European Dialogue and its lithuanian partner National Institute for Social Integration are working tirelessly on the development of an online interactive platform for the Media4Change community. Our intention is to create a wide Slovak and international network of and an interactive space for journalists, other media professionals, experts on various topics (e.g. human rights), and representatives of vulnerable social groups.
The web platform is still under construction, but the first step in building our Media4Change community is the creation of a Facebook group, to which we would like to invite all representatives of the above mentioned groups. A link to the private FB group of the community can be found here.
As the community grows, it will also bring more professional opportunities. Already now, the biggest benefits of joining the Media4Change community are:
- Exchange of ideas leading to cooperation on journalistic / media projects (so-called Ideas Market and matchmaking);
- Easier access to journalists / media from all over Europe, more interactions;
- Innovative and useful tools for journalists and the media;
- Regular information on open calls and other opportunities for journalists and other professionals working in the field of media;
- New competencies to help journalists create high-quality works;
- Discussions about interesting topics, connected with the exchange of experiences and ideas;
- Establishing new valuable contacts and exchanging information (not only with journalists and experts, but also representatives of vulnerable social groups – for example ethnical, religious, or sexual minorities).
In order to support the establishment of cooperation and the exchange of ideas, we have also created an online “Ideas Market”, which is a space on Google Drive accessible under this link. For reasons of data protection and security of participants, it is necessary to first register through this form. The Ideas Market space is intended for all members of the Media4Change community, but especially for those who don’t have a profile on Facebook or do not feel comfortable sharing their ideas or opinions in the FB group.
During the coming months, you can look forward to the launch of an interactive online platform with a number of useful features that facilitate high-quality journalism and openness of the media to the public in a number of ways. Around mid-June, we will open registration for the platform that will be fully functional, with all its tools available, in the fall of 2021. By then, however, we will work together to create a relatively broad Media4Change community and look forward to welcoming as many members as possible to benefit from it. Thanks to them, it will be richer, provide more experiences and opportunities, and be at the forefront of an ever-changing media environment.
Background
The Media4Change – Future Investigative Story Lab has been established and run by the National Institute for Social Integration (Media4Change programme) from Lithuania and European Dialogue from Slovakia to support cooperation, innovations, professional standards, and ultimately increase quality of content in the field of investigative journalism in Lithuania and Slovakia.
The whole project has been co-funded by the European Commission – DG CONNECT – under the 2019 call for proposals “Media freedom and investigative journalism” (Pilot Project: Supporting investigative journalism and media freedom in the EU).
Disclaimer: The European Commission’s support for the production of this article does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views of the authors only and are their sole responsibility. The Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
