Project Activities
ZON.si turned part of its newsroom into a fully equipped Media Lab: training room, creative workspace and meeting point for the community. The team then filled it with what matters most—not equipment, but people. Through a three-month mentorship programme, six emerging media creators learned journalism by doing it: researching, interviewing, writing, filming, editing, producing podcasts and using AI critically and responsibly. Their work resulted in more than 100 published articles and 20 multimedia stories, while several participants continued collaborating with ZON.si through internships, student work or other editorial roles.
The Lab also moved beyond the newsroom walls. The team organised media-literacy workshops in primary and secondary schools, welcomed children, educators, NGOs, entrepreneurs and local institutions, and trained organisations to communicate more effectively with the media. They worked directly with vulnerable groups, including adults with disabilities, who became interviewers, presenters, camera operators and storytellers instead of merely being the subjects of stories. During the open-door programme, the public could step behind the scenes, question how news is made and try the work themselves.
For ZON.si, the project brought new skills, formats, collaborators and a stronger production capacity. For the community, it created an accessible place where people can learn not to believe everything they see—but also not to look away. What began as a funded project has become a permanent part of the newsroom: a practical, sometimes noisy, always curious laboratory for more critical audiences and better local journalism.
