- ✨ Inspiration for 2026: Video Highlights from the Media Innovation Summit
As 2026 kicks off, we would like to share a short video recap from the recent Media Innovation Summit (MIS) in Prague. It offers a chance to revisit the atmosphere, ideas, and conversations that defined the gathering. Alongside the general event video, all recorded talks are now available with embedded subtitles, providing an accessible way to catch up or dive deeper into the insights shared during the Summit.
General event video here.
The Summit brought together nearly 80 participants from 39 newsrooms across 25 countries. They explored how independent journalism can remain resilient, relevant, and strong amid rapid technological and economic shifts.
The event opened with a keynote that set the tone for the days that followed. In “Why Journalism Must Shrink to Grow,” Peter Erdelyi, founding director of the Center for Sustainable Media, articulated a central challenge for independent media today: sustainability is less about constant expansion and more about focus, adaptability, and making intentional choices in an environment of limited resources. Erdelyi reflected on a reality many newsrooms face — that doing better often matters more than doing more.
Watch Peter Erdelyi’s keynote speech here. (The keynote is also available as a written article.)
The MIS was far from a traditional conference. The attendees were the experts sharing practical lessons on design thinking, audience relationships, and new approaches to sustainability — from revenue diversification and subscription models to podcasts, newsletters, video formats, AI tools, and more strategic use of social platforms. Just as importantly, participants openly discussed both successes and failures, creating space for honest reflection and shared learning.
“Dare to Try New Things – It’s Worth It”
Three summit speakers shared their insights about the importance of innovation to keep independent journalism resilient, strong, and relevant.
Ignite Talks by Maris, Sabrina, and João.
- How can solutions journalism help newsrooms truly belong to the communities they serve?
In our latest podcast episode, Meenal Thakur and Jeremy Druker speak with Catarina Carvalho, founder and editor of Mensagem de Lisboa, about what community-first journalism looks like in practice — from live journalism and deep listening to hyperlocal reporting on housing, climate, and urban life.
This conversation explores how small newsrooms can build trust, invite participation, and create impact far beyond the page and what larger media organisations can learn from them.
Listen to the episode here! - Online Media Literacy and Fact-Checking Trainings Held in December under the “Fact-checked” Project
As part of the project Fact-checked: journalists and activists against lies and propaganda, funded by the Czech Foreign Ministry and implemented in partnership with Serbian organization CRTA and their fact-checking outlet Istinomer, a series of online educational activities targeting journalists, students, activists, and election observers were organised in December with a view to promoting media literacy and countering disinformation. The training gatherings were held in conjunction with the 16th anniversary of Istinomer.
An online webinar titled “Digital Literacy: Skills for Identifying Manipulation and AI-Generated Content” was organized on December 16 and 18 for journalists, journalism students, and students of other faculties engaged in activism. It was hosted by Lazar Čovs, a journalist, fact-checker, and digital forensic expert with professional experience at the weekly Vreme, the Fake News Tragač portal, and the BBC World Service, as well as extensive experience as a trainer in digital forensics and media literacy at the Novi Sad School of Journalism, the Deutsche Welle Akademie, and the BBC Academy.
After participants were introduced to a range of tools and techniques that can assist in assessing whether online content is authentic, they engaged in group work, applying these tools in practice and independently attempting to verify content and reach conclusions. The emphasis was placed on the thought process behind verification, including critical thinking, searching, and contextual analysis, aimed at demystifying digital investigations and demonstrating that, while specific knowledge, practice, and experience are required for advanced analysis, an initial verification process is accessible to any journalist or activist.
The webinar was attended by approximately 15 participants from diverse professional and academic backgrounds, including representatives of a news agency, local media outlets, university professors, a linguist specializing in language-based manipulation, and students of philosophy and other disciplines. According to participant feedback, the workshop was informative, engaging, and well-structured, with a motivating and interactive atmosphere. Several participants expressed strong interest in following future activities and applying for additional, longer-format training events.
In addition to journalist training, Istinomer organized two online workshops for CRTA’s election observers on December 16 and 17, titled “Lies, Spin, and Violence: How to Counter Manipulation During Elections.” The sessions were led by Milena Popović, Istinomer’s Editor-in-Chief, and Milijana Rogač, Executive Editor, both of whom have extensive experience in election observation alongside their journalistic and fact-checking backgrounds. Each workshop gathered 15 participants and focused on Istinomer’s methodologies for fact-checking and verifying the accuracy of political statements, particularly in the context of monitoring electoral processes. Through practical case studies, participants were introduced to common manipulative narratives and spin tactics observed in previous election cycles. The workshops revisited techniques used to mislead the public, enabling participants to better recognize and understand such strategies. High levels of engagement and active participation throughout the discussions, as well as feedback from participant evaluations, indicated the relevance and timeliness of the topics.
