For this second edition of Stars4Media, two calls for Initiatives were launched, in April and June, triggering 101 proposals gathering 450 media professionals.. Following the first Call, applicants benefitted from coaching sessions with coaches with related from from a in related fields of expertise. They also joined a match-making event Called Stars4Media Lab, as part of the Media4Europe event.
Co-funded by the European Commission, Stars4Media is a cross-border exchange programme for media professionals to accelerate media innovations. The programme’s second edition is implemented by a consortium composed of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Europe’s Media Lab (ex Fondation EURACTIV), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ: the journalists’ trade unions), and the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).
Full list of 30 winning media innovation initiatives:
WAVE A – Journalism, trust & participation
Eleven winning initiatives:
First Call for initiatives (Deadline: 1st May 2021):
- TikTok for Journalism (NL, IE), Ataberk Ozcan, Are We Europe, Civinc, Nüva Digital
- Small independent local/regional newsroom cooperating cross border – developing a business model based on membership (CZ, BE), Lucie Sykorova, Novinářský klub Jindřicha Oppera, z.s., Misflits
- Sol(vox), the solution podcast of Solvo, a solution journalism collective (FR,BE), Michèle Foin, Solvo Collective, We Tell Stories
- Let’s educate on TikTok (CZ, ES), Jan Žabka, Ústav nezávislé žurnalistiky, HlídacíPes.org, Agencia EFE
- Stolen identity (IT, FR, UK), Elena Basso, La Repubblica, Le Monde, The Guardian
- Connecto: towards European values through digital media. The Live Streaming Hub (RO, ES), Ghimpe Dragoș Nicolae, PressHub.ro, EURACTIV Romania, ȘTIRILE TRANSILVANIEI, Occidentul Românesc
Second Call for Initiatives (Deadline: 1st July 2021):
- A force for good and a force for growth (ES, UK), Paloma Scharfausen, Compromiso Empresarial, Instituto de Periodismo Constructivo, Innovation Media Consulting Group
- For a constructive television in southern Europe (ES, IT), Ignacio Jorge Dobner Goldfarb, En Positivo Association, Associazione Italiana Giornalismo Costruttivo
- Sex Ed Video Glossary (HR, SL, RO), Nina Lišnić, Reci HR,RTV Slovenia, SEX VS. THE STORK (Sexul vs. Barza)
- Mind the Challenge (IT, FR), Camilla Vagnozzi, Facta IT, Agence France-Presse AFP
Euromag (FR, BE), Safouane Abdessalem, Cafébabel, BX1
WAVE B – Media technology
Eleven winning initiatives:
First Call for initiatives (Deadline: 1st May 2021):
- AI to Enhance Creativity in News Writing (CY, UK), Christos Danezis, Sigmalive LTD, JECT.AI
- SMART Podcasts / Accordion (UK, BE), Andy Taylor, Bwlb, Bulle Media
- Let the money talk – a data tool on public spending (DK, IT), Kristoffer Hecquet, Altinget, Openpolis
- Vocento & Cruncho join forces: Hyperlocal tourism content in Spain powered by AI (ES, SE), Maylis Chevalier, Vocento Group, Cruncho
- Artificial intelligence in photojournalism, can it work? (FI, CZ), Marina Ekroos, Frameright, Czech News Agency CTK, Economia
- Article 7 Intelligence – Helping Newsrooms across Europe close the Accountability (BE, DE), Garvan Walshe, Gap Article 7, IDA GmbH – Innovations- und Digitalagentur
Second Call for Initiatives (Deadline: 1st July 2021):
- Videre AI: Next generation video understanding for news content (DE, ES), Keesiu Wong, Design AI GmbH European Pressphoto Agency, epa., AGENCIA EFE S. A.
- Virtual Humans in media contexts (BE, LU, FI), Sarah Geeroms, VRT, BCE, YLE
- Project Empire (CZ, HU, SK), Nina Kodhajova, České centrum pro investigativní žurnalistiku, o.p.s., Atlatszo.hu, Jan Kuciak Center of Investigative Journalism
- Reading with your ears (FR, BE), Joffrey Ricome, Courrier international (Groupe Le Monde), La Libre Belgique (IPM Group)
- TemplAR (Templates in Augmented Reality), (FR, DE), Benjamin Oberlé, DNA Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace, templAR SAS, France Régie (« Les DNA »)
WAVE C – Other innovations
Eleven winning initiatives:
First Call for initiatives (Deadline: 1st May 2021):
- RISE Project Mobile App for Loyal Readers- RISE Project Association (RO, BG, HU), Roxana Garaiman, The Bureau for Investigative Reporting and Data, Atlatszo.hu, Atlzatszo Erdely (atlatszo.ro)
- Rich media: Increasing Diversity of Experts’ Voices in Journalism (LT, IT), Dzina Donauskaite, Lithuanian Journalism Centre, Sheldon Studio
- Solutions Journalism European MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) (FR, BE, IT), Augustin PERRAUD, Reporters d’Espoirs, Voxeurop Belgium, Voxeurop Italy, ESJ Pro Médias
- Monetizing audiences in a cookieless world (ES, UK), Mattia Fosci, ID Ward , Network N
- Building sustainable revenue models with community-centric media trainings (FR, PL, UK), Thomas Seymat, Euronews , EURACTIV Poland, FATHM
Second Call for Initiatives (Deadline: 1st July 2021):
- The Self-Investigation Academy: an e-learning platform to scale up our successful stress management course for journalists (NL, BE), Kim Brice, The Self-Investigation, Motion Crew
- Engaging the disengaged from local news, and attracting new newspaper subscribers through non-reader engagement (IE, UK), Lois Kapila, Dublin Inquirer, Social Spider
- Interactive Map for Audio Stories (BE, NL, DE), Mick Ter Reehorst, Are We Europe, Novasaga, Bear Radio