A contribution to European integration

In the future, the process of European unification — and especially the rapprochement of Eastern and Western Europe —, will require journalists to possess adequate specialized knowledge about neighboring countries, along with the requisite international contacts and a capacity to empathize with the mindset of other cultures. It is the aim of the European Journalism-Fellowships to help prepare media professionals for this increasingly challenging task. Moreover, the programme aims are to make scholarship accessible to a wider audience, establishing links between journalism and academic life, and supporting the pan-European transfer of knowledge.

Thanks to the European Journalism-Fellowships, more than 130 journalists from 31 nations have had and still have an opportunity to pursue research in Berlin between 1999 and today. Reputable news organizations have granted leaves of absence to their journalists. Over the years, a network of journalists has emerged in Europe. Participants have developed heightened sensitivities for other perspectives and attitudes against the background of various cultures, and have developed into “Germany experts” who are capable of reporting competently about Germany in their home countries. All in all, the European Journalism-Fellowships have contributed both to raising the quality of journalism and to the European integration.