Report
2023/24Developing
media.
Strengthening
human rights.

Imprint
Deutsche Welle
53110 Bonn
Germany
RESPONSIBLE

Carsten von Nahmen
EDITORS

Kerstin Nacken
Jasmin Rietdorf
AUTHORS

Alex Bodine, Nils Brock,Klaus Dahmann, Vivienne Gager,
Eike Lenz, Nina Molter, Gaura Naithani,
Nina Otte-Witte, Olena Ponomarenko,
Jasmin Rietdorf, Eva-Maria Senftleben,
Ole Tangen Jr, Laura Wagenknecht,
Elizabeth Zach
DESIGN

Alexandra Schottka
COVER© Eugene Tetteh Odoi
Reaching across borders to develop
and implement ideas together — this is
the focus of DW Akademie’s “­IdeaLab”
on media and information literacy inWest Africa. In the ideas workshop,
experts from Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire,
Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger­developed media and information l­iteracy
approaches for deaf and hearing-­
impaired people and for young leaders inpolitics and civil society. P­ articipants also
created a play for r­ efugees on the topic of
disinformation.
PRINTED BY

Warlich Druck Meckenheim GmbHThe paper for this DW Akademie Report
was produced from wood that wasgrown without the use of fertilizers
and pesticides and sourced from
responsible and sustainable European
forestry where the stock is always
replanted.
PUBLISHED

June 2024

3© Jan Röhl/DW

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

Editorial
However, if
independent
media work
together, we
can counterthe flood of
disinformation,
propaganda
and censorship.
Independentjournalism, after
all, is the mosteffective way to
do this.

Dear reader,Social issues, political crises and wars across the globe pose major
challenges for media professionals and consumers alike. Russia’s
war of aggression against Ukraine; Israel’s war against the terrorist organization Hamas following the terrorist attack against Israelin October 2023; the great suffering of Gaza’s civilian population;
protests against Iran’s government and the armed conflicts in
Sudan are just some examples.
Moreover, authoritarian states are on the rise worldwide. For
journalists, this means that their work is becoming even more
important—and more dangerous. This is because authoritarian,technologically advanced states are increasingly using internet
shutdowns, censorship and repression to block their populations
from independent reporting. AI-supported disinformation andpublic opinion manipulation threaten to further polarize and destabilize societies. However, if independent media work together,
we can counter the flood of disinformation, propaganda andcensorship. Independent journalism, after all, is the most effective way to do this.
People around the world trust DW’s fact-based journalism.
Our goal is to enable them to make informed decisions. Despite
the increasing restriction of DW’s broadcast channels in ­several
countries, demand for our content grew to 320 million user­contacts globally in 2023.
Deutsche Welle’s DW Akademie is the leading media development organization in Germany. With its projects, we are committed to promoting freedom of the media and freedom of expressionin nearly 70 developing and emerging countries worldwide.
Peter Limbourg
Director General

4Contents
OUR V ISION
MEDI A FOR A JUST AND PEACEFUL
FUTURE
8	“The concept of freedom is at the coreof our work”
	Interview with Carsten von Nahmen,
Managing Director, andNatascha Schwanke,
Director of Media Development
12	Powerful voices, new perspectives:
The Global Reference GroupOUR WORK
AC T ION W I TH IMPAC T
14 Wars, conflicts and climate crisis:
Information saves lives
16	Staying strong: Ukrainian media since
the invasion

44

19	Hannah Arendt Initiative: A network
to protect media workers
21	Nothing working? Try Colmena,	a digital newsroom in your pocket
22	Disinformation on the front lines:“War is not just bombs and tanks”
	Interview with Justin Arenstein,founder and chief executive officerof Code for Africa (CfA)
24	Journalism to save the rainforest
26 Changing perspectives:
A world in transition
28	Journalism in a refugee camp:“A universe full of stories”
31	Country Queen: DW Akademie­supports Kenya’s first Netflix series
32	Women and religion: “For a longtime, I thought I wasn’t leadershipmaterial”
37	“Feminism means freedom”—
Feminist j­ournalism as a success story	Interview with Michelle Nogales,
co-founder of Bolivia’s first feminist
online magazine Muy Waso

10

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

5

40 Informed and competent:
Youth and media
42	Young Media Network: Youngmedia professionals advanceyouth media
47	Moldova: Media and ­information
literacy for the classroom48	Pilot project in Ghana: Media
literacy via sign language49	Learn German on the go and freeof charge with “unicorn rock” anda telenovela

20

50 Empowering media makers
52	Rural journalism: When theseasons determine the news
55	From idea to market: Start-up
incubator MEDIA LOVES TECH
makes it possible
56	More than survival: Podcast
highlights successful businessmodels for media

62

57	Got an idea for a new p­ odcast?
Get start-up help fromprofessionals
58	DW trainees broaden their­horizons on assignment abroad
59	Qualification ensures quality:
Strengthening media withacademic training

40 35

OUR NUMBERSWE SET THE STANDARDS62	On the ground for media­freedom: DW Akademie opens
office in Mexico
64	Dedicated to free media aroundthe world

Our vision
Media for ajust and peaceful
future© yonel_puga

Together for media freedom: Political actors, non-governmentalorganizations and media professionals from around the world
gathered in Santiago de Chile to celebrate World Press Freedom
Day on May 3, 2024. DW Akademie and partner organizations
also contributed to the UNESCO conference with discussion
panels and workshops. The topics included environmental
journalism, countering disinformation in the 2024 super election
year and the question of how media development organizations
can ensure the economic survival of quality media. One maxim
prevails—that the human right to freedom of expression andaccess to information can only be defended together.

8

OUR V ISION MEDI A FOR A JUS T AND PE ACEFUL FUTURE“ The concept of
freedom is at thecore of our work”

This is also an information war, and so our
projects play a preventive role. Indepen­
dent media are crucial for countering
autocratic tendencies, for naming injust­ices and strengthening transparency andgood governance. People who can accessreliable information can make responsible
decisions. If they can freely express theiropinions, an open social discourse canemerge where it becomes possible todiscuss potential solutions.

What does this look like in concrete terms?

In an interview,
Carsten von Nahmen,
Managing Director, andNatascha Schwanke,
Director of MediaDevelopment, describe
DW Akademie’s
activities amid global
crises.