Through these activities, Istinomer continued to support journalists and civic actors by strengthening their capacities to recognize manipulation, counter disinformation, and safeguard the integrity of public discourse.
- Stories of Ukrainian refugees
Special reportage | Stories of Ukrainian refugees This special reportage by Taktak partners focuses on the stories of Ukrainian refugees across Spain, Bulgaria, Portugal, Czech Republic and Germany. Read it here.
- The Audience That Sustains Journalism
New White Paper on donations now available! How do readers decide to financially support independent journalism? The main purpose of this White Paper on Donations is to analyze and understand the factors that drive donations to independent journalism, a financing mechanism that is explained by social and symbolic logic rather than purely economic considerations.The report presents seven successful case studies from different countries that illustrate how active audience engagement not only ensures survival, but also strengthens editorial independence and protects freelancers and independent media from external pressures. This study also provides concrete recommendations for freelancers and media outlets to harness the potential of the donor audience. New White Paper on donations now available! Read it here
- Your Go-To Toolkit for Combining Investigative and Solutions Journalism
The SoJo Europe Program is proud to launch a set of practical, journalist-tested resources designed to help reporters integrate solutions journalism into their investigations. These guides have been created with insights from journalists and mentors part of the program and they offer actionable methods and frameworks for elevating reporting with deeper evidence, stronger storytelling, and a sharper understanding of what really works.
Use them to strengthen your investigations, centre communities in your reporting, and report on solutions with clarity and rigor.
📘 1. Investigating Solutions: Integrating Solutions Journalism into Investigative Reporting
Want to bring investigative rigor into your solutions stories?
This guide shows journalists how to examine responses with the same critical lens traditionally applied to uncovering problems. It breaks down mindsets, methods, and practical steps for scrutinising solutions by avoiding “hero stories,” spotting data anomalies, evaluating context, and grounding reporting in lived realities. This is an essential toolkit for anyone who wants to strengthen investigations while revealing what truly works (and why).
📗 2. Solutions Guidebook for Reporting Lived Experience
How do you capture lived experience with depth, accuracy, and care?
This guide explores how personal narratives can strengthen evidence-based solutions reporting without stereotyping, oversimplifying, or losing critical rigor. It offers concrete strategies for interviewing people responsibly, and integrating qualitative insights into investigations. The guide helps journalists ground their stories in the realities communities face, and in the knowledge they carry about both problems and solutions.
📙 3. What Didn’t Work — and Why It Matters: Reporting Instructive Failures
Failures can be just as revealing as success stories and this guide shows how to report them.
It unpacks the concept of instructive failure in solutions journalism: investigating why an attempted response didn’t deliver, what assumptions were wrong, and what lessons emerged. Instead of blame, the focus is on insight, learning, and understanding complexity. This guide helps journalists use setbacks to illuminate smarter paths forward and make failure a powerful lesson learnt as part of solutions reporting.Explore the Resources in More Languages
To make these resources accessible to a wider community of European journalists, we have also produced translations beyond English. All handbooks and guides are now available in German as well as in a neutral Bosnian–Croatian–Serbian written standard, ensuring usability across newsrooms in the Western Balkans. You can access the translated versions below.
German translations:
Handbook 1: Lösungen recherchieren: Lösungsorientierten Journalismus in investigative Recherchen einbinden
Handbook 2: Leitfaden für lösungsorientierte Berichterstattung über gelebte Erfahrungen: Lösungsorientierte Recherchen mit menschlichen Geschichten vertiefen
Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian translations:
Handbook 1: Istraživanje rješenja: Integracija novinarstva usmjerenog na rješenja u istraživačko novinarstvo
Handbook 3: Šta nije djelovalo – i zašto je to važno: Vodič za novinarstvo usmjereno na rješenja za pretvaranje poučnih neuspjeha u važne priče
- Media Innovation Summit: Innovation in Action
Nearly 80 journalists from 39 newsrooms across 25 countries gathered in Prague to explore how independent journalism can stay resilient, relevant, and strong. This wasn’t another sit-and-listen conference. At the heart of the summit was the “all teach, all learn” principle that turned the event into a genuinely collaborative space.
👉 Catch the spirit of the Media Innovation Summit – explore the highlights! ✨
Participants shared first-hand experiences, lessons learned, and practical insights from the projects they had been working on within the PluPro Project. They exchanged ideas on how design thinking and innovation can transform daily newsroom work – from engaging audiences and strengthening community ties to testing new formats, tools, and approaches. It was all about learning from what worked, what didn’t, and how these experiments can inspire others.
🔎 Want to dive deeper? See the project posters and case studies from the newsrooms. 📄 - 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲: 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲!
Drawing on the results of the Taktak survey, this report provides an in-depth look at the working conditions, challenges, and aspirations of journalists in Europe.
