New teaching fields for the next generation of journalists Erasmus Project

Project Title

New teaching fields for the next generation of journalists

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation

Project Summary

The project is the extension of the Erasmus+ KA2 project NEWSREEL – New Skills for the Next Generation of Journalists. The primary goal of NEWSREEL2 – New Teaching Fields for the Next Generation of Journalists is to improve such skills of a new generation of European journalists that are connected to the use of digital communication opportunities in a creative and responsible way for enhancing social benefits of the digital era. Creative and responsible use of digital tools is an indispensable ability of journalists. They should remain reliable and trustworthy sources of news in the digital noise to counterpoint the unverified information that affects the raw emotions and temper of the audience. To achieve these objectives, in the framework of NEWSREEL2, we will develop innovative teaching methods and materials for media and journalism students on the fields of:

Storytelling in social media in order to students learn how to present journalistic contents on social media networks;
Graphic journalism to get to know the basic tools and subgenres of comics journalism;
Improving democratic sensibility to be aware their social role and responsibility in a democratic society of the digital age;
Covering migration to improve their research and reporting skills, and understanding migration in a global context;
Foreign coverage to be able to contribute to a more balanced coverage of international topics;
Journalism for voice-activated assistants and devices to learn how to use them and see the potential that they can bring to newsrooms;
AI and journalism, robot journalism and algorithms to know how it can be used, and see clearly its potential and threats;
Verifying and analysing fake news to be able to identify information and opinion going viral and to verify information with the help of suitable tools and softwares;
Debunking disinformation to get solid knowledge regarding the mechanisms used for debunking fake news and disinformation.

Regarding these fields, the methodology used in the project’s implementation phase is based on the following 7 steps process:

1. Conducting a research to introduce the current status of the new type of skills and tools of journalism and the needs of the stakeholders;
2. Developing curricula in order to establish the structure of the e-learning materials and embed these skills and tools into the programmes of journalism studies;
3. Developing electronic learning materials and teaching methods primarily for blended learning university courses;
4. Organizing a summer school with interactive workshops on the project fields, with the aim students work together on journalistic projects in multinational teams;
5. Having courses at the participating universities as a pilot teaching activity;
6. Publishing a teaching guide with dedicated chapters to the specific courses, that summarizes the professional and methodological content of the project;
7. Publishing an online glossary that helps to build a common knowledge base and cover all of our professional fields.

Furthermore, the project aims to facilitate an efficient international cooperation primarily between university-based journalistic ecosystems. Therefore NEWSREEL2 will be implemented by

– the Department of Communication and Media Studies at the University of Pécs (as project leader);
– the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism, an affiliated institute of TU Dortmund;
– the CIES-IUL – Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology at the ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon;
– the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Bucharest;
– the Department of Media Studies and Journalism at the Masaryk University;
– Hostwriter, an NGO that helps journalists to collaborate.

In the long run, NEWSREEL2 will contribute to

– broadening best practices for journalism and media education;
– giving best practices for online distance learning methodologies;
– increasing trustworthy, reasonable information and debates at national and European level
– strengthening press freedom and democracy;
– fostering fact-based policy making about the future of journalism;
– improving critical thinking of European citizens.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 323732 Eur

Project Coordinator

PECSI TUDOMANYEGYETEM – UNIVERSITY OF PECS & Country: HU

Project Partners

• UNIVERSITATEA DIN BUCURESTI
• hostwriter gUG (haftungsbeschränkt)
• Masarykova univerzita
• Iscte – Instituto Universitario de Lisboa
• ERICH-BROST INSTITUT FUR JOURNALISMUS IN EUROPA GEMEINNUTZIGE GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG EBI GMBH