From wars, conflicts, increasing extremism and autocractic trends, tohunger, migration and environmental
degradation—we are living in a time ofcrises. How can media help overcome
these crises? And what role does media
development play?
Carsten von Nahmen: It plays a crucialrole because only well-informed societies
can get through crises and conflicts, fightpoverty and hunger, deal with the consequences of climate change, and create
equal opportunities for women and girls.
The concept of freedom is at the core of
our work: Free media, free expression,
free societies. In the super election year of2024, it has become clear how massively
disinformation is interfering in democratic
processes worldwide—although this has
stopped being a theoretical discussion
since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Russia is deliberately using disinformation
to weaken democracy and civil society,and not only in Europe: The impact of thewar in Ukraine is also exacerbating thesituation for people in the Global South,
where conditions were already shaky.

Natascha Schwanke: We work around theworld with local partner organizations
to promote free media and unhindered
access to information. For example,
we train local Ukrainian journalists incontested areas in the country’s easternand southern regions; we support
fact-checking initiatives in Burkina Faso;
we help build independent exile media
for Myanmar; modernize university
journalism training in Uzbekistan andcooperate with community radio stations
in rural Latin America. As a result, andtogether with local partners, we aredeveloping open spaces for individuals
and marginalized groups and providingthem with access to reliable information.
This also increases their confidence andunderstanding and, ultimately, their
participation in overcoming conflicts andcrises in their own countries.

Still, journalists themselves and their
media outlets have also been affected by
the many crises.
Natascha Schwanke: They have, and theconflicts have impacted media systems
that were already struggling. When the
pandemic came, media advertising revenues plummeted and economic crises,
rising energy prices and galloping inflation can bankrupt a media ­outlet — especially the smaller ones.

© Pavel Nemecek/CTK/dpa/picture alliance

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

9“The war in Ukraine is also an information war.” — In March 2022, a Russian missile hit the TV tower in Kyiv

Carstenvon Nahmen© Philipp Böll/DW

Carsten von Nahmen became
Managing Director of
DW Akademie in September
2018. He previously reported
from the U.S. as DW’s seniorcorrespondent, and from 2014
to 2017 was head of DW’s Newsand Current Affairs department
and deputy editor-in-chief.
Von Nahmen has been activewith DW Akademie for many
years, including as head ofits Middle East/North Africa,
Europe/Central Asia and Africa
departments.

Natascha
Schwanke
Natascha Schwanke
became Director of MediaDevelopment and Deputy
Head of DW Akademie inMarch 2019 after heading
the Africa department forseveral years. Prior to this, she
worked for DW Akademie as a
trainer, consultant and project
manager. Schwanke is a trained
journalist and has worked forleading radio and television
stations.

© Oleksandr Kornyakov/Vgoru

OUR V ISION MEDI A FOR A JUS T AND PE ACEFUL FUTURE© Philipp Böll/DW

10

They reported on occupied and, later, liberated Kherson: Ukrainian journalist
Liza Zharkykh (center) and her colleagues from the local media outlet
Vgoru—supported by DW Akademie (p. 16-17)

As a result, media companies and media
professionals need new strategies, andwe support them. For example, in developing sustainable business models. They
also need different reporting formats toincrease people’s trust, particularly in
local media, and to effectively counterattempts to influence their work. We’ve
learned to collaborate across continents
to develop effective solutions. For example, our open-source Colmena software
enables community media to provide
their audiences with crucial and reliable
information, even in times of crisis. The
app is a success because it was developed as part of a South-South dialogue,
where 23 community media and media
organizations from 13 African and Latin
American countries were involved in its
design.

What are some of the challenges that lie
ahead?
Carsten von Nahmen: We’ve seen theimportance of forging new global alliances around media development, andwe want to continue strengthening ourSouth-South cooperations. Our ongoingregionalization is part of this and is also
important: It means that we are there
where we are needed, we work closelywith local partners, we bring in expertise,
and we listen carefully when it comes tospecific local needs.
Digital transformation is another central
task. Social media have revolutionized theexchange of information and opinions

worldwide, but we’ve also seen thedownside with the rise of authoritarianregimes: Digital media are being used tospread disinformation, stifle disagreement, increase polarization and undermine social discourse. We’ll do more tocounter this and will continue to train
media consumers on how to move safely
on digital platforms and critically assess
content. We’ll also be supporting media
outlets and media workers in developing
new digital business models. In all, astrong, pluralistic media landscape andan independent, effective media sector
are key to overcoming the crises of ourtime.

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

11

Free media.
Free expression.
Free societies.
DW Akademie is Deutsche Welle’s center
for international media development,journalism training and knowledge transfer.
Our projects strengthen the human rightto freedom of expression and unhindered84

access to information. DW Akademie
empowers people worldwide to makeindependent decisions based on reliablefacts and constructive dialogue. It is a
strategic partner of the German Federal
Ministry for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment and is also active with funding
from the German Foreign Office and theEuropean Union.

40.7

million euros in project funding
from the German Federal Ministry
for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment, the German Federal
Foreign Office, the European
Union and other donors(2023 budget)

DW Akademie
projects in 2023
emerging economies
and developing
countries where wehave projects

68
187(as of April 2024)

partner organizations around theworld with which we work closely(as of April 2024)

3.3

million euros in funding from theFederal Government Commissioner
for Culture and Media, for work wedo on behalf of Deutsche Welle(2023 budget)

12

OUR V ISION MEDI A FOR A JUS T AND PE ACEFUL FUTURE

 owerful voices, new perspectives:P
The Global Reference Group
twelve experts in media and media
development from Africa, Asia, Europe,
Latin America and the MENA region are
helping us to answer. The first meetingof the Global Reference Group took
place in June 2024 and kicked off the

new independent advisory body. We
want to broaden our perspectives andreceive valuable feedback on strategic
approaches, equal partnerships andother aspects of our work.

© Muy Waso

How is DW Akademie’s work perceived in
our target regions? How can we become
even more effective? What strategic
decisions do we need to make in order tocontinue to be internationally successful
and relevant? These are questions that© private© NSYSUMichelle Nogales Bolivia© privateHamouda Soubhi Morocco

Zenzele
NdebeleZimbabwe

Soumaya Berjeb Tunisia

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

12© Kharkiv Media Hub

members from aroundthe globeandBlandine Angbako
Côte d’Ivoire© Mozilla

Natalia
Kurkiukova Ukraine

Erick Huerta Velázquez
MexicoFaruq Faisel
Bangladesh

Htaike Htaike Aung
Myanmar (in exile in Thailand)Mira Milosevic
Odanga Madung
Kenya

Serbia (currently in Great Britain)

Nadim Nashif
Palestinian citizen of Israel

13

Our work
Action with
impact ars, conflicts and climate crisis:
W
Information saves lives

14

Changing perspectives:
A world in transition

26

Informed and competent:
Youth and media

40

Empowering media makers

50© skazzjy - stock.adobe.com

Afghan refugees have been living in northern Pakistan sincethe 1970s. There, refugees face restrictions and discriminationand often live in poverty. DW Akademie and the news agency
Tribal News Network (TNN) are working together to train
Afghan community reporters. Together with Pakistaniprofessional journalists, they learn how to use constructive
journalism to effectively report on Afghan refugees and theissues they face. They have since produced online and video
reports about the refugee community, focusing on solidarity
and resilience.

