Navigating undemocratic influences in journalism and a new project kickoff
As part of the famed civic tech POINT conference in Sarajevo, we collaborated with SEENPM to host a two-day conference on 24–25 June 2024 exploring tactics to resist hostile foreign influence and disinformation. Thirty-six media professionals, CSO activists, fact-checkers and academics from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Hungary, Czechia, and the United Kingdom participated.
“The topics discussed at the event generated significant interest as they were highly relevant to the participants. We examined the issues related to foreign influence from various angles, emphasizing the distinction between natural influence and malign influence that seeks to undermine democratic institutions and erode public trust,” said Jaroslav Valůch, news literacy coordinator at Transitions.
SEENPM, the project’s lead partner, is a network of 19 media centers and institutes across 13 countries of Central and Southeastern Europe. The project is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy.
We also used the opportunity to announce the kickoff of a new project focused on media literacy for seniors. This project is a partnership with Media Centar Sarajevo (Bosnia), Montenegro Media Institute, and Media Literacy Coalition (Bulgaria). It aims to equip older adults with the skills to navigate today’s media landscape. This is another exciting development in our goal of uplifting this marginalized demographic, which is a tenet of our programs across the region.
Both events included sessions sharing valuable experiences and lessons learned from Czechia, which foster new ideas for research and training. This paves the way for innovative approaches to counter disinformation and malign influence, and enhance media literacy.
The inaugural European Solutions Journalism Summit
We’re excited to announce the European Solutions Journalism Summit is fully booked! We will be breaking down barriers and fostering a sense of belonging within the European solutions journalism community at this “unconference,” which will be held in Prague on 27–28 September.
This will be a gathering unlike any other, where journalists and editors from across the continent converge not as mere attendees, but as active participants in shaping the future of journalism.
To learn more about this innovative concept of participant-driven learning and networking, follow us on social media and sign up for our newsletter or reach out to sojosummit@tol.org.
Visit our website to learn more about the summit program! You can also follow along with our hashtag on social media #ESJS2024
Developing seniors’ skills with artificial intelligence
Transitions collaborated with the Elpida Center and Google on 13 June for the very first meeting of the Expert AI Seniors Group in Prague. This marked the start of a new project focused on artificial intelligence for seniors. The first meeting generated many practical ideas on how AI can simplify our daily lives.
This is another development in our long-term activities aimed at enhancing media literacy among seniors, and across other demographics, through discussions on current topics and practical solutions. Our work with seniors has continued to build, as evidenced by the breadth of projects we work on with this focus, and we plan to continue collaborating with this group both online and in person. The ideas that arose from this group will be further developed at the upcoming “Barcamp” workshop on 3-4 October at Elpida’s Prague office.
The media have shown a growing interest in our activities, and we welcome new volunteers from the journalism world and other professions who would like to learn and share with the project. We believe the best ideas come from discussions among people of different ages and expertise.
‘Going on Assignment in Prague’
We hosted our traditional summer school in July, during which 13 participants from the U.S., Hungary, and the Czech Republic learned what it takes to be a foreign correspondent. From 6-21 July, they joined our “Going on Assignment” course, held once again in cooperation with our good friends at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), which sent a contingent of students over to Prague to take part.
Speakers included Raphael Minder from The Financial Times, Mark D. Harmon from UTK, Jana Ciglerova from Dennik N, Michael Winfrey, a former foreign correspondent and editor who covered major news stories for Reuters and Bloomberg, and more.
Not only did attendees learn the tips of the trade directly from working foreign correspondents, they pursued an actual story on the streets of Prague, receiving advice on structuring their stories, locating quality sources, and incorporating multimedia, including video and photos. One of their articles has already been published on Transitions, about a Prague agency that offers visits to the underbelly of the Czech capital – through the eyes of the city’s homeless.
In addition to working on their main project stories, the participants toured Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and visited the Seznam.cz publishing house to witness the skill and dedication of journalists in Czechia. There were also many opportunities for networking and socializing, as well as exploring more of Prague and other places in the European Union to enhance their experience. Interested? Join us for this foreign reporting course in July 2025!
Prototyping for Taktak and launching the project website
And some movement over the summer on the Taktak project – a new payment solution designed by and for media organizations and journalists with support from the Creative Europe program of the European Union. The project website went live in June!
Taktak’s mission? To shake up the traditional revenue streams for European news media and freelance journalists by pioneering a user-friendly model that sparks reader donations on a per-article basis. This innovative approach will foster collaboration and revenue-sharing through intuitive tech tools and savvy marketing strategies.
To stay in the loop, sign up for the Taktak newsletter. Also do not miss our session on monetizing journalism at Transitions’ Solution Journalism Summit in September, where we will touch on the Taktak solution base as well. #ESJS2024 #TaktakSolution
The Journalist Security Fellowship Project draws to a close
Transitions is wrapping up its role in the JSF project, and as the Internews-run initiative winds up, we look back on its lasting impact on the world of journalism.
Covering nine countries, JSF – with Transitions as the Czech partner – achieved some truly remarkable results. In total, 47 fellows received training in digital safety and awareness-raising techniques. Over 90 awareness-raising engagements, reaching at least 1,500 journalists and students, were successfully organized. And some 56 scenario-based training events took place, reaching nearly 500 journalists and students. Of those who participated and completed the training at least 95% reported adopting at least one new digital security practice or behavior, showing what an astonishing success the Journalist Fellowship Project has been.
Many fellows and country partners have announced future plans to continue promoting digital safety for journalists in their communities post-project. This includes collaborations between local media institutions and universities on training programs to promote digital safety among journalism students and to position themselves as resources to provide support and answer questions in their communities, and more.