n-ost

About the network

N-ost is a prominent European network of journalists and media initiatives that strives to foster a resilient and integrated European media sphere through cross-border collaboration. Founded in 2006 as a network of predominantly German-speaking journalists, n-ost initially aimed to improve the coverage of Eastern Europe. At a time when many traditional outlets could no longer afford to keep their own foreign correspondents and had to rely heavily on standard news agencies, n-ost stepped in to offer crucial in-depth expertise and rigorous on-site reporting.

Since its inception, the network has significantly expanded its membership base and roster of cooperation partners all over Europe, shifting its core scope toward strengthening pan-European cross-border collaboration. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, and operating as a registered legal entity, n-ost currently connects more than 500 journalists, photographers, editors, and media initiatives actively cooperating across borders to break through insular national bubbles. Together, they strive to foster an integrated European public sphere.

The network is built on the belief that strong professional 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, n-ost recognizes the diverse historical legacies and current realities that shape various media landscapes. Consequently, the network acknowledges that quality public-interest information can emerge from sources beyond traditional media institutions, including social media, civil society movements, and grassroots activism.

At the core of n-ost’s work are four guiding approaches:

• Collaboration (Working Together): Fostering direct cross-border partnerships and joint reporting teams.
• Capacity Building (Learning and Developing Together): Providing continuous professional growth, grants, and specialized training.
• Multiperspectivity (Sharing Perspectives): Highlighting diverse angles shaped by members’ different national origins, biographies, and political beliefs.
• Reflection: Critically examining the role and ethics of journalism under conditions of globalizing capitalism, increased political polarization, and ongoing wars.

The network’s members are highly skilled in digital formats, multimedia production, interactive journalism, editorial project management, event organization, multilingual publishing, and professional training. Their primary reporting and collaborative focus covers:

• Democracy & Politics: Examining political polarization, institutional changes, and European integration.
• Climate & Environment: Reporting on ecological emergencies and sustainable transitions.
• Human Rights & Migration: Tracking border realities, marginalized voices, and fundamental rights.
• Health & Social Issues: Investigating societal shifts and regional welfare.

Network Projects

• European Focus: A collaborative newsletter and reporting project that brings together nine participating newsrooms in Berlin, Madrid, Warsaw, Budapest, Rome, Tallinn, Sarajevo, and Paris. Each week, a rotating editorial team meets online to select a pressing topic connecting or affecting European societies, producing five concise, original pieces that illustrate diverging perspectives from across the continent.
• The Europe-Ukraine Desk: A major initiative designed to enhance media coverage of Ukraine by fostering direct cross-border collaboration between Ukrainian journalists and their peers in Bulgaria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, and Spain. Journalists from these countries have traveled to Ukraine, while Ukrainian reporters have visited major European capitals to share perspectives. The project includes reporting grants for joint publications and coordinates the Kyiv Media Hub, which offers regular panel discussions on war-zone reporting ethics and safety. Additionally, the project team publishes the weekly newsletter “What about Ukraine”, providing insights on European media coverage and combating disinformation.
• Extensive Subnetworks: n-ost coordinates active, specialized communities for climate journalists, photographers, and reporters/activists working on LGBTQ+ topics in regions where such coverage is difficult or dangerous.

Contact
Website: https://www.n-ost.org

Contact

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