In line with the mission of the Forum for European Journalism Students to promote the exchange and further education of young journalism students in Europe, numerous exciting program items awaited the participants and their guests, including other students from the Institute of Journalism Studies as well as African guest researchers who completed an Autumn School at the Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism.

Journalists from CORRECTIV and ICIJ as guests

Renowned guest lecturers gave FEJS members valuable insights into the topics of investigative and slow journalism in interactive workshops and lectures. Andreas Eckardt, Deputy Head of NBC News Europe, exchanged ideas with the students in an open discussion on the topic of “Is Slow Journalism a New Phenomenon?” and also addressed self-care, which is essential for journalists. Jelena Cosic, Head of Training and Eastern Europe Coordinator of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and currently Journalist in Residence at the Institute of Journalism, presented the work and award-winning research of the investigative network, including on the Panama and Pandora Papers. She emphasized how important it is for aspiring journalists to have an investigative mindset and to network across borders.

Marcus Bensmann from the non-profit German media company CORRECTIV reported on his team's research into the meeting of high-ranking AfD politicians and right-wing extremists in Potsdam last November and the “secret plan against Germany” developed there, which envisaged the expulsion of millions of people from Germany. CORRECTIV's research triggered nationwide protests at the beginning of this year and also caused a stir beyond Germany's borders.
 

Focus on European topics

Eva Fischer, freelance international correspondent and reporter for the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel, among others, showed the journalism students how to find and evaluate relevant sources at European level and thus contribute to critical EU and European reporting. Their presentation led into the official launch of the EU-funded project “COPE: Covering Cohesion Policy in Europe - Training MOOC for European Journalism Students”, which was celebrated with representatives of the European Commission and the partners and universities involved in the project. Under the leadership of the Institute of Journalism Studies at TU Dortmund University, the COPE team has developed a comprehensive online course over the past two years, which is intended to train future journalists in critical EU and European reporting in all 27 EU member states and in all official EU languages.

In addition to the thematic sessions, the focus was on networking between FEJS members and with journalists and decision-makers from Dortmund. In addition to visiting the two editorial offices of Dortmund's local radio station Radio 91.2 and WDR, the FEJS members took part in a guided city tour offered and supported by the Dortmund Economic Development Agency. IJ students also presented the editorial offices and studios of the Dortmund campus media eldoradio and KURT to the guests from other European countries.

The FEJS Annual Congress 2025 is expected to take place next May in Krakow, Poland, the next General Assembly in fall 2025 in Porto, Portugal, and the following Annual Congress in spring 2026 in Tilburg, the Netherlands.
 

A big thank you to the sponsors

The FEJS, and in particular the German organizing team led by Richard Brandt, would like to thank the numerous sponsors who have supported the FEJS General Assembly 2024 in Dortmund financially or with donations in kind. These sponsors include the ZEIT-Stiftung Bucerius, the Johanna-Quandt-Stiftung, the FAZIT-STIFTUNG, the Stiftung Presse-Haus NRZ, the Werner Richard - Dr. Carl Dörken Stiftung, the Gesellschaft der Freunde der TU Dortmund (GdF), the Deutscher Journalisten-Verband (DJV), audiowest media GmbH, Radio 91. 2, the Borussia Brewery, the Signal Iduna Group, the City of Dortmund's Economic Development Agency, EX e.V. - the Alumni Association of the Institute of Journalism at TU Dortmund University, the Faculty of Cultural Studies at TU Dortmund University and TU Dortmund University itself.

Contact person for queries:

Richard Brandt

Erich Brost Institute for International Journalism

E-mail: richard.brandt@tu-dortmund.de