16

O U R W O R K W A R S , C O N F L I C T S A N D C L I M AT E C R I S I S : I N F O R M AT I O N S AV E S L I V E S

 taying strong:
S
Ukrainian media
since the invasion

DW Akademie has
been working withlocal partners in
Ukraine since 2014.
Since Russia’s full-scaleinvasion, our work
has centered on thesurvival of media
professionals andindependent media
houses.

From occupied to liberated, flooded andshelled, Kherson is emblematic of the
Ukrainian experience since the Russian
invasion. The city and region of the same
name in southern Ukraine have endured
many existential threats over the past
two years.
The threats became reality less thana week after the full-scale Russian invasion when, on March 1, 2022, Kherson
capitulated.
“The Russian military was targeting
journalists,” recalled Ilona Korotitsyna,
media director for Vgoru, a small independent media outlet that covers theregion. “They offered media schools andwanted media to work with them.”Those who declined, such as Korotitsyna and her colleagues at Vgoru, faced
an unspoken ultimatum: Leave or betargeted themselves. Korotitsyna and
Vgoru reporter Liza Zharkykh decided
they had no choice but to relocate to
nearby cities.

Navigating occupation
Despite the new logistical hurdles, theteam of less than 30 people continued
to inform citizens as best they could
about the occupied city. Yet reports werescant. Sources risked their freedom and,potentially, their lives to send out any
information.
After the Ukrainian offensive in
November 2022, Russia was forced to theDnipro River’s southeastern bank.

Viable media
Independent journalism
needs sustainable businessmodels and an effective
editorial strategy. Yetother factors also influence
the economic successof media, such as legal
and political framework
conditions, technologicalinnovations and theeconomies of networks.
Media viability is crucial
to ensuring that citizens
trust independent media
and have access to reliable
information — especially intimes of crisis.

© Oleksandr Kornyakov/Vgoru

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

17“When the Russians left Kherson,
they left the city with no electricity, nowater, no communications,” Zharkykh
said.
After the city began to rebuild, thesituation deteriorated once again when,in June 2023, the Kakhovka hydroelectric
power plant was destroyed. The Dnipro
River’s dam broke, destroying 40 townships on the southern side.

Journalism on the front line
The region of Kherson is a site of constant fighting. On the right bank of theDnipro, the city remains on the front lines
even today, with Russian military justacross the river, within eyesight. Thereis only the occasional update via thesocial messenger app Telegram from theRussian-controlled far shore.
Throughout it all, Vgoru has beenable to publish stories for Kherson andits diaspora. But the war has caused its
advertising revenue to dry up, with little
chance of returning to pre-war levels anytime soon. Therefore, DW Akademie andits partners Canal France International
and the Lithuanian public broadcaster
LRT have been working to support independent and local media, specifically in
Ukraine’s southern and eastern regions.
Providing grants, tailored consultancy
and training opportunities to media
outlets has helped to keep independent
media alive and even developing.

Giving up is not an option

Life continues despite the severe damage suffered by the city of Kherson

Shells pound the city daily. Less than athird of the city’s residents remain.
“Nevertheless, the city is a miracle andordinary utility workers, shopkeepers andbus drivers have become real heroes,”
Korotitsyna said.
The Vgoru team is working on a new
website and their recently produced documentary called “Unconquered Kherson”
has been screened across Ukraine andinternationally.
Vgoru is only one example of great
perseverance over the past two years
to provide a necessary service. Regional
media give a local perspective that isessential to understanding life in Khersonand elsewhere in Ukraine. 18

O U R W O R K W A R S , C O N F L I C T S A N D C L I M AT E C R I S I S : I N F O R M AT I O N S AV E S L I V E S

521

Press representative in front of a destroyed house in Kyiv, March 2022

journalists andmedia workers
imprisoned in 2023

© picture alliance / abaca | Yaghobzadeh Alfred/ABACA(Source: Reporters Without Borders)Protecting media
professionals toensure independentjournalism
DW Akademie is committed toprotecting journalists at risk. Security
for journalists has several dimensions:
In addition to physical safety, legal andfinancial aspects play an importantrole. Furthermore, targeted media
professionals often need psychologicalsupport. Together with its partners,
DW Akademie supports editorial
offices and media houses so that they
can continue to work under pressure.
Through protecting their workers,
media houses can continue to provide
independent information, even where
governments or criminals try to restrict
media freedom.

65

journalists killed worldwide in 2023.
The number of media workers killedin conflict zones (38) has almost
doubled compared to the previous
three years. (Source: UNESCO)DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

19

 annah Arendt Initiative:H
A network to protect media
workers
Journalists and media houses under
threat receive support from civil society
organizations.

When you are in exile,
you are not in a good
psychological place.
Writing is somehow
difficult, but I stilltry. If I stop writing,I stop existing.
Participant of the Space for Freedom project, a partof the Hannah Arendt Initiative, which supports
and trains exiled Afghan media professionals

In October 2022, Germany’s Foreign Office and the Federal
Commissioner for Culture and the Media launched the Hannah
Arendt Initiative, a program dedicated to the protection of journalists under threat. This network of civil society organizations
supports journalists and media workers from crisis and conflictzones with, for example, fellowships, training opportunities andconsultations. Along with DW Akademie, partners of the initiative include the European Fund for Journalism in Exile (JX Fund),Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT) and the European
Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF).
DW Akademie is involved in the Hannah Arendt Initiative with
the Space for Freedom project. The project supports refugee
media professionals from Afghanistan, Belarus and Russia, toencourage independent journalism from exile. Since 2024, theproject has also provided support for journalists at risk in Central
America.
hannah-arendt-initiative.de146

stipends from DW Akademie’sSpace for Freedom project
allotted to exiled media
workers from Afghanistan,
Belarus and Russia in 2023

197

Space for Freedom consultations
and trainings offered in 2023

20

O U R W O R K W A R S , C O N F L I C T S A N D C L I M AT E C R I S I S : I N F O R M AT I O N S AV E S L I V E S

The process of telling stories that move people can be a challenge for journalists, especiallyin remote or rural areas. High travel costs, time commitments and poor or no internet
access make journalistic work on location difficult. However, digital technologies such as the
DW Akademie-supported apps Colmena and Voice Deck in Uganda (photo), can help.

