Members of the European Journalism Training Association educate or train their students/participants from the principle that journalists should serve the public by:

• providing an insight into political, economic, socio-cultural conditions
• stimulating and strengthening democracy at all levels
• stimulating and strengthening personal and institutional accountability
• strengthening the possibilities for citizens to make choices in societal and personal contexts

while:

• feeling responsible for the freedom of expression
• respecting the integrity of individuals
• being critical of sources and independent of vested interests
• using customary ethical standards

After their education or training students possess the competence to:

1. Reflect on the societal role of and developments within journalism
2. Find relevant issues and angles, given the public and production aims of a certain medium or different media
3. Organise and plan journalistic work
4. Gather information swiftly, using customary newsgathering techniques and methods of research
5. Select the essential information
6. Structure information in a journalistic manner
7. Present information in appropriate language and an effective journalistic form
8. Evaluate and account for journalistic work
9. Cooperate in a team or an editorial setting
10. Work in a professional media-organisation or as a freelancer

Copyright European Journalism Training Association
(Tartu, Estonia  –  June 10th, 2006)

APPENDIX: COMPETENCE GOALS 

1. The competence to reflect on the societal role of and developments within journalism

1. have a commitment to your society/community/audience and knowledge of societal developments
2. have insight in the role and influence of journalism in modern society
3. be able to develop a grounded point of view on the most important developments within journalism
4. have an understanding of the values that underlie your professional choices
5. be able to make grounded choices concerning your own development as a journalist

2. The competence to find relevant and newsworthy issues and angles, given the audience and production aims of a certain medium or different media.

1. have the knowledge of current events and be able to analyse if a subject is both interesting and newsworthy enough
2. know the possibilities of the medium or media you are working for, in order to determine whether or not the subject/angle is suitable
3. know your audience well and be able to determine the relevance of a subject or angle for that audience
4. be able to analyse public opinion and to stimulate debate

3. The competence to organise and plan journalistic work

1. be able to make a realistic work plan
2. be able to work under time pressure
3. be able to adjust to unforeseen situations

4. The competence to gather information swiftly, using customary newsgathering techniques and methods of research

1. have a good general knowledge and societal insight,  especially in economics, politics and socio-cultural issues
2. know all required sources, including human sources, reference books, databases, news agencies, the internet
3. know how to use your sources and your own observation effectively and efficiently
4. have the will and ability to balance your stories by using methods such as check/double-check and balancing systematically
5. have the will and ability to interact with your public in different ways, personally as well as with the aid of (new) media

5. The competence to select the essential information

1. be able to distinguish between main and side issues
2. be able to select information on the basis of correctness, accuracy, reliability and completeness
3. be able to interpret the selected information and analyse it within a relevant (historical) framework 
4. be able to select information in accordance with the requirements of the product and medium
5. be aware of the impact of your information on sources, the public and the public debate
   

6. The competence to structure information in a journalistic manner

1. be able to use different types of structuring
2. be able to fine-tune content and form
3. be able to structure in accordance with the requirements of the product and medium
4. be able to structure on the basis of relevance
5. be able to structure on the basis of alternative storytelling techniques

7. The competence to present information in appropriate language and an effective journalistic form

1. have an outstanding linguistic competence, oral as well as written
2. be able to make information visual, for example in the form of images or graphics, and to present it in all kinds of combinations of words, sounds and images
3. master the most important genres, including their style-techniques and basics of lay-out
4. be able to work with relevant technical equipment and software
5. be able to cooperate with technicians and know the possibilities of their instruments

8. The competence to evaluate and account for journalistic work

1. have a clear image of the required quality of journalistic products
2. be able to give a critical and comprehensible review of your own work and that of others on the basis of that clear image
3. be able and willing to critically reflect on and take criticism of your work
4. be able to explain and take responsibility for the choices you made with regard to sources, approach and execution
5. be able to take responsibility for product as well as process on the basis of ethical standards

9. The competence to cooperate in a team or editorial setting

1. have good social skills
2. be reliable
3. show dedication and initiative
4. have insight in your strengths and weaknesses
5. have feeling for (hierarchical, democratic) relations

10. The competence to work in a professional media-organisation and as a freelancer

1. be creative and innovative and able to present your ideas
2. know your rights and obligations and be able to critically evaluate your working conditions
3. have knowledge about objectives, financial and market conditions, organisational structures and processes in media organisations
4. be able to evaluate the strategic options and editorial policy of a media-organisation
5. know the practical aspects of being a freelancer / entrepreneur

The aim of this project is to develop a tri-medial-training curriculum for journalists who work in local and regional media (print, radio tv,) This project also includes a ‘Train-the-trainer’-programme and the development of learning material. Some of the institutions involved in Trimedial are active EJTA members.

Partners in the TRI-MEDIAL project are:

1. Deutsche Hörfunkakademie GmbH, DE
2. Kuratorium für Journalistenausbildung, AT
3. St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, BL
4. Verband Lokaler Rundfunk e.V.NRW, DE
5. ver.di, DE
6. European Journalism Training Association ;NL
7. Center for Journalistik og Efteruddannelse, DK
8. European Journalism Centre, NL
9. Media Academie, NL
10. University of Bucharest, RO
11. Radio Academija, SL
12. HISA IDEJ, SL

Research

Before coming to the development of a curriculum for the project, a research of the need for and the situation of tri-medial working has been done in Europe. The results of this research can be found here.