Announcing the Final Cohort of SoJo Europe Grants

With the completed (18) newsrooms representing SoJo Europe, which are expected to bring an even more unique perspectives and strengths to the programme, we are excited to provide you promising rich, cross-border collaborations and a robust exchange of ideas to further advance the practice and impact of solutions journalism in Europe.

We look forward to seeing how the European solutions journalism's landscape will evolve from the innovative stories and impactful collaborations that have already emerged from the 1st group to the upcoming projects with the 2nd set of cohort members. #SoJoEurope

The cohort members:

2nd set:

• Montenegrin Independent News Agency – MINA (Montenegro): an independent news cooperative, MINA is committed to the values of integrity, impartiality, and freedom from bias. With over 20 years of credibility, MINA delivers accurate news to its subscribers, with content distributed through Montenegrin media channels and online platforms, reaching tens of thousands of readers daily. MINA is the founder and member of Association of Balkans News Agency.
• Crimean Center for Business and Cultural Cooperation “Ukrainian House” (Ukraine): The Crimean Center has been a key player in promoting independent journalism and providing a platform-Voice of Crimea– for the dissemination of objective information in Crimea. The platform provides reports on Crimea’s political, economic, social, environmental, and cultural issues.  Voice of Crimea is dedicated to investigating the problems and offering solutions.
• Albanian Center for Quality Journalism – ACQJ (Albania): An independent media organisation focused on strengthening investigative journalism, media literacy, and public interest reporting in Albania, ACQJ empowers and trains young journalists, fosters media pluralism, and promotes transparency. ACQJ is dedicated to producing high-quality, fact-based journalism to combat disinformation, serving as a watchdog of public interests, and supporting a resilient journalism ecosystem in Albania.
• Pozitivi.org (Albania): A pioneering media outlet, Pozitivi.org is the first and only platform in Albania focused on constructive journalism, covering topics like social change, gender equality, and gender-based violence, demographic issues, health, youth empowerment, and positive media narratives. Pozitivi.org produces documentaries, TV programmes, multimedia campaigns, and social campaigns collaborating with global organisations like UNFPA, UNOPS, and World Vision Albania.
• Okraj.cz (Czech Republic): Founded in 2024, Okraj.cz is a team of investigative journalists based in the Moravian-Silesian region, committed to delivering high-quality local news. Okraj.cz focuses on the region’s environmental and social challenges, political issues, education, and tackling misinformation, as well as addressing the concerns of marginalised communities and minorities, including the Roma. Okraj.cz engages a broader audience through social media, podcasts, and interactive activities, emphasising the value of local journalism.
• Asociația “Atlatszo Erdely Egyesulet” (Romania): Átlátszó Erdély is Romania’s only independent, nonprofit on-line newsroom focused on investigative journalism for the Hungarian community in Transylvania.  Mainly publishing in Hungarian, Átlátszó Erdély also translates its most important stories into Romanian and English.
• Zeitenspiegel Reportagen Reinhardt & Partner (Germany): Zeitenspiegel Reportagen, a reporters’ collective founded in 1985 by writers and photographers, contributes to news media outlets like Spiegel, Geo, Zeit, and Süddeutsche Zeitung. With bureaus worldwide, Zeitenspiegel Reportagen reports from the frontlines of crises – famine, war, and climate change effects – implementing solution-oriented journalism to inspire a change. An annual magazine, Mut, promotes constructive journalism and is published as a supplement in newspapers across Germany.
• MOMUS (The Netherlands): A Dutch investigative journalism organisation formerly known as Platform Authentieke Journalistiek, investigates trade agreements, climate policy, and corporate lobbying. Their rebrand reflects a shift towards transparency, participation and solutions-oriented reporting. MOMUS fosters public engagement by inviting audiences to engage directly with the investigation and employs innovative methods like podcasts, illustrated stories, videos, data analysis and AI tools, all while holding power accountable and promoting trust between journalism and the public.

