Connecting young talent and innovative newsrooms across Europe

The Google News Initiative Student Fellowship has been created to support the next generation of European media professionals and to drive innovation across the news industry. This summer, 30 newsrooms across Europe will open their doors to young talent and benefit from new voices and fresh perspectives, while Student Fellows will get a unique opportunity to kick-start their careers. The Fellowship has proven to be a successful way to connect young talent and innovative newsrooms, which is the reason why the European Journalism Centre foundation, in partnership with the Google News Initiative, is organising the programme for the fourth time.

Fresh perspectives to boost innovation

While the ideals of traditional journalism, seeking the truth and holding power to account, remain at the core of newsrooms, they are increasingly experimenting with form. This means that newsrooms are becoming more and more vibrant places where multiple sectors and professions intersect and where people from all backgrounds meet. To boost innovation, bring in new ideas and perspectives, the GNI Student Fellowship is not only open to journalism students and recent graduates, but also welcomes applicants with a variety of backgrounds and skill sets: In 2022, participating newsrooms are looking for Student Fellows with backgrounds in data journalism and interactives, audience engagement, product and design, verification and fact-checking, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and more.

In 2021, 93% of the participating newsrooms said the Fellowship is a valuable recruitment pipeline that helps their newsroom to find new talent.

An entryway into the news industry

For young professionals, the Fellowship provides an entryway into the European news industry. This has become even more valuable in light of the pandemic that has added an additional layer of complexity to starting a career. Although the Fellowship lasts for only eight weeks, many former Student Fellows indicated that the programme changed the entire course of their careers. The programme allows Student Fellows to completely immerse themselves in the newsroom experience, gain useful skills and insights, and build a long-lasting, international network of colleagues and alumni.

80% of the Student Fellows of 2019 and 2020 indicated that the Fellowship enhanced their career in one way or another.35% of previous Student Fellows landed a job at their host newsroom or through its network after their placements ended.

How does it work?

Selected Student Fellows will work in one of the 30 participating newsrooms across 14 European countries for eight weeks during the summer of 2022.

Before the Fellowship, in June, the 30 selected Student Fellows will get the opportunity to get to know each other, ask questions, and join workshops on relevant topics during a virtual bootcamp. During the work placement, Student Fellows get paired with a mentor from their newsroom that they can turn to for guidance. The EJC will support them and check in with them during the programme.

How to apply

Applications for the 2022 GNI Student Fellowship in Europe are now open! Applications close on Tuesday, 15 March 2022 at 23:59 CET. This opportunity is available to journalism, technology, multimedia, and design students and recent graduates who want to gain valuable work experience and build a professional network. We actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply.

To apply, visit our website. Here you will also find the application requirements, an overview of all the participating newsrooms, and other important information.