© Musoke Lawrence

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

21

 othing working?
N
Try Colmena
A digital newsroom in your pocket
Together with 23 organizations from 13 countries,
DW Akademie has developed an app to enable local media
to reliably inform their communities — even in times of crisis.
From nationwide lockdowns during the
pandemic to internet shutdowns to poor
network connections: Producing timely
content remains a major challenge formany local and community newsrooms.
Colmena—which means beehive in
Spanish—is a digital toolbox for editorial
teams which also works offline. Since
2024, DW Akademie and its partner organizations Tanda.net, Cambá and REDES
A.C. have been providing the software,
while the beta version has already been
available for two years.
Local media can produce stories on
the go with Colmena: From recording andediting to file sharing and publishing.

23

Just like in a physical newsroom, every
feature on the app can be collaborative.
The app has been developed for manyend devices, is secure and free of charge.
Colmena is available in five languages:
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish andUkrainian. If required, the menus, manuals and explanatory videos can also bequickly translated into other languages.
Colmena is 100 percent open source andis therefore open to anyone who wants tocontribute to its further development. community radio stations, local media
outlets and media organizations from
13 countries in Africa and Latin America
were involved in the development of
the Colmena app

22

O U R W O R K W A R S , C O N F L I C T S A N D C L I M AT E C R I S I S : I N F O R M AT I O N S AV E S L I V E S

 isinformation on theDfront lines: “War is not justbombs and tanks”© Sophia Garcia/AP/picture alliance

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is accompanied by a proliferation ofdisinformation that challenges journalists and fact-checkers worldwide.
Justin Arenstein, founder and chief executive officer of Code for Africa(CfA), Africa’s largest investigative technology and data journalism
initiative, on foreign disinformation strategies in Africa.

Fake news
spreads

6

A supporter waves a Russian flag following the military
coup in Burkina Faso in September 2022

times fasterthan facts on
Twitter. (Source: MIT)

23

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

Justin Arenstein: The networks that are
distributing the content, and then separately amplifying it, are also increasingly
sophisticated, using a combination of
fake sock-puppet accounts alongside
those of real people. The social media
content feeds into a growing echo chamber of pro-Russian bloggers and African“opinionistas,” who all cross-reference orquote each other, creating the perception of multi-sourced and substantiated­journalism. It’s very similar to the a­ lt-right
media ecosystem in North America.

To what extent is foreign disinformation
a topic in African media? To what extent
do people know about it?
Knowledge about state-affiliated disinformation in African media is limited to small
academic circles. Building on that blind
spot, Russia and China are setting up
their own state-affiliated media networks
in Africa. We see both Russia Today (RT)and China Central Television (CCTV) running massive bureaus out of South Africa
and Kenya, respectively, as some of theirbiggest anywhere. RT is also rolling out
its most senior African journalists onto

talk shows, to frame sanctions against
Russian state media as a press freedom
issue. The argument is winning significant
public support.
Many African media also can’t afford tobuy content from international news
agencies. And these state media know
how to exploit that fact: Many of theAfrican content producers at CCTV, forexample, are not journalists, they arethink tank academics and researchers.
They are hired to write opinion pieces.
Those pieces then get re-publishedand syndicated back out through content-sharing agreements with African
media houses—for free. Readers don’t
realize that what they are being served
as an opinion piece by a professor froman African university actually originatesfrom a Chinese state media newsroom.

What do organizations like Code for Africa(CfA) and African media houses need to beable to deal with disinformation?
Media and other watchdogs needadvanced technology and investigative
analysts to detect and track this stuff. But
that’s out of reach even for large media
outlets on the continent. So, we needto collaborate more to pool resources.

One example is our African Digital
Democracy Observatory (ADDO) whichbrings together partners like DFRLabwith African policy think-tanks, global
disinformation experts, and forensic
investigation teams with AI tools like our
CivicSignal and iLAB teams.
Awareness is growing that a war is notjust bombs and tanks, it’s also an information and an economic war. 
DW Akademie and Code for Africa havebeen working together since 2018.
DW Akademie has supported the iLAB
since its incubation phase in 2019.

© DW

How are Russian disinformation campaigns managed?

Justin Arenstein

Svenja Schulze© DW Akademie/Siméon Sawadogo

Targeted disinformation endangers
our democracies, our open societies
and our mutual peace. [...] That’s why
we support local organizations thatcheck facts, train journalists andteach media skills.

Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation
and Development, at a meeting with
FasoCheck, a partner organizationof DW Akademie, in Burkina Faso in
March 2024

24

O U R W O R K W A R S , C O N F L I C T S A N D C L I M AT E C R I S I S : I N F O R M AT I O N S AV E S L I V E SPort of Leticia, a city in the Amazon region in Colombia: Traders from the Andes
meet indigenous communities inhabiting the rainforestJ ournalism to savethe rainforest
Environmental conflicts
are coming to a headin the countries of the
Amazon basin. Illegal
mining and deforestation
are rapidly destroying
local livelihoods withrepercussions for the
global climate. Media,
academia and civil society
organizations supported
by DW Akademie refuse
to silently accept this.

Colombia is one of the most dangerous
countries in the world for environmental
activists. Those who resist environmental
destruction are often threatened oreven murdered. Media workers arealso targeted by violent groups. As aresult, there are hardly any local media
outlets that report on environmental
degradation and human rights violations.
Furthermore, the major national media
outlets often face conflicts of interest, as
they are owned by conglomerates that
also pursue economic interests in areas
such as mining.
Together with its partner organizations from Colombia (Agenda Propia),
Peru (Servindi) and Ecuador (Corape), DW
Akademie promotes close cooperation
between media and civil society to encourage public dialogue on environmental
conflicts. Indigenous communities areboth involved and consulted while advanced training in environmental journalism ensures high quality reporting.
Journalistic research is always developedwith its potential impact in mind, focusing
on making local conflicts visible at thenational level and motivating politicaldecision makers to take action for thepreservation of the Amazon rainforest.

25© David Olmos

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

Everyminute,an area of the Amazon
rainforest the size of afootball field is destroyed.