1st set:

• Maldita.es (Spain): A non-profit foundation, Maldita.es builds public trust by fighting disinformation and promoting transparency through journalism, education, technology, research, and policy action. A pioneering fact-checking organisation, Maldita.es combats misinformation with a unique multi-platform approach. Known for its community engagement and robust media literacy programmes, Maldita.es plays a crucial role among Spanish media.
• RADAR Magazine (Italy): An independent media outlet, RADAR Magazine covers the most important environmental crises of the present – climate change, global biodiversity loss, pollution – and their ripple effects on our society. RADAR strongly believes in a solutions journalism approach that highlights not only problems, but also solutions, and that is free and accessible to all.
• Ekonews (Czech Republic): Ekonews specialises in business and sustainability news, emphasising the importance of green practices and economic development. The website is dedicated to informing and inspiring its audience about sustainable living and ethical business choices, focusing on a wide range of topics related to the climate crisis and sustainability for both companies and individuals.
  
• Radio FM99 (Lithuania): As one of Lithuania’s first commercial radio stations, Radio FM99 has a long-standing reputation for quality broadcasting. It covers a wide range of topics, focusing on life, politics, and culture in southern Lithuania, as well as civic activities and sports. It is still the only regional radio station in this part of the country, broadcasting in the Lithuanian language from Alytus, the sixth-largest city, and the biggest spa city Druskininkai.
• Vers Beton (Netherlands): An independent media platform, Vers Beton focuses on urban issues in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, providing in-depth local journalism. The website highlights city life and governance, fostering a better understanding of urban challenges and solutions and informs concerned Rotterdammers about developments in their city through facts, insights, and understanding. Vers Beton publishes mainly investigative stories, as well as podcasts.
• Slow News (Italy): Practicing slow journalism, Slow News is committed to providing well-researched, thoughtful stories by delving deeper, researching meticulously to provide news stories and analyses that break away from the rapid and often superficial news cycle dominating mainstream media today. Slow News prioritises quality over speed, ensuring its reporting is thorough and impactful.
• Rubryka (Ukraine): As Ukraine’s first solutions journalism outlet, Rubryka focuses on reporting constructive stories that highlight innovative and practical solutions to societal problems, especially those emerging out of a conflict zone. Its work is crucial in a country undergoing significant transformation and challenges. Rubryka specialises in environmental issues, urbanism, women’s rights, and gender equality.
• Mensagem de Lisboa (Portugal): A community-based digital newsroom, Mensagem de Lisboa serves Lisbon with hyper-local news and issues critical to the city, such as urbanism, mobility, housing, and local government, using a solutions journalism lens. The newsroom emphasises community engagement and storytelling that connects with local audiences on a personal level.;
• Scena9 (Romania): A Romanian news outlet, Scena9 positions itself at the intersection between culture, journalism, and education and covers a wide range of cultural and societal issues. It publishes various types of articles, from reportages and interviews to reviews, investigations, and profiles. Scena9 is known for its creative storytelling and deep dives into the arts, culture, and social matters.
• Lavialibera (Italy): Lavialibera is dedicated to in-depth reporting and investigations on social issues. A paper and online magazine, the organisation covers issues related to mafia groups, corruption, climate change, migration, and social movements.

The Consortium partners:

• Transitions (Czech Republic), a non-profit organisation based in Prague which mission is to help build trust in independent, professional journalism and to foster a critically minded, informed, and engaged public, with a special focus on the post-communist countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union.
• Journalismfund Europe (Belgium), a non-profit organisation based in Brussels, which incorporated by citizens in 1998, with a mission to promote democracy by advancing independent cross-border investigative journalism in Europe.
• Constructive Institute (Denmark), a Danish organisation supporting the global news industry to develop constructive approaches for journalism who works with newsrooms across the world in order to change journalism culture and drive a shift to reporting that is solutions-focused, nuanced, and bridge-building.
• The South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM) (Albania), a network of 19 media NGOs (working on media development, media freedom and media research) across 13 countries of Central and Southeastern Europe.

Image by Transitions

SoJo Europe is co-funded by the European Union (Creative Europe) and Arcadia Foundation.