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What We Do

Local journalism

Local journalism is under particular pressure: dwindling income, declining reach and closed editorial offices are fuelling the downward spiral of basic media provision in many places. This has consequences for transparency and legitimacy, for knowledge about political contexts, for voter turnout and voting decisions - in short, for democracy.

In 2021, the Alfred Toepfer Foundation has therefore teamed up with CORRECTIV.Lokal to offer free online webinars for local journalists in the four areas of journalistic skills, tools, empowerment and local innovation. The workshops were recorded and are available for individual viewing on the Reporterfabrik website.

This webinar series ended in February 2024 with the decision to offer further training and networking opportunities in the analogue space, with a particular focus on strengthening local journalism in eastern Germany. The Toepfer Foundation therefore sponsored the first CORRECTIV.Lokal conference in Erfurt in October 2023.

Due to its success and the elections in three eastern German states in 2024, the second CORRECTIV.Lokal conference was held in Erfurt from 26 to 28 April and was again financially supported by the Toepfer Foundation. The conference offered 300 media professionals the opportunity to take part in discussion panels and workshops, talk about local journalism and make contacts. Further information on the CORRECTIV.Lokal Conference 2024 can be found here. The third conference for 2025 is being planned.

At the end of January 2025, we will dedicate a two-day workshop to educational journalism: Around 20 local and regional journalists will come together at the Publix in Berlin, develop new research ideas, learn from each other and think about how they can improve reporting on education together.

© Paul Probst

© Paul Probst

Contact

Mona Janning Program Management Society

+49 40 33 402 – 87janning[at]toepfer-stiftung.de