The Journalism Value Loop

Hosted by The Journalism Value Project

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Apr 2025

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In each episode we interview a manager or journalist from an independent newsroom in Europe, discussing their key challenges and success, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for independent media today. The Loop is Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organised network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism in Europe.

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25 recent

April 29, 2025Episode 2536 min

Reflekt’s manager Johanna Weidtmann on how to reach out to new audiences through collaborations with influencers

The Loop is a Journalism Value project podcast, brought to you by Reference. We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability look like for European independent media today.On today’s episode, we talk to Johanna Weidtmann, the manager of Reflekt, the first independent and non-profit research team in Switzerland.We will talk about the media landscape in Switzerland, why readers lost trust in journalism, and the reasons funding independent media in Switzerland is not as easy as one might think.Independent outlets such as Reflekt point out things that people don't want to be pointed out, and this is one reason many are reluctant to support journalism as a philanthropic cause.Johanna will also share insights about how Reflekt is collaborating with influencers to reach out to new audiences, and how these collaborations bring in new followers and small donors.We’re going to discuss how a potentially new stream of money related to innovation is coming in. These funds are available not from the usual philanthropic sources, but from example, science, or innovation hubs.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

March 21, 2025Episode 2444 min

CORRECTIV.Europe’s Joanna Krawczyk on how to support local journalism

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.On today’s episode, we talk to Joanna Krawczyk, the director of Correctiv.Europe, a network of over 350 European media outlets and journalists.We will talk about the different ways Correctiv.Europe is helping small local newsrooms and journalists. From sharing impactful data-driven investigations they can use, to capacity-building, fundraising, community building and also networking.We also address the challenges a growing organization such as Correctiv faces. What are the best practices for onboarding new colleagues? And how can an organization prepare for changes in management?Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

March 5, 2025Episode 2339 min

FTM’s Jan-Willem Sanders on how to use newsletters to grow a significant subscriber base

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.On today’s episode, we talk to Jan-Willem Sanders, the publisher of Follow the Money, an investigative news outlet based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. FTM is mainly funded by its readers, and focuses on long-term, deep-dive investigations with impact that make change. It publishes stories about the political and financial decision makers and also investigates hidden forces such as lobby groups.In this interview, we talk about the business model of Follow the Money: how it combines its newsletter, a paywall and an app to convert its readers into subscribers. How does it keep its readers engaged with story pitches, and how do they prevent churn? We will also explore topics such as pricing, and how did they design their on-boarding process?Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

February 25, 2025Episode 2251 min

Disclose’s Pierre Liebovici on building resilience against state persecution

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.In this episode, we interview Disclose’s journalist Pierre Leibovici about building resilience in the face of state persecution. Disclose is a French investigative journalism outlet, which has repeatedly reported on state secrets around the arms trade and intelligence cooperation with authoritarian regimes.Most Disclose journalists have been interviewed by the French intelligence services. Most recently, a journalist had her communications surveilled and was detained and interrogated by a counter-terrorism judge.We’re gonna discuss how membership and tracking the impact of investigations help to build resilience in the face of state persecution, and how the newsroom adapted to protect journalists and sources.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

February 18, 2025Episode 2145 min

Are We Europe’s Mick ter Reehorst on designing Europe's media for all

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.On today’s episode we will be talking to Mick ter Reehorst, the co-founder of Are We Europe, a non-profit media collective dedicated to innovation and diversity in the European media landscape.The collective supports emerging talents in Europe and promotes the creation of inclusive pan-European media initiatives, focusing on the underrepresented media makers and creatives.Are We Europe uses innovative methods such as design sprints and solutions journalism to build media projects that are relevant to the local communities, and are interesting to a European audience as well.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

January 23, 2025Episode 2049 min

Arena’s Brigitte Alfter on how to create structures that encourage collaborative journalism

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.On today’s episode, we talk to Brigitte Alfter, the founder and director of Arena for Journalism in Europe, a non-profit to support crossborder, collaborative journalism.We will start by discussing how journalism – once a very competitive profession – evolved into today’s collaborative initiatives. Then we will talk about the new editorial roles, and skills these crossborder projects require.Then we take a look at what kind of structures are needed for these collaborative projects, and how these non-hierarchical structures can be integrated into traditional newsrooms where hierarchy is still the norm.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

January 7, 2025Episode 1940 min

Reporters United’s investigative journalist Thodoris Chondrogiannos on SLAPPs

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.In this episode, we talk to Reporters United’s journalist Thodoris Chondrogiannos about Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP). Reporters United is an investigative journalism outlet based in Greece.After reporting about a surveillance scandal involving the Greek National Security Agency, and after proving a link between Dimitriadis, the then president of the Greek NSA, and the Predator spyware, the reporters working on the story were sued by him, twice. One of them for 3.3 million euros.We are delving into how to survive a SLAPP, and how it can hurt newsrooms.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

December 24, 2024Episode 181 hr 7 min

Ostro’s editor-in-chief Anuška Delić on training future investigative journalists

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.In this episode, we talk to Ostro’s editor-in-chief, Anuška Delić about training the investigative journalists of the future. Ostro is an investigative journalism project that covers the Adriatic region.In 2019 Ostro created the Incubator for Future Investigative Reporters, where fact-checking serves as the base for investigation. This project has been awarded the Sozial Marie Prize for Social Innovation, and is now expanding across borders, from Slovenia to Croatia, where journalism students will be fact-checking the upcoming presidential election.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

December 11, 2024Episode 1737 min

Inside Story’s founder and publisher Dimitris Xenakis on community engagement

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.In this episode, we talk to Inside Story’s founder and publisher, Dimitris Xenakis. Inside Story is an investigative journalism project in Greece. We talked about their subscription model and how they are engaging their community by letting them into the journalistic process. The readers can be part of the team and can pitch stories and discuss how they are conducted.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

November 13, 2024Episode 1636 min

Civio’s co-directors David Cabo and Eva Belmonte on automating CRM

The Loop is a Journalism Value Project podcast, brought to you by Reference, a self-organized network of 26 European independent news outlets, hosted by Arena for Journalism.We are interviewing the members of this network about key challenges for them, ranging from funding and business models, to community engagement and organizational structures, as we explore what success and sustainability looks like for European independent media today.In this episode, we talk to David Cabo and Eva Belmonte, co-directors of Civio, a Spanish data journalism project that shines a light on public entities,This non-profit outlet is using technology as an important tool to scrutinize public policies, contracts and funds.We will be looking into how Civio is using technology in their marketing strategy, and how an automated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has helped them with memberships.Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.