FHWien der WKW

Intercultural course: International School of Multimedia Journalism (ISMJ)

Keywords

• - "Exchange"
• - "Bachelor"
• - "University of Applied Sciences"
• - "international cooperation"
• - "International and intercultural competence"
• - "Master"
• - "Summer School"

Short description

Objective

The International School of Multimedia Journalism (ISMJ) is an intercultural course that brings together journalism students from Denmark, Georgia, Austria and Ukraine. It was founded after the annexation of Crimea and the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2014. The program aims to promote international cooperation and mutual understanding by training young journalists in multimedia journalism while covering various current affairs.

Target group(s)

• - "University members"
• - "Lecturers"
• - "Students"

Area

• - "Internationalisation"

Framework

For 10 years, students from different European countries have been meeting in Vienna and Ukraine to exchange ideas and learn from each other. What started as an experiment has become a model for international exchange: a best-practice example of sharing knowledge and ideas – and the beginning of many friendships. The International School of Multimedia Journalism (ISMJ) is held throughout two project weeks, one week each in Vienna, Austria, and Lviv, Ukraine. The participants develop journalistic multimedia projects with different thematic focuses in tandem learning and with the support of experienced editors. In addition, the participants are offered talks, input lectures and discussion rounds with experts. During both project weeks the participants work in the same groups, while taking country-specific characteristics into account, learning from each other and refining their own journalistic abilities.

Steps/Activities

The participants create a complete multimedia report within a week. They work in small groups to research topics, create storyboards, conduct interviews and write texts. The focus is on acquiring journalistic skills: working with the latest digital tools, developing basic journalistic skills such as researching or conducting interviews and creating multimedia reports. At the end of the project week, the work produced will be presented in a final presentation.

Impact

In addition to the acquisition of skills, the intercultural exchange of experiences is a particular concern. During the group work, the participants have to learn how to deal with differences in journalistic work and how to overcome linguistic and cultural hurdles. Participants not only develop their skills in multimedia journalism, but also gain intercultural experience and build international networks. These experiences broaden the young journalists' horizons and offer new perspectives on their own role in journalism.

Lessons learned

The International School of Multimedia Journalism (ISMJ) started as a summer school in August 2015 with two different topics for each project week. From the second round on, the project partners agreed on a common theme for both project weeks. In 2017, the dates of the project weeks were changed to February (Vienna) and July (Lviv) to better fit the curriculum. In 2020, the ISMJ changed its approach to choosing the overall theme, focusing on more specific topics and thus allowing for more accurate storytelling. In 2021, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the ISMJ could not take place as planned and was instead implemented as a one-day online-workshop. This online ISMJ served as a preparation for the regular ISMJ 2022. Unfortunately, due to Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in 2022, it was once again not possible to hold the ISMJ on a regular basis. However, the realization of the ISMJ was a special concern of all participating partner institutions, so an extended version of the ISMJ took place exclusively in Vienna during two consecutive weeks in July. In order to make this possible, the personal commitment of all project partners involved was essential, which was also evident in the two subsequent years. In 2023, the project week in Vienna returned to its original schedule in February. Since a return to Lviv was still not possible, the second week in July was held in Wroclaw, Poland, as an alternative location. In 2024, at the invitation of the Austrian Cultural Forum, the ISMJ moved to the Polish capital of Warsaw for the second project week. The loss of a venue with adequate facilities was initially difficult to compensate for. It was particularly important to have people at the alternative locations who were familiar with the project and knew exactly what was required. However, the targeted use of local partners ensured the quality of the implementation. This experience makes it clear that international cooperation, especially in times of crisis, requires flexibility and a resilient network to successfully overcome short-term challenges. For 2025 and the following years, the ISMJ will again be organized with one week in Vienna in February and the second week in Warsaw until a return to Lviv, Ukraine is possible.

Further links to the manual