Key insights include:
🔹 Precarious work: 62% of freelancers need additional jobs to make ends meet
🔹 High burnout: 60% of journalists have experienced it
🔹 Double precarity for women and freelancers
🔹 Monetization & sustainability: Exploring paths forward with the Taktak solution
🔹 Practical recommendations for media organizations and professionals
Read the White Paper ➡️ https://taktak.media/white-papers/
- Media Innovation Summit Coming Soon #MIS2025
Mark your calendars: on 31 October – 1 November 2025, more than 40 independent newsrooms from 20 European countries will gather in Prague for the Media Innovation Summit. Together, we’ll share lessons learned, explore design thinking, and test new approaches to transforming media production. The Summit is all about building resilient, future-ready newsrooms – and the exchange of ideas promises to be as inspiring as it is practical. As part of the program, the newsrooms will present their projects and prototypes developed through the PluPro Media project, supported by microgrants to test new products and services using design thinking and experimentation. They’ll share what worked — and what didn’t — in a variety of formats, offering practical lessons for others building resilient, future-ready newsrooms. #MIS2025.
- Crossing Borders: How Solutions Journalism Travels to Find Better Answers
In our latest solutions journalism podcast episode, we talk with Radka Zitková, journalist at Heroine magazine. She shares how her team used cross-border reporting to explore fresh perspectives on parental leave – a topic that connects families and societies across Europe.
Curious how solutions journalism can open doors to new conversations? Tune in now
- Rethinking Election Coverage in the Czech Republic
Transitions has partnered with Respekt, a leading Czech weekly magazine, to rethink how political reporting serves the public ahead of the general election this fall.
The goal? Move beyond horse-race coverage and political soundbites toward reporting that listens to citizens, focuses on solutions, and fosters constructive public debate.
At the core of this new approach are four principles:
- Transparency about editorial intentions, starting with a clear mission statement explaining what Respekt is doing differently and why.
- Listening to the audience – actively asking readers what issues matter to them and what they feel is missing from the political conversation.
- Solutions-oriented reporting – focusing on responses and approaches that already exist and have proven effective elsewhere.
- Reducing polarization – by telling more nuanced stories that reflect the complexity of issues, avoid simplistic “us vs. them” framing, and highlight a range of perspectives to foster understanding rather than division.
Toward that goal, Respekt will ask its readers directly what they care about – and then shape its election reporting around those issues.
In short: not only “What are the candidates saying?” – but also “What questions do you want to get answered?”
More updates soon!
- Transparency about editorial intentions, starting with a clear mission statement explaining what Respekt is doing differently and why.
- Countering Serbia’s Tsunami of Dis/Misinformation
Our Serbian partner CRTA ramped up efforts to counter disinformation during the most recent round of local elections through its fact-checking platform, Istinomer. This work focused on holding public officials accountable and building the capacity of ordinary citizens to identify propaganda, misinformation, and spin.
Highlights over the first six months of the year:- 250+ articles published, including 30+ deep dives and 11 fact-checks of public officials’ statements
- 150 viral falsehoods debunked, including AI-generated fakes
- Election monitoring in the municipalities of Zaječar and Kosjerić, plus election-related developments nationally
- Massive digital reach: 1.8M on Facebook, 1.7M on Instagram, 800K+ on TikTok
Istinomer is proving that trust in the facts can be restored – especially when stories are sharp, visual, and on point.
- 250+ articles published, including 30+ deep dives and 11 fact-checks of public officials’ statements
- LEVEL-UP – Media Literacy Through Play
Let us (re)introduce you to LEVEL-UP, an exciting international project that brings together organizations from Spain (Maldita.es – project lead), the Czech Republic (Transitions), and Bulgaria (Media Literacy Coalition – MLC). Supported by Creative Europe, the initiative is designed to boost media and information literacy among older adults through innovative educational tools and gamification.
At the heart of LEVEL-UP is a shared mission: to empower older Europeans with the skills they need to confidently navigate today’s complex media landscape. By developing engaging learning materials and an interactive video game, we aim to offer resources that are not only informative but also enjoyable and relevant to real-life challenges.
Over the past few months, the project has made significant progress. We’ve completed a narrative analysis and worked closely with a research group to explore common disinformation narratives. Our teams also came together in Madrid to film a series of educational videos – and we’ve developed the first working prototype of our game!
What’s next? In the coming months, we’ll be enhancing the prototype into a more advanced version of the game, tailored to the needs of older adults and focused on helping them recognize and respond to disinformation. Alongside this, we’ll organize a series of workshops and exhibitions to showcase the game, discuss strategies for staying safe online, explore the nature of conspiracy theories, and reflect on how AI can support critical thinking in the digital age.
Stay tuned – more updates are coming soon and if you’d like to take a quick peek behind the scenes, check out one of our recent videos.
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