© PH3 JAY C. PUGH/DoD/picture-alliance(Source: WWF)

Rescue after the devastating
Hurricane Katrina in 2005

Crisis-resilient media
The Times-Picayune newspaper from New Orleans, USA,won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for its coverage of Hurricane
Katrina. The journalists worked in the middle of thedisaster area until their own evacuation, while providing
the population with vital information. Their experiences incrisis management are described in DW Akademie’s publication “Weathering Crisis.” Seven international examples
from the field show how media have survived in times ofpandemic, natural disasters, government restrictions orviolent conflicts.
akademie.dw.de/resilience-scanner

26

OUR WORK

Wars, conflicts and climate crisis:
Information saves lives

14

 hanging perspectives:C
A world in transition

26

Informed and competent:
Youth and media

40

Empowering media makers

50

27

© Ayse Tasci/DW

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

African filmmakers Akuol de Mabior (center left), Ike Nnaebue(center right) and their crews have a lot to celebrate. Films
from Generation Africa, a project from DW Akademie andthe South African organization STEPS, deal with the future of
Africa’s youth, the pressing issues of migration and climate
justice. DW Akademie trains filmmakers from the Global Southand supports them in producing and screening internationallycompetitive films and series. The project makes an important
contribution to freedom of expression and acts as a driver forsocial change and dialogue.

OUR WORK CHANGING PER SPEC T I VES: A WORLD IN TR ANSI T ION

Journalism ina refugee camp:“A universe fullof stories”

Sikika is a
DW Akademie projectin the Kakuma
refugee campin Kenya. Young
refugees can learn
how to produce audio
segments. Although
the program has
been well-received
by its audience in thecamp, young womenreporters still face
many challenges.

© Laura Wagenknecht

28

Sudi Omar Noor gets up at 4:00 a.m.
when it’s still dark in Kakuma, in northwest Kenya. The 23-year-old makes
breakfast and prepares lunch for her
aunt’s household of six. In the Somali
society in which Noor lives, cooking andhousework are a woman’s domain, andshe has plenty to do.
“My mother and younger brothers
returned to Somalia,” she said. “I stopped
going to school four years ago so that I
could work and support my family.”“I dream of being a journalist,
and I can’t give that up.”
Noor fled Somalia with her mother andseven siblings in 2008. All eight children
should have the opportunity to attend
school. When Sudi Omar Noor leaves
her home at 8:00 a.m., she races to catchone of the scarce motorcycle taxis. Once,
when she couldn’t find one, she had torun. Some boys saw her and started
throwing stones at her, and yelling that
she was a disgrace to Somali society.
As a community reporter, Noor works
for the audio program Sikika, which is a
joint production between Kenyan organization COME Initiative and DW A
­ kademie.
The 18 reporters, half of whom are
women, share information with refugees
and residents about life in the displacement camps. Some of the women working

A street in the Kakuma
refugee camp in Kenya

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

29

at Sikika have similar life stories. She hasoften thought of just quitting, she admitted. But every time, Sikika’s editor Taphine
Otieno has convinced her to stay on andcontinue her work.

Breaking the communication
hierarchy

approx.

283,000
people live in and around Kakuma(Source: UNHCR, as of March 2024)

Meanwhile, Noor and her reportingcolleagues have settled into the rebuilt
shipping container that serves as theeditorial office. They prepare interviews
with experts here, translate quotes andedit stories.
In their work, the reporters are notjust redefining gender roles. They arealso breaking down the communication
hierarchy in the camps. Every two weeks,
they broadcast their hour-long segmentto nearly 300 listener groups throughout
Kakuma and the neighboring communityof Kalobeyei. They then receive listener
feedback after each segment.
One challenge is: “It’s always difficult
to get interviews with experts from organizations,” said Taphine Otieno. “Only a
few of them are allowed to speak with thereporters. In order to get permission to
speak with a reporter from Kakuma, theexpert has to query Nairobi or, in worst
case, ask the head of the internationalorganization.”

Reporters: Diversity is their
asset
In Sikika, which in Kiswahili has thepotent meaning of “being heard,” thecommunity journalists report mostly on
basic human needs, such as healthcare,nutrition, water and education, but also
on sports, culture, and understanding
among the various ethnic groups. AlongSudi Omar Noor

with the indigenous Turkana people,
Kakuma is now home to refugees fromSouth Sudan, Congo, Ethiopia and Somalia. People who have fled their homelands
due to crisis now often find themselvesliving alongside members of various
warring groups.
The Sikika team members support andencourage one another, said Noor. Together, they overcome daily challenges.

“He is a friend, teacher and mentor,” said Sudi Omar Noor.
Taphine Otieno is Sikika’s topic coordinator“I would like to be a role model foryoung girls in the camp,” she said. “There
are so many terrific people here in Kakuma. We have to tell our communities
about them so that others can learnsomething.”
Arriving home, Noor has to get dinner ready. The older generations holdtight to traditional ways of life, she said.
Her aunt, nonetheless, supports her

Migration and the media
DW Akademie works to ensure that refugees andmigrants can exercise their right to access informationand freedom of expression while promoting dialogue
with host societies. In Bangladesh, for example,
we have been supporting Rohingya refugees andlocals through our partner organizations since 2018.
Working together, they produce a weekly radio showon how to better cope with everyday problems. In
Latin America and the Caribbean, we encourage
journalism that spotlights the challenges migrants
face along dangerous routes to the US.

© FilmAid Kenya

OUR WORK CHANGING PER SPEC T I VES: A WORLD IN TR ANSI T ION© Laura Wagenknecht

30

decisions. Younger people are also very
understanding.
“My cousin sometimes helps me
cook,” she said with a chuckle as she
started preparing the meal. “But we haveto close the door so that the other men
don’t see him.” 114

million people forcibly
displaced worldwide(Source: UNHCR, as of September 2023)

31© 2022 good karma fiction

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

 ountry Queen:C
DW Akademie
supports Kenya’s
first Netflix
seriesCorruption, the urban-rural divide
and the social role of women areissues addressed by the fictional
series “Country Queen.” The Netflix
series from Kenya is the first of its
kind from East Africa.

