The European Journalism Observatory (EJO) is a network of media research institutes sharing a common goal: to reduce the gap between communications research and media practitioners, to make relevant results research accessible to broader audiences, to study “best practices” in journalism and analyze trends in the media industry. EJO claims to contribute to a richer understanding of media and of different journalism cultures, to facilitate collaboration between media researchers and practitioners in Europe and the U.S., and to foster press freedom.
Contents
History
The European Journalism Observatory was established in the spring of 2004 at the University of Lugano. In 2005 EJO won the Swiss Association for Quality in Journalism award for outstanding achievements and dedication to the promotion of high-quality journalism. The Media Award for Outstanding Quality in Journalism is a bi-annual award established by the Herzberg Conference in Switzerland in 2001. Originally EJO publications were in English, German, and Italian. In 2011 with the support of the Swiss National Science Foundation EJO extended its collaboration to Eastern Europe. Its partnering institutes are by now to be found in 12 countries (to date: Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States). Support for EJO is provided by the Fondazione per il Corriere del Ticino the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Stiftung Pressehaus NRZ (Neue Ruhr Zeitung). The format of early EJO publications were a one or two paragraph summaries with a link leading to the original source. In the past two years, however, a dynamic toward longer, more analytic format of the articles can be observed.
Niche
The European Journalism Observatory mission is based on the common belief among media professionals that media accountability institutions are facing problems,among which is lack of interest from journalists and media practitioners. According to Stephan Russ-Mohl, EJO founder, blogs and other online sources start playing an increasing role in media accountability due to lack of media journalism in traditional media. Besides publications on its webpage, EJO members cooperate with other media, such as the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, to make the results of media research available to a wider public.
Languages
EJO content is currently available online in:
• Albanian
• Czech
• English
• German
• Italian
• Latvian
• Polish
• Romanian
• Serbian
• Ukrainian
Activities
EJO partners contribute:
• Research on trends and developments in different European countries as well as in the U.S. with a particular focus on innovation and best practices.
• Journalistic articles and analyses: Many articles are published in major newspapers, journalism magazines and research journals, although some are created exclusively for publication on EJO websites. Most publications from EJO researchers and many of their partners can be accessed on the EJO website in several languages.
• Conferences and workshops: Public events and workshops organized by EJO facilitate an open, international exchange of ideas among researchers, media practitioners, students and interested individuals involved in various tiers of media.