n-ost

About the network

n-ost was founded in 2006 as a network of predominantly German-speaking journalists aiming to improve the coverage of east Europe – they were able to offer in-depth expertise and on-site reporting at a time when many outlets couldn’t afford to keep their own correspondents and had to base their output on news agencies.

Since then, n-ost expanded its membership base and roster of cooperation partners all over Europe and shifted the scope of focus on strengthening cross-border collaboration.

The network currently connects more than 500 journalists and media initiatives actively cooperating across borders towards the shared goal of breaking through national bubbles. Together, they strive to foster an integrated European media sphere.

They believe that strong networks, regional expertise, and quality reporting from the peripheries are the keys to understanding an increasingly interconnected world challenged by a multitude of crises. As a pan-European network, they recognize the diverse legacies and realities that shape the media landscapes. n-ost therefore acknowledge that quality information can emerge from sources beyond traditional media institutions, including social media, civil society, and activism.

At the core of their work are the following approaches: working together (collaboration), learning and developing together (capacity building), sharing perspectives shaped by their different origins, biographies, political beliefs (multiperspectivity), and critically examining the role of journalism in the conditions of globalising capitalism, increased polarisation, and ongoing wars (reflection).

Projects

n-ost projects strengthen the European public spheres: The collaborative newsletter European Focus brings together nine participating newsrooms in Berlin, Madrid, Warsaw, Budapest, Rome, Tallinn, Sarajevo, and Paris. Each week a rotating editorial team meets online to discuss and select a topic that connects or affects us, to then produce five concise original pieces that illustrate diverging perspectives on the issue at hand from across the continent.

The Europe-Ukraine Desk aims to enhance media coverage of Ukraine by fostering cross-border collaboration among Ukrainian journalists and their colleagues in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain. Journalists from said countries have been able to visit Ukraine and Ukrainian journalists have travelled to Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Madrid, Paris, Rome, and Sofia in the past year to share their perspectives and discuss the respective media coverage of Ukraine.

Journalists can apply for grants for development of joint publications on underreported stories on Ukraine as part of the project. The Kyiv Media Hub offers networking opportunities for journalists based in Ukraine. Panel discussions take place on a monthly basis, covering topics such as the ethics of covering the war and the risks journalists face when reporting from a war zone. Furthermore, the project team compiles an overview of current discussions about Ukraine in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Spain and points out disinformation narratives found in EU media in the weekly newsletter “What about Ukraine”.

n-ost also has extensive subnetworks of climate journalists, of photographers, and of journalists (and activists) working on LGBTQ+ topics in regions where it is challenging or downright dangerous to do so.

Contact

Website: https://www.n-ost.org
Name: Natálie Zehnalová
Email: community@n-ost.org