The series focuses on Akisa, a woman
who moved far from her village toleave her past behind and start a newlife in Nairobi. When she is compelled
to return home to visit her ailing
father, she finds that an exploitativemining company has discovered gold
near her childhood village. Caught
between worlds, she must confront
her past and decide what is truly
important.
Filmmakers worked on the series
for five years with the support of
DW Akademie and its partner Good
Karma Fiction. Local expertise andfilm production skills, from acting
and directing to camera and makeup,

were built up during production. The
high quality of the series ultimately
attracted the interest of the streaming
service Netflix and “Country Queen”
has gone on to be hailed as a major
success for the Kenyan creative sector.
All six episodes were released
worldwide on Netflix in July 2022.
In Germany and France, the FrenchGerman broadcaster Arte aired
Country Queen in summer 2023. The
series, which was nominated for a
Grimme Prize in 2024, can be streamed
through the Arte media library.

32

OUR WORK CHANGING PER SPEC T I VES: A WORLD IN TR ANSI T ION

 omen and religion: “For a long time,W
I thought I wasn’t leadership material”
Representatives of different religions took part in a special communication training coursewith DW Akademie. They worked together on their messages for interfaith dialogue.
During a week of media training, the13 women not only learn to better assess
their own and others’ perceptions, butalso to professionalize their presence
in front of the camera and convincingly
present their core messages on peacefulinterreligious coexistence. The participants from 11 countries in Southeast andEastern Europe are of Muslim, Jewish andChristian faiths. They all have influential
roles in their communities and share thesame responsibility: To play a key role inshaping their religious communities.
Participant Melanie Ivančević works
as an Evangelical Lutheran pastor in Croatia and is president of the Ecumenical
Women’s Initiative.

“For a long time, I thought I wasn’t
leadership material. I don’t have the qualities we usually associate with leadershipwhich are stereotypically male: Competitive, strong-willed, aggressive and readyfor conflict.”
During the training, she learns to beherself and still be confident in controversial discussions. These discussions
often involve tolerance and its limits: “I
firmly believe that change comes fromthe bottom up. Change takes time.” © J. Kuntze/DW

They come from Turkey, Montenegro
and Ukraine, among other countries: 13
international religious representatives sit
together in one room for the first time.
The women made short introductory
videos before their trip. Now, having
arrived in Bonn, they watch the videos
together, immediately immersed in theactivity.
“I was unsure. I don’t feel comfortable in front of the camera,” explains one
participant.
“Did you notice that?” asks Daniela
Wiesler, DW Akademie’s head of media
training, after the participants’ self-critical assessment. “No” is the unanimous
answer.

765

media training
participants in 2023
Melanie Ivančević (center) at an on-camera training with
Daniela Wiesler (left) and trainer Patrick Batarilo (right)© Benedikt Borchers/DW

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

Media freedom
and freedom of
expression in a
networked world
Human rights apply online as well
as offline. In the face of i­ncreasing
attacks on social media and theInternet, understanding andfighting for digital rights is crucial
for international media development. DW Akademie’s projects andpublications help answer some of
the most pressing questions about
freedom of expression and accessing information online. ­Topics
range from dealing with online
violence such as hate speech, tointernet shutdowns and government censorship, to open data.

Bolivia’s rural and mostly
indigenous communities
are particularly affected bydisinformation and hate speech.
DW Akademie and the team fromthe online magazine Muy Waso
(p. 36) are developing fact-checking
methods adapted to the needs ofcommunity and local media, so thatthey can better educate people
about disinformation and hatespeech.

33

34

Lindsey Kukunda, Uganda, director of Not Your Body,
one of DW Akademie’s partner organizations within the
Women@Web network in East Africa. The project provides
support and teaches women media skills to empower
them to participate safely in the digital world.

© Lawrence Musoke/DW

Access to the internet
is a universal humanright, in the same way
access to medicine
and education are.
I would like womento understand that
nothing should bar
them from using theinternet for their own
development or fromhaving their voices
heard.

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

73

35

percent of womenjournalists surveyed
experienced online
violence in the courseof their work
(Source: UNESCO Global Report
2021/2022)

36

OUR WORK CHANGING PER SPEC T I VES: A WORLD IN TR ANSI T ION

Michelle Nogales (left) shares her knowledge with other womenDW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

37“ Feminism
means freedom”—Feminist­journalism as a
success story
Michelle Nogales, co-founder of Bolivia’s first
feminist online magazine, is reporting on womenand the LGBTQ+ community. She explains why
feminist journalism shows “the people’s reality.”

Why do “women’s stories” matter?
Michelle Nogales: Bolivia is a really patri­archal country. There are a lot of women
who are involved in leadership but
chances are you’ve never heard about
them because history made them invisible. So, it is really important to us to tellstories about women.

© Mijail Miranda

What is feminist journalism about?
Feminist journalism means to give a pointof view that is not one-sided but ­inclusive.
A space where we can talk about our
diversity, about our different ethnicities,
about diverse sexual identities. So,
feminism for us actually means freedom.
We are trans-feminist, meaning we focus
on women’s issues including LGBTQ+
people. Transgender rights in Bolivia aresystematically violated.
Most of this is not shown by Bolivia’s big
media which monopolize the informationand give only very partial information.

We show another reality that exists, thatis even the majority’s reality in Bolivia.

What is the Muy Waso’s secret of success?
I think the most important thing was tonever stop, to keep on working but also
to be in a continuing learning process.
We didn’t know how to produce a podcast
but we did our research, took someworkshops and just did it. We weren’t
professionals in video-making either and
now we are on our way to being the firstmulti-media and multi-format media from
Bolivia. The first feminist online magazine for
digital culture and entertainment in
Bolivia, Muy Waso, was founded in 2018by Michelle Nogales and Mijail Miranda
Zapata. Muy Waso was involved in thedevelopment of the open source software
Colmena and is DW Akademie’s partner
in Bolivia.

38

OUR WORK CHANGING PER SPEC T I VES: A WORLD IN TR ANSI T ION

Moroccan society ostracizes
unmarried mothers andtheir children, who are also
stigmatized by their own
families. Sex before marriage
is taboo in the predominantly
Muslim country. Men are
not held accountable, yet
unmarried mothers can evenbe prosecuted. If a child isborn out of wedlock, themother cannot expect any
financial support from thefather or the state. This puts
many women and children ina desperate situation. Moreand more people, however,are trying to put an end to thisdiscrimination, both in court
and in civil society. But there is
still a long way to go.

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

39

I now represent
a large communityof single mothers.
Through radio,
I can protect theirrights and thoseof their children.
I’m not afraid­anymore and
I’m not ashamed
to be a single
mother.
Naïma Hamdani© private© IMAGO/Pond5 Images

Morocco, radio presenter Mères en ligne(Mothers on Air). The Moroccan NGO
100% Mamans, with the support of
DW Akademie, trains single women to become
journalists for its community radio station.

