Media for Citizens Story Lab

Investigative Journalism and Media Innovations
( 2022-03-01 — 2023-08-31 )

Media for Citizens Story Lab project seeks to empower professional and citizen media makers to connect with their audience, and together shed light on socially important topics and possible solutions in responsible way. As well as facilitate involvement of audience in media production and discussions on relevant topics with journalists, media representatives, experts, and policy makers in order to make proposals on solutions to societal challenges in Europe. The aim of the project is to establish and sustain a network facilitating citizen and engaged journalism in Europe.

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About

Modern journalism, especially the news sector, is facing unprecedented challenges. It’s confronted with misinformation, content distortions, and disparagement by politicians, especially populists. Equally serious issues pose media that manipulate information and agenda, don’t follow professional standards, and don’t consider the interests of their audience. As a result, public trust in journalism is decreasing. However, there are good examples of newspapers, media, and other organisations that invest in building good relationships with an audience. The Media for Citizens Story Lab will bring representatives of some of those good examples, other media makers, and audience from Lithuania, Slovakia, Austria, Belgium, France, and Montenegro together to take further steps towards reversing negative trends in media, help regain trust of citizens, and ultimately respond and propose solutions to various societal challenges. All of it will be realised through Strategic meeting, capacity building training “New Spark to Journalism”, workshop “Journalism Next Door”, public discussions “Share Your Idea: Create a Change”, and Final conference, events bringing together 351 direct participants. The project team will also provide further mentoring to participants of the training and workshop. Future Story Lab platform will be used to facilitate connections and publish created media and proposals.

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    Articles

    Media for Citizens Story Lab Statistics

    The project «Media for Citizens Story Lab» was funded with the support of the European Union under the Programme “Europe for Citizens”

    Exploring Brussels From the Royal Palace to a Squat

    Contrary to what populists and extremists are often saying or suggesting, Brussels is not place which wants to dictate others what to do. It’s a vibrant city with rich history, multicultural atmosphere, Belgian spirit, and seats of institutions symbolising European diversity and unity. There is no better place that could help connect local Hi!ke concept with the EU level. It happened on June 28, 2023, and brought together 25 media makers, active citizens, politicians, and representatives of minorities.

    June 01 2023

    Moments from Media4Change Awards

    Since 2019, Media4Change has been awarding media outlets that include the most representatives of groups facing social exclusion in their work. This year’s awards started with a debate: “The cost of public awareness: who pays it?”

    Connecting Media and Digital Innovators

    Idea of the Hi!ke is to connect media makers – mainly journalists – and their audiences to meet in an unusual setting and discuss how media can better approach socially important and often sensitive topics, and how media can gain or regain trust of people, which is being eroded by distorted information and unprofessional media. Each of them is paying an attention to modern and solutions-oriented approach and ways of how people can engage with the media in the best ways and have their say when it comes to the agenda. In this context, digital technologies provide an important helping hand.

    Hi!ke Through the Eternal City

    During an international meeting in Lithuania, creative minds who want to move media forward and make them more inclusive came up with the concept of Hi!ke: a series of events that will take place in several European countries. First of them took place in Rome and it seems there cannot be a better location. It’s a city that has been influence by many cultures and which also influenced many others. It’s the Eternal City, the city where the all roads lead to.

    November 30 2022

    MediaStorm

    “Mediastorm” strategic planning creative workshop where international experts and like-minded people created a work plan for a series of international and local events focusing on engaged journalism/media in 5 countries.

    “Media for Citizens Story Lab” Working Groups

    “Media for Citizens Story Lab” is a project, aimed to establish and sustain a network facilitating citizen and engaged journalism in Europe. The goals of the project will be achieved by five working groups, listed below: