Fondation EurActiv and the Robert Bosch Stiftung are launching an innovative journalist training program to help young journalists gain experience of European Union policies and online media. One week of training in Berlin, in cooperation with EurActiv Germany, will be followed by an internship with Fondation EurActiv. The winning journalists will spend up to ten weeks in Brussels on EU related assignments, the final week in Brussels planned to coincide with an EU summit. This will provide opportunities to participate in press conferences given by heads of state or government. Successful fellows will become members of an alumni network, with regular updates and opportunities to work on future EU related stories with other journalists who have participated in the program.

12 young journalists will be selected: two each from France, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom, plus four from Germany (two from regional and two from national media). They will start in January 2011 with a five-day seminar in Berlin, to gain an impression of what can be done to publish EU related stories from outside Brussels.
Selection criteria include:
•    No minimum or maximum age, but likely to have between two and 10 years of journalism experience;
•    currently writing for media outside Brussels and holding a journalist card (students and former journalists cannot participate);
•    samples of three published articles showing excellent writing in mother tongue, including one with EU relevance;
•    letter of reference from management of ‘sending’ media, for example from the editor;
•    knowledge of or willingness to learn how to write for the web and how to use social media;
•    good oral and written English.

The seminar in Berlin will include contemporary case-studies and new journalism techniques. Topics will include: How to turn EU stories local – and local stories European, ‘Europe 2020’, the EU's Digital Agenda, financial reforms and energy policy. During this period, a further selection will be made of the five most promising young journalists for the second phase, consisting of up to ten weeks, to be held from February 2011. Those five participants (one per country) will be chosen for training at the Fondation EurActiv offices in Brussels, which houses a team of experienced EU editors and reporters. Each journalist will be assigned to a senior editor, who will act as mentor and coach. Each of the selected journalists will produce stories for EurActiv.com and for publication in their home media. Selected participants will be reimbursed by Fondation EurActiv, thanks to the Robert Bosch Stiftung, for their travel costs and Brussels living expenses. They will continue to be employed by their sending media.

Applications are welcome and can be made from now until 17 January 2011.
For further details and to receive a copy of the project’s Frequently Asked Questions, please contact: Selection@euractiv.com with ‘EU Journalism Fellowship’ in the subject line.
More information on the Robert Bosch Stiftung can be found at: http://www.bosch-stiftung.de.

Contacts:

Julian Oliver, Secretary General, Fondation EurActiv, Tel. +32(0)2.226.58.25, SecGen@EurActiv.com
Christophe Leclercq, Publisher, EurActiv.com, Tel. +32(0)2.226.58.13, publisher@euractiv.com
Radu Magdin, Communication Manager, Tel: + 32(0)2.788.36.88, communication@euractiv.com