40

OUR WORK

Jordan’s population is overwhelmingly young, withmore than half of Jordanians under the age of 24.
Digital technologies and social media play a central
role in Jordan—for better or worse. The trend towardpolarization and radicalization is heightened by
the spread of disinformation, which first became
apparent during the pandemic and, more recently,
since the Israel-Hamas war. Institutional media literacy
education remains limited in Jordan — especially inregions far from the capital. Over three months, thebus from Jordan Media Institute and DW Akademie has
already traveled across the country, including visiting
universities. The project has informed more than 1,200
interested citizens about media literacy and its role inresponsible internet use.

Wars, conflicts and climate crisis:
Information saves lives

14

Changing perspectives:
A world in transition

26

I nformed and competent:
Youth and media

40

Empowering media makers

50

41

© Mohammad Awadallah

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

O U R W O R K I N F O R M E D A N D C O M P E T E N T: YO U T H A N D M E D I AYoung journalists from the Western Balkans meet at DW Akademie’s Brave New Media Forum in Belgrade in 2023

© Marija Erdelji/DW42

 oung Media Network:
Y
Young media professionals
advance youth media
In times of disinformationand hate speech on theweb, Gen Z journalists
from four countries in
the Western Balkans aretaking a stand. They work
closely together as partof a regional youth media
network.

Keti Simić works at a local Serbian newspaper and makes Instagram content foryoung users.
“Regional youth organizations arealmost non-existent here in the Balkans,”
she said. “The great thing about theYoung Media Network is that I can findcontacts with young journalists fromother cities and neighboring countries.”
The network aims to improve thequality of media content for children andyoung people and educate them about
the dangers of the digital world. It also
wants to give young people more opportunities to bring their concerns into the
public sphere.

Nine media outlets from Serbia,
Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina andNorth Macedonia founded the network in
November 2022. Young journalists fromlocal newsrooms, student portals andpublic broadcasters play an importantrole. All media are advised by DW Akademie as part of the program. Since 2017,
hundreds of young media professionals
have participated in training sessions andexchanged ideas at the annual international Brave New Media Forum event. © Marija Erdelji/DW

Focusing on dialogue: Igor Stojanov from North Macedonia is a Young Media Network board member

Keti Simić is part of the Young Media Network

9

media outlets alreadyworking together
in the Young Media
Network — with more
to come!

The Young Media
Network is anidea that unites
young people inthe B­ alkans. It will
create a new future
where people in theregion finally listen
to and understandeach other.
Igor Stojanov
North Macedonia, editor-in-chief of the student
portal Goce and board member of the YoungMedia Network

43© Marija Erdelji/DW

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

O U R W O R K I N F O R M E D A N D C O M P E T E N T: YO U T H A N D M E D I A© DW Sina-Kirana Soekarman

44

Hate speech incites people to
do unimaginable things. Youngpeople are usually the perpetrators,
but we are also the first target of
disinformation and violence. So, it’s
up to us to do something about it.
Esha Mohammed, Kenya, participant with Influencer4Peace from DW Akademie and the Dream
Achievers Youth Organization (DAYO). Esha uses her reach on social media to raise awarenessabout online violence.

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

The concept of MIL
has changed my life.
We need to be morecritical thinkers when
we encounter false
information.
Nyamgerel M.

© DW Akademie

Mongolia, MIL trainer for the Faro Foundation, a partner organizationof DW Akademie which conducts MIL workshops in schools

Navigating
the media:
Competence
as a compass
Media and information literacy (MIL)
is the ability to access, analyze andcritically reflect on media, as well as
to create media content oneself. It isa prerequisite for citizens to exercise
their rights to freedom of expression
and access to information. Our innovative projects promote these rights
and empower people to understandand use media responsibly.

Hania Bitar© PYALARAThe Digital Village is theplace where your MIL­knowledge gets tested,
your reasoning horizons
are expanded and your­critical thinking abilities
get challenged.

Palestinian Territories, directorof PYALARA. With the support of
DW Akademie, the non-governmentalorganization is building a center
for media and information literacy
that uses state-of-the-art interactive
technologies that are unique in the
Middle East.

45

O U R W O R K I N F O R M E D A N D C O M P E T E N T: YO U T H A N D M E D I A© Vibol Mam

46

Before the class, I didn’t know whether to believe
what I saw or heard on social media. Sometimes
I would just read the title and share it without
verification. I see now that this behavior has tochange, because it affects both myself and society
at large.
Duch Utdom, Cambodia, student at Paññasastra University and participant in an MIL courseorganized by DW Akademie and the Cambodian Center for Independent Media

47© DW Akademie

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

New, interactive methods for teaching media skills need to be tested: Both students and teachers learn together

 oldova: Media andM­information literacy forthe classroom
Together with the
Moldovan Ministryof Education,
DW Akademie has
set out to teachstudents directly inthe classroom on
how to use media
competently.

“I notice that the students love it when
I give them the tasks. Even when it’s
homework,” says Lina Gorceag, a teacher
at the Principesa Natalia Dadiani secondary school in the Moldovan capitalChișinău. She is one of 20 Moldovan
teachers who have included media andinformation literacy (MIL) in their Romanian curriculum in 2023.
In Moldova, where one in five children grows up with only one parent or
without parents, school is often the only
place where children can be encouraged
to engage critically and competently withmedia. With so much propaganda anddisinformation from Russia, young media
users need to know how to access reliable
information and recognize fake news.
Together with the Independent
Journalism Center (IJC), DW Akademie hasentered into a strategic partnership with

the Moldovan Ministry of Education andResearch and educational institutions
to integrate MIL into the Romanian andEnglish school curricula. MIL has alreadybeen included in the national curriculum
as a compulsory subject since 2020 andby the end of 2025, around 1,500 pupils at
lower and upper secondary levels in the
Republic of Moldova will have strengthened their media skills and armed themselves against disinformation. Throughthe partnership, teachers also learn how
to engage their students interactively toenhance their MIL skills.
For teacher Gorceag, the project isalready a complete success: “The pupils
are more self-confident and knowledgeable in their engagement during lessons.
They enjoy their newfound freedom andcourage.” O U R W O R K I N F O R M E D A N D C O M P E T E N T: YO U T H A N D M E D I A© Penplusbytes

48

MIL workshops using sign language are held in Ghana for deaf and hearing-impaired students

 ilot project in Ghana:
P
Media literacy via sign language
For deaf and hearingimpaired youth in Ghana,
educational opportunities
have improved in recent
years, yet remain limited.
A MIL project is now also
helping these students toconfidently navigate theworld of social media.

