ADAMI Media Prize at the 2017 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum
Photo credit: DW Global Media Forum

Photo credit: DW Global Media Forum

See you in Bonn!

Excited to present the ADAMI Media Prize at the 2017 Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum! This year's theme: Identity and Diversity.

Join us on June 20th for our discussion, "Fighting Hate, Connecting Talents," on ADAMI and promoting diversity and tolerance in the media in Eastern Europe.

See the link to our event here:

http://www.dw.com/…/fighting-hate-connecting-tal…/a-38876539

About the DW Global Media Forum:

Identity and Diversity

"In the age of post-truth-politics and populism, what role does journalism play if work based on basic fact-checking does not seem to sell? What moral responsibility do politics have in promoting diversity, even if it means a loss of votes? And how should governments address the complexities arising from globalization and digitalization? Is diversity the heart and driving force of every strong nation or is it only an illusion?

Join us at the Global Media Forum 2017 to shape the discussion the impact of identity and diversity on politics, society and media."

You can find the complete program of the forum here: dw.com/gmf

Stefan TolzComment
Observing (from) Arte

A post from Marita Tevzadze, who was the first recipient of the ADAMI Media Prize grant for the Arte fellowship in Strasbourg this past month, reporting on the upcoming elections in France on April 23rd. Thanks again to everyone at Arte who made this fellowship possible!

Observing (from) Arte

I first learned about ARTE 10 years ago. Ever since, the orange logo on films, short videos, programs, and other content has always given me a positive message.

That's my first working day in the Arte headquarters:

Thanks to the ADAMI Media Prize, Im honoured to be in the ARTE headquarters in Strasbourg together with the team of ARTE Journal. This may sound unbelievable, but Ive been trying to adapt to the idea I would be at Arte since last November, when I was awarded the fellowship. :)

The ARTE Journal is an everyday edition prepared by a French-German editorial team, proposing a European approach to current events. Its wonderful to work together with a professional and friendly team in the newsroom of ARTE. Its a very important experience for me to attend the morning and afternoon meetings where editors and journalists discuss current events, search for the right focus, and the best ways to tell the stories.

The THEMA and its team impressed me a lot. They focus on important and sensitive topics. ARTE is mostly a cultural channel also produces investigative films, for example, about whether the World Health Organisation is under the influence of lobbyists.

The technical aspects of TV production are also worth observing; here I can see how a well-equipped TV station runs together with a professional staff. For example, good sound is important, but sometimes it is hard to achieve high quality sound in Georgian TV. Together with filming and editing, graphic design is essential in ARTE. They make sure to give time to do their best to create interesting visual storytelling.

The timing my fellowship makes my experience at Arte even more interesting: There will soon be presidential elections in France which are important for the country but also for the whole European Union. It’s also very important for my country, Georgia, together with another country in the region, Ukraine. These two countries just received visa liberalization with the Schengen area.

Of course, the election is in the center of media attention in France and there is tons of information every day. “If youre following the news about the presidential elections, you already know everything about us - and not very good things,a colleague in ARTE jokes with me with a smile after an evening of debates.

We also had one shooting with the Arte Junior program in a school, connected with the election, and speaking about the elections with the charismatic teacher and children, to see what they think about it.

This experience was very useful for me – but not only for me. When you see something good you have an instinct to share it. I believe there are many things worth sharing in our region. Public broadcasters in our region also have responsibilities.  

Im finishing this blog on the border between Germany and France. Here on the bridge between Strasbourg and Kehl, 2000 French and German people marched to support the idea of the European Union. People were marching in 12 countries and 80 cities of the world at the same time. They asked people to go and vote on election day in France.

#Arte; #AdamiMediaPrize; #FrenchPresidentialElection2017; #PulseOfEurope

Stefan TolzComment
The first ADAMI fellowship / ARTE award is well underway!

The ARTE award is a unique opportunity being offered by the ADAMI Media Prize for a journalist from Eastern Europe or the South Caucasus to work at ARTE, a leading Franco-German TV network headquartered in Strasbourg, France.

The first recipient of the prize, Marita Tevzadze (Georgia), is completing the funded fellowship with ARTE Journal, ARTE's daily evening news program covering culture and current events from a European perspective.

Ms. Tevzadze is working in the newsroom with the program's team of editors and journalists in finding the best stories, discussing how to cover them, as well as pitching and creating her own news reports to air on the channel.

“I’m honoured to be at the ARTE headquarters together with this team. It’s a very important experience for me,” Ms. Tevzadze said. Her interactive website, Brink, was nominated for the ADAMI Online Prize for Web Pages for its innovation in showing life in the border regions of Georgia.

Stay tuned for further professional opportunities with the ADAMI Media Prize!

Stefan TolzComment