The European Journalism Observatory (EJO)

The European Journalism Observatory is designed to build bridges connecting journalism cultures across Europe and the U.S., facilitating collaboration between media researchers and practitioners. By making the results of media research accessible to broader audiences, studying “best practices” in journalism and analyzing trends in the media industry, the European Journalism Observatory (EJO – www.eu-online.eu and www.ejo.ch) strives to improve the quality of journalism,  contribute to a richer understanding of media, and to foster press freedom. The fundamental goal for EJO is to reduce the gap between communications research and the world beyond the Ivory Tower.

Established in the spring of 2004 as a non-profit institute of the Università della Svizzera italiana, EJO is a developing network of collaborating research institutes based in 12 countries (to date: Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Italy,  Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United States). Support for EJO is provided by the Fondazione per il Corriere del Ticino, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Stiftung Pressehaus NRZ.

What does EJO produce?

Research projects: EJO partners conduct research on trends and developments in different European countries as well as in the U.S. with a particular focus on innovation and “best practices”.

Journalistic articles and analyses: Many articles are published in major newspapers, journalism magazines and research journals, although some are created exclusively for publication on EJO websites. Most publications from EJO researchers and many of their partners can be accessed on the EJO website (www.ejo.ch and www.ejo-online.ch) in several languages.

Conferences and workshops: Public events and workshops organized by EJO facilitate an open, international exchange of ideas among researchers, media practitioners, students and interested individuals involved in various tiers of media.

Foundational Characteristics

Professionalism in journalism: Knowledge of the industry and practical experience in journalism enable  participating researchers to identify topics relevant to professionals working in both newsrooms and the media industry.

Transnational perspective: By focusing on the comparative analysis of developments in European countries and the U.S., trends in newsrooms and the greater media industry are identified at an early stage.

Research transfer: Studies conducted by the EJO along with the research endeavors of other institutes are presented in a comprehensive, intelligible fashion in order to serve the needs of a wide audience including both researchers and practitioners.

Academic credibility: Work is produced by an international group of journalists and researchers whose independence is guaranteed by participating universities.

Multilingual contribution: Currently, EJO operates websites in English, German, Italian, Latvian and Polish. New language versions will be available in Albanian, Czech, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian beginning in 2012. EJO research papers are provided in the original language with a translated summary available in the other languages.

Media Award

In 2005, the EJO received the prestigious Media Award from the Swiss Association for Quality in Journalism for outstanding achievements and dedication to the promotion of high-quality journalism.