News Impact Academy

The News Impact Academy connects, supports and develops digital innovators in European newsrooms and media ventures.

What is the News Impact Academy?

Organised by the European Journalism Centre, and powered by the Google News Initiative, this series of workshops offers participants the opportunity to unleash their creativity and learn new ways to face some of the most pressing challenges in the journalism industry. The goal is to nurture leadership skills in digital innovators by connecting them with other innovators and giving them the tools to scale their ideas, wherever they work.

The Academy started in 2017 with editions in Rome, Hamburg, Budapest, Manchester and Brussels. This year, we visit five new European cities to explore innovation opportunities in areas like product development, community engagement and newsroom leadership.

How does it work?

The Academy unfolds during two days and each edition brings together 20 selected participants from different European newsrooms and a variety of backgrounds and skill-sets.

The programme offers:

Hands-on sessions to learn how to apply user-centered methodologies in the newsroom
Roundtables to define newsroom challenges and explore potential solutions
Ask Me Anything sessions and ignite talks with top innovation leaders
Networking events to connect with fellow digital innovators

Who is the News Impact Academy aimed at?

The Academy connects, supports and develops digital innovators in European newsrooms and media ventures.

All journalists and media professionals working in Europe* are eligible to apply. The selection criteria are based on the relevance of the answers to the application form, as well as on diversity considerations across geography, background, organisations and skill-sets of the applicants.

*In this context, the definition of "European" includes the 47 Council of Europe Member States

Key benefits for participants:

Why you should attend the News Impact Academy:

Meet and learn from leading global innovators
Discover and master design methodologies that solve everyday challenges
Develop leadership skills to help you get things done in your team
Explore and unwind your topic of expertise with a diverse group of professionals
Learn how other industries approach innovation
Become a member of the News Impact Slack community

Key benefits for organisations:

Individuals who attend the News Impact Academy will develop skills to accelerate innovation in any newsroom. How it benefits your organisation:

Professional development motivates and retains staff
Develops connections and business opportunities
Builds capacity in your organisation to test new ideas quickly
Brings new critical perspectives for product development
Creates innovation evangelists without needing to restructure
“Levels-up” promising leaders without costing the earth

Want to take part in the News Impact Academy?

The Academy is aimed at digital editors, designers, product owners and developers, social media managers, and other media entrepreneurs. We welcome applications from all creative minds in the media field who want to contribute to build a sustainable and innovative future for journalism.

In 2018 we organise five editions, each of them focused on how to tackle innovation around one specific topic:

Amsterdam, 17-18 May - Design processes for news [Applications closed]
Paris, 27-28 June - Hyperlocal news & engagement strategies [Applications closed]
Barcelona, 25-26 September - Newsroom leadership [Applications closed]
London, 17-18 October - Product development for news [Applications closed]
Warsaw, 5-6 November - Membership-based revenue models [Accepting applications]

Travel and Costs:

Selected participants will be able to attend the Academy free-of-charge and the organisers will arrange and cover travel and accommodation (if needed) to join the Academy.

Application Procedure:

All journalists and media professionals working in Europe are eligible to apply. Due to the limited number of available spots, applicants are asked to fill in an application form in order to be considered for the Academy. The organisers will select participants on the basis of the application form and the session focus of each Academy edition.

Further information:

If you have any further questions email us at info@newsimpact.io