Supporting a new generation in the journalism industry

Getting a foot in the door of the professional world is hard work, and in journalism, it can be even harder. Only a few news organisations are hiring for staff positions, and the competition for getting relevant — and paid — internships is fierce. When you are a young journalist, starting a career in a newsroom can feel like a daunting feat.

At the same time, news organisations struggle to attract and retain talent with technical, digital, or business knowledge. Journalism desperately needs to break the homogeneity of its newsrooms, and welcome young professionals coming from diverse backgrounds, who can bring in different ideas and sensibilities.

In this context, the European Journalism Centre (EJC) is proud and excited to announce the continuation and expansion of the Google News Initiative Fellowship in Europe, a scheme that gives talented students and young graduates, a rare opportunity to connect and develop innovative work with renowned news organisations. As in 2019, the scheme is funded by the Google News Initiative and it’s managed, end-to-end, by our team at the EJC.

“Our experience with GNI Fellows is that they bring a different perspective to our team. Last year’s Fellow was no exception, and his background in a hypothesis-led academic environment was a refreshing addition to the team.” — The Guardian Visuals Team

More countries, more opportunities

In 2020, the programme offers 50 paid Fellowship placements across 14 European countries. For the first time, the Czech Republic, Italy and Spain are also part of the programme, alongside Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

Thanks to the collaboration of some of the most relevant and forward-thinking news organisations in these countries, 50 early-career professionals will get to spend their summer challenging themselves and learning from bright professionals in the areas of product design, data journalism, fact-checking and audience engagement.

“I learned a lot about verification and checking every last piece of information, no matter how small, during my fellowship. It was a great way into the newsroom and will definitely benefit my future career.” — Orla Dwyer, ’19 Fellow at TheJournal.ie

Alongside working in their selected newsrooms, all Fellows also receive training and support from the EJC. At the beginning of the Fellowship, we also make sure they get to meet each other in person so they can lay down the foundations of a pan-European professional network.

Supporting a more diverse, fresh and innovative journalism

The GNI Fellowship sets itself apart from other career development opportunities in journalism because it is open to talent from all disciplines. While a passion and curiosity for the news are essential, the Fellowship welcomes applicants of different backgrounds and values out-of-the-box skillsets. Previous journalistic experience is not a requirement.

Last year, we were in awe at the fantastic work the GNI Fellows produced. Some of them never thought about working in journalism but changed their minds after a great experience in newsrooms across Europe. Others got the self-assurance and boost they needed to keep pursuing their own path in the journalism industry.

“This fellowship was my first experience in journalism and it was an absolute eye-opener in terms of how newsrooms around the world are investing in creating impactful and creative digital stories.” — Lubena Awan, ’19 GNI Fellow at Der Tagesspiegel“The more diverse you are the more resilient you are towards changes and possible struggles your organization might come across. An analogy for this is that you are less likely to fall over if you have more legs on the ground.” — Olivia Almgren, ’19 GNI Fellow at Expressen

At the EJC we can’t wait to meet the 2020 GNI Fellowship cohort and, together with Google News Initiative and all our fantastic newsroom partners, to keep supporting a more diverse, fresh and innovative journalism in Europe.

How can candidates apply?

The deadline to apply is 14 April and the eligibility criteria, as well as the details of all the Fellowship placements available, can be found on our website.

Do you have any questions or suggestions? Get in touch with us at hello@journalismfellowships.eu