Deadline: 28-Feb-23
The European Commission (EC) is now accepting proposals for the European Festival of Journalism and Media Information Literacy program.
The “European Festival of Journalism and Media Information Literacy” is aimed at reinforcing dialogue, cooperation and partnership in the EU among journalists, media outlets including public service media, civil society organisations and media literacy professionals, focusing on crucial questions for the profession. With a special attention on youth, including journalists’ students, people and social media.
Objectives
- Under the hospices of the festival, media professionals would elaborate new proposals for improving legislation and working conditions for the sector at both European and national levels. They would also discuss the implementation of existing rules and set out deliverables in areas such as protection and safety of journalists, social security, new business models for media, the role and impact of digitalisation on the media sector, the role of media in tackling disinformation or ways to increase media literacy.
- Two annual EU-wide editions of the festival shall be organized. Each event should gather media professionals from different backgrounds, i.e. large media corporations, freelancers, independent investigative journalists, local media outlets, as well as representatives of press associations and media freedom NGOs. National and European authorities’ representatives would also be invited as guest speakers or observers.
- Every edition of the festival should produce a list of policy recommendations, key learnings and best practices, taking into account contributions submitted by journalists all around Europe ahead of the festival together with the conclusions of the event.
- The events should be organised in hybrid mode to reach the widest possible audience. The first edition in the fourth quarter of 2023 and the second edition in the second quarter of 2024 in one location in the Union.
- Online training materials should be developed as part of the festival to help the journalist’s community to better understand their rights.
- The “European Festival of Journalism and Media Information Literacy” should become a powerful tool to facilitate discussion between media professionals from across Europe, and an event to raise awareness on the valuable but ever more difficult work of journalists and press freedom violations in the EU.
- The final name and concept must be clearly justified and based on the needs of the journalistic sector, substantiated by an analysis of already existing initiatives and proof of interest from organisations across Europe.
Funding Information
- They expect to fund 1 project for a maximum grant amount of EUR 990.500.
- The project should normally range between 15 and 18 months.
Expected Impact
- The festival would improve journalists’ awareness of existing measures and of best practices. It would also allow national and European authorities to connect and better understand the needs of the sector in the form of an annual structured dialogue. Every year, the event would produce a list of policy recommendations, taking into account contributions submitted by journalists all around Europe together with the conclusions of the conference.
Activities that can be funded
The following types of activities are eligible under this call for proposals:
- Establish and manage a platform for contributions and exchanges
- The platform should be the reference place for the Festival’s activities. It should provide background information of the initiative and ensure the interactions among stakeholders, especially the creation and improvement of networks and exchanges of good practices.
- Before each festival, journalists from all over Europe would be invited to submit prior contributions online, on this platform, and bring about concrete proposals for improving legislation and working conditions for the sector at both European and national levels. Journalists should use the platform to propose speakers as well as topics to be discussed.
- The contributions will be then assessed by the festival’s selection committee according to pre-defined criteria and the best ones presented at the annual event.
- The applicant should describe the functional design of the platform, focusing on its interactive nature, the way the contributions will be assessed, the criteria and necessary expertise for their assessment that will be covered and the process to select the members of the selection committee.
- Organize two annual editions of the festival
- The events should be organized in hybrid mode, the first edition in 2023 (Q4) and the second one in 2024 (Q2) in one location in the Union.
- It is expected that each session of the festival would last between two and three days and would gather around 500 participants.
- Each session would combine debates, presentations, technical workshops, training sessions, and presentations of the topics selected by the festival organisers. Different venues can be used in a single location.
- Participation to the festival would be free. Only travel and accommodation costs for speakers would be covered. A pre-defined budget should be dedicated to cover travel and accommodation of costs of young journalists, freelancers and similar participants with limited financial means. The application should explain the criteria that will be used to select the participants that will benefit from this pre-defined budget.
- Within the above criteria, the applicant should describe the number, type and scope of sessions they intend to organise in each event, including details on the topics and size of the events and type of costs they would cover.
- Development of media literacy training materials should also be an outcome of the festival.
- Production of guidelines, key learnings, best practices in the form of reports on the challenges faced by the media sector.
- Each report of the festival should present the main challenges in the implementation of legislation and working conditions for the sector, map initiatives at national level addressing the challenges, and present relevant case studies.
- The observations and conclusions of the reports should be presented at the festivals. The applicant must describe the scope of such reports and the methodology for their development.
- Organise awareness and dissemination actions
- Proposals must contain solid communication plans, both for the run up to the events and after the events.
Eligibility Criteria
- In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)
- Proposals may be submitted by any of the following applicants or combinations of:
- non-profit organisation (private or public);
- public authorities (national, regional, local);
- international organisations;
- non-governmental organisations;
- universities;
- educational institutions;
- research centres;
- profit making entities.
- Type of applicants targeted by the call for proposals: Professional organisations and associations (profit making entities); non-profit organisations (private or public); editors; publishers; freelancers; international organisations; universities; educational institutions; research centres.
- Other entities may participate in other consortium roles, such as associated partners, subcontractors, third parties giving in-kind contributions, etc.
- Specific cases
- Natural persons — Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of selfemployed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
- International organisations — International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
- Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
- EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
- Legal entities having a legal or capital link with applicants, which is neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation, may take part in the action as affiliated entities.
For more information, visit EC.