Supporting media pluralism in Europe

NewsSpectrum is a new fellowship programme for minority-language media professionals in the EU. It seeks to encourage working partnerships between migrant-language media, and their majority-language counterparts. The NewsSpectrum fellowships aim to enhance cooperation between the two groups and support the sustainability of minority-language media as crucial members of a free and pluralistic media environment in the European Union. The fellowships also seek to support media coverage that reports knowledgeably on minority issues and includes the perspective of representatives of minority groups in news coverage.

NewsSpectrum supported minority-language media through two fellowships: the Collaborative Reporting Fellowship and the Professional Placement Fellowship. Both fellowship programmes aim to encourage working partnerships with majority-language media in the EU.

The fellowship programme was launched in spring 2021. It concluded in May 2022 after supporting 45 fellowships involving journalists and media with a background in 25 languages.

The NewsSpectrum programme also included the NewsSpectrum Digital News Accelerator, a series of networking sessions and expert webinars open to minority-language media professionals focused on various issues related to professional development and the digital transition.

Project partners

NewsSpectrum was managed as a partnership between the Vienna-based International Press Institute (IPI) and the European Association of Daily Newspapers in Minority and Regional Languages (MIDAS). The European Roma Institute for Arts and Culture (ERIAC) is a supporting partner.

The NewsSpectrum programme was co-funded as a pilot project by the European Commission (DG Connect), with additional financial support from ERIAC.