European Lab x The Circle 14.03
Designing Europe’s Media for All
European Lab is joining forces with The Circle for a one-day event at La Gaîté Lyrique bringing together media professionals, journalists, creatives, and policymakers from all over Europe to share their experiences, best practices, and success stories in cross-border media collaboration. Discussions, workshops, and networking sessions will foster cross-cultural understanding and promote high-quality, inclusive journalism. Topics will range from the challenges of crossborder reporting to the necessity of creating communities within the media landscape, the ethics of responsible journalism, and the role of technology in shaping democracy.
European Lab
Founded in 2011 in Lyon, the platform European Lab has been identifying and connecting artists, activists, thinkers and journalists all united in their conviction that culture and the media have the potential to transform our crisis-ridden societies. That to think is to celebrate, that art and activism are capable of rising to the challenges of our age. Over the course of 12 years and close to 30 forums —from Seoul to Delphi, Brussels to Madrid, not to mention Lyon and Paris —European Lab has brought together nearly 1,800 speakers.
Through talks, debates, workshops, projections but also inspiring, innovative and hybrid projects, the ambition of this platform is to bring together, at the European level, a new generation of emerging and innovative cultural actors, around a shared reflection on and commitment to the future of culture.
The Circle
The Circle is a cooperation project aiming to develop a new approach to cross-border journalism and collaboration. It brings together four European media partners — Are We Europe (NL), Hostwriter (DE), Arty Farty (FR), and n-ost (DE) — joining forces to create media knowledge hubs in eight European cities.
Programme
10:00 -12:00 — Foyer historique
European Media Speedmeeting
Spend a morning in the company of the stakeholders in the European media sector. Financing, editorial collaborations, project discoveries: a moment of connection with inspiring personalities.
10:30 -12:00 — Atelier
Setting up New Media with Regards to Mental Health [workshop]
This workshop will explore the intersection of media and mental well-being, allowing to gain insights on responsible media creation, and to learn how to foster a supportive working community. It aims at elevating your impact and contributing to a media landscape that promotes positive mental health for all. It will be about discovering the tools and strategies to amplify mental health awareness through cutting-edge media channels. Having navigated her personal journey with bipolar disorder and stressors in the newsroom industry, Belle de Jong specialises in mental health and journalism. With a background in mental health reporting and well-being in cross-border journalism, Belle’s workshop aims to guide media professionals through the challenges within the industry. Join her for an empowering session focussed on fostering dialogue and envisioning solutions for a healthier and more compassionate media landscape.
10:30 -12:00 — Meeting room 4ème
Design Thinking and Journalism: A Crash Course [workshop]
Facilitator (TBA)
Design Thinking and journalism — it’s a marriage that’s long been overlooked, but journalists often already apply design thinking principles (such as keeping your end user or audience in mind with everything that you do) without realising. And there’s much more to use that can help any production or project, at any time.
This workshop is an introduction to the Story Design Sprint, from Are We Europe, where participants will learn to see, adapt and apply design thinking principles in their projects and productions. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an editor, data journalist, photographer or designer, or just interested - anyone will find this useful in their work, whether or not it’s in the field or behind a desk.
The Circle Network has set up 8 hubs using this methodology, and now the program 'Designing Europe's Media for All' will continue to do so across the continent. Get your crash course now.
11:00 -19:00 — Forum
Media Fair
Embark on a journey into the future of media collaboration at our Crossborder Connections Media Fair, a pivotal element of this media event. Witness the unveiling of 8 new projects from The Circle, highlighting groundbreaking local and crossborder collaborations. Immerse yourself in a lively atmosphere designed for networking, thought-provoking conversations, and adaptability —creating an exceptional space for meaningful meetings and fostering creative synergies.
Meet The Circle Hubs:
11:00 — 13:00: Tbilisi, Porto, Cluj & Gothenburg
14:00 — 16:00: Lyon, Vilnius, Naples & Belgrade
14:00 -16:00 — Meeting Room 4ème
Building Networks of Multilingual European Independent Media [workshop]
This workshop will delve into the strategies and challenges of fostering collaboration among independent media outlets across Europe. Explore innovative approaches to multilingual content creation, distribution, and audience engagement. Harness the strength of linguistic diversity to amplify your media impact. This is an opportunity to connect, learn, and shape the future of a united and vibrant European independent media landscape.
14:00 -16:00 — Atelier
Unlocking Opportunities: Navigating European Fundings for Independent Media with Relais Culture Europe [workshop]
Funding schemes for independent media are not well known - because there are not many of them. In recent years, the European Union has launched a number of calls for projects dedicated to the sector, notably as part of the NEWS calls under the Creative Europe programme. Other European programmes, such as Erasmus+, can support mobility and European cooperation. By encouraging cooperation between print and online media organisations, these schemes can enable players in the European media landscape to get together and work on joint productions. Combating misinformation, audience development, new business models, collaborative practices, skills development, support for local media and investigative journalism... several types of projects can be supported under these schemes. During the final event of The Circle (a consortium supported by this programme) as part of European Lab, Vincent Soccodato from Relais Culture Europe will be holding a session to decipher these calls for projects and encourage the creation of new collaborative journalistic projects on a European scale.
A workshop led by the Relais Culture Europe
16:00 -16:30 — Auditorium
Keynote: Designing Europe’s Media for All
With:
— Mick ter Reehorst (Are We Europe / NL)
Mick ter Reehorst is the Creative Director and founder of Are We Europe, a non-profit media collective founded in 2017. The collective takes on the complex issue of European identity by showcasing talent and storytelling from around the continent and beyond. We now combine that with our creative agency - Awe Studio. Mick studied journalism and international relations in Amsterdam and Paris. He now travels around Europe spreading the gospel of good design and cross-border collaborative journalism with his new motto he's trying out "Designing Europe's Media for All".
16:30 -18:00 — Auditorium
Crossborder Collaboration in European Media Landscape [talk and screening]
Building collaborative, resilient communities is at the core of a strong independent media landscape in Europe. For this, new ways of doing journalism need to be designed and discussed. The Circle is a first answer to the sector’s renewal. It is a new approach to cross-border journalism and collaboration. By bringing together creatives, journalists & media entrepreneurs to set up the next generation of collaborative media hubs, the project proposes a new vision for the European media landscape, more inclusive, cross-border, and collaborative. This crossborder collaborative approach also aims at building bridges between legacy media and new media organisations to explore the latest formats.
How can this vision be spread in a more effective way across Europe? What challenges are crossing these practices? How can we elaborate solutions to these challenges to better navigate these spaces? How to better enhance these collaborations to make European independent media more balanced and represented?
This talk will also be the occasion to discover The Circle documentary: a walk through two years of projects in 8 different European cities!
18:00 -20:00 — Forum
Radio Lab: A Collection of Podcasts
Dive into the rich tapestry of European storytelling at our Radio Lab, an integral part of our crossborder collaboration-focused media event. Immerse yourself in the diverse world of European podcasts through captivating presentations, riveting extracts, and exclusive mini-interviews with the brilliant minds behind the shows. Join us in exploring the significance of podcasts in the European media landscape, celebrating the vast array of formats and topics that make this medium a dynamic force in storytelling.
18:30 -20:00 — Auditorium
Media, Technology and Democracy
The digital scene is no exception to the strong concentration observed in the media landscape. Once a space of diverse opinions, the internet is now deeply influenced by Tech Giants, who, through major acquisitions, wield considerable power over key platforms of democratic discourse (for example, Twitter, which has become X). Technology has become an instrument of power and sovereignty, creating a new dimension in international relations. Technological races, particularly between China and the United States, shape the contours of this new hegemony, where the possession and control of technological advancements equate to power. This is now known as the 'splinternet': a concept that considers the global internet, once seen as a utopia for democracy at its inception, is giving rise to the formation of distinct ideological blocs guided by specific political and ideological interests. These blocs are recreated online thanks to algorithms which limit the free diffusion of information. By creating information bubbles based on a little research, the audience - and in consequence media and journalists - finds itself locked into a spiral of similar news - or fake news. How can we keep online democratic discourse free from ideological interests? What is cyber-skepticism? How does the action of Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) unfold in support of the media and safeguard democracy? What consequences will the development of Artificial Intelligence have in this debate?
20:30 -21:30 — Auditorium
Artistic format (TBA)
21:00 -22:30 — Forum
DJ set by DJ Tűz (Lahmacun radio I HU)
With:
DJ Tűz (Lahmacun radio I HU)
DJ Tűz, also known as a member of the Pizza Amore duo, is a prominent figure in Budapest's music scene with a rich history of performances at smaller clubs and major festivals like Sziget, Ozora, Daad, Kolorádó or Bánkitó. By day, he works as a developer, but in his spare time he also supports the IT team of Lahmacun Radio, where he and his friends host their own show called 'Learning Audio Classification with Torso'.
FAQs
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We’re looking to bring together teams with diverse skills and backgrounds. Journalists, media professionals, creatives, people in the cultural sector, entrepreneurs, socially engaged people, event organisers who can demonstrate an understanding of and interest in the local media landscape. Whatever your experience, if you would like to be a part of a new form of local and cross-border collaboration in the broader fields of media and culture, we’d encourage you to apply. We will look at all the profiles and form committed teams.
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For the first iteration of the Circle, we will focus on mostly non-capital cities across Europe (including outside of the EU) that are often left out of European media’s discourse and representation. Our current list of cities includes: Tbilisi, Porto, Vilnius or Kaunas, Naples, Lyon, Mostar, Helsinki or Pristina. If you can and would like to make a case for another city or location across Europe, please do reach out — we would love to hear it and consider adding it to our list.
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Design Sprints are high-pressure workshops aimed at developing a creative idea from scratch in a short period of time. They include mapping, sketching, deciding and prototyping phases. In the case of The Circle, the two-week sprints will be less focussed on production or design, but more on scoping out the local media landscape and then building a business case for a hub that can address a gap in it.
The first sprint took place in Tbilisi in October 2022, and the rest will happen over the course of 2023. -
The Circle was kickstarted and is led by Are We Europe (NL/BE), a cross-border media collective and non-profit foundation. The other partners are n-ost (DE), a cross-border journalism network, Hostwriter (DE), a cross-border journalism network and Arty Farty (FR), a cultural association. The project is co-financed by the Creative Europe programme of the European Commission.