 30 seminars - including one on Media and Development - as Europe seeks to strengthen its role as a donor and partner for developing countries. For more info click here or contact: Elise Rochez ».

‘Covering the Crisis’ is a new book from the EJC, looking into the role of the media in the financial crisis, based on a 2009 conference with top bankers, reporters and politicians. We are now giving away 15 copies of the book in a lottery to anyone who joins our Online Community in November and December. Sign up quick and easy here ».

Posted on November 4, 2010 by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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