Much to the surprise of trainers from
Penplusbytes, a partner organizationof DW Akademie, most of the deaf orhearing-impaired students participating
in a MIL training event were not familiar
with TikTok, despite the popularity ofthe social media platform among young
people in Ghana. Working together, thestudents quickly developed the new signfor the platform: T for TikTok, combinedwith the gesture for video. Gestures for
Instagram and Twitter were already inuse.
The Internet has revolutionized communication for deaf and hearing-impaired
youth in Ghana as well as expanded their
participation in society. But this newaccess also brings dangers, ranging fromdisinformation to bullying. Many of the
17- to 24-year-old participants had alreadyfallen for phishing schemes or sufferedfrom online bullying, trolling and leaked

personal photos. As they further develop,
the MIL trainings will reach more deaf andhearing-impaired young people in Ghana,teaching them how to use social media
critically and safely. 

4.76

billion people
worldwide use
social media(Source: Statista)DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

 earn German on the goLand free of charge with
“unicorn rock” and a telenovela
Whether you’re just starting out or
already advanced, the DW Learn
German platform is aimed at learners
at all levels.
The telenovela “Nicos Weg” (Nico’s Way) offers 228 lessons at level A1 and above so users can start learning
German or deepen their language skills. Learners meetthe young Spaniard Nico upon his arrival in Germany
and accompany him as he navigates everyday life in a
new country. The course is available in 16 languages,
including Arabic, Bosnian, Portuguese, English, French,
Farsi, Portuguese and Ukrainian.
For advanced learners, there are slowly spoken news reports and—in cooperation with theGoethe-Institut—music for learning German. With
lyrics like “Sprache ist der Schlüssel, dein Herz ist
das Schloss” (“Language is the key, your heart is thelock”), the band ok.danke.tschüss inspires enthusiasm
for the German language. The Mannheim-based banddescribes its poetic musical style itself as “unicorn
rock.” Interactive tasks complement the music andcan be worked on directly on a smartphone or tablet
so users receive immediate feedback. Social media
offerings such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and
TikTok also enable interaction.
Teachers who want to use the free teaching material in the classroom can download comprehensive
accompanying material. Worksheets, didactic tips oreven entire lessons can also be used both on- andoffline. 
dw.com/learngerman

1.1

million registered users of the
DW Learn German platform(as of March 2024)57

percent of DW Learn Germanusers between the ages of
21 and 35(as of March 2024)

3.7

million fans and followersof DW Learn German onsocial networks© Edith Bachkönig/DW(as of March 2024)“Unicorn Rock”—Promoting the German language plays an important role in international dialogue.

49

50

OUR WORK

Wars, conflicts and climate crisis:
Information saves lives

14

Changing perspectives:
A world in transition

26

Informed and competent:
Youth and media

40

Empowering media makers

50

51

© Hetq

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

The Armenian word “hetq” means“to trace,” and that’s exactly what
the journalists at the online newssite Hetq do. With their fact checks,
they examine news reports andgovernment public statements,for example. Hetq is one of 13
independent media outlets inArmenia that has worked closelywith DW Akademie since 2021.

52

OUR WORK EMPOWER ING MEDI A MAKER S

 ural journalism: When theRseasons determine the news

With over 95 percentof the population
engaged inagriculture, northern
Ghana. Characterized
by diverse languages
and cultures, it also
has a considerable
technology gap.

In a region where smartphones are still
rare, many rely on the radio. The information needs of rural populations also
differ significantly from those in urban
areas. In northern Ghana, for example,
the most pressing problems are seasonal.
In the rainy season (from May to October),floods, washed-out roads, and markets orvillages damaged by storms dominate thenews. In the dry season, bushfires, crimeand access to drinking water are the mostpressing issues.
“All communities here have theirunique problems, and they need to bereported on,” said Maxwell Suuk, DW correspondent for northern Ghana. “If there
weren’t journalists in the rural communities, no one would ever hear from them.”

Building journalistic skills
Despite the population’s need for reliable
information in the rural north, Suukrecognized that journalism training
opportunities were scarce. It was notdue to a lack of newsroom talent, but

Journalism:
Credible quality

rather a journalism knowledge gap. In
response, DW Akademie developed aseries of training courses for local journalists. Participants learned the basics ofquality journalism and discovered how
to produce reports for radio, online andtelevision with just a smartphone and acouple of free apps.

Journalism that makes adifference
Moses Apiah works as a journalist at a
local radio station. After training withDW Akademie, he reported on a man who
makes a living selling soap door-to-door.
Because of a physical disability, it could
take him hours to get from one houseto another. Shortly after Apiah’s story
was aired on local radio and posted on
WhatsApp, a local politician contacted
Apiah to offer his help. “At first I thought
it was normal politician talk,” Apiah
recounted. “Three days later, a tricycle
arrived!” Journalism can make a lasting
difference in people’s lives. 

DW Akademie supports media professionals in shaping the future of journalism with training and continuing education programs. We support schools forjournalists because they play a leading role in the further development of thesector. They are drivers of innovation for journalism whose work benefits boththe public and media companies.

© DW/Maxwell SuukDW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

Journalism in rural regions remains close to the populace© Nana Kyei Abankwah/DW© Nana Kyei Abankwah/DW

A water station near the city of Tamale in northern Ghana

Hawa Mahana (left) und Moses Apiah at a
training held by DW Akademie

53

OUR WORK EMPOWER ING MEDI A MAKER S© Amalia Oganjanyan

54

I’m
inspired!
Nazira Inoyatova, Uzbekistan, program directorof Aytoradio, and participant at Media School
Uzbekistan, a partnership between the Modern
Journalism Development Center (MJDC) andDW Akademie

55© Cerise Communiacation

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

MEDIA LOVES TECH 2023: The award also takes into account whether the start-ups develop
products for the public good and how users benefit from the products rom idea to market: Start-up
F
incubator MEDIA LOVES TECH
makes it possible
A DW Akademie program and its Tunisianpartner organization Al Khatt support digital
media innovations in Tunisia.
Media workers everywhere around the world recognize that
good journalism skills aren’t enough to reach audiences or
to ensure the financial viability of a media house. Therefore,
MEDIA LOVES TECH has supported between eight and 12 startups annually since 2018—from idea to prototype to market
entry. Participating start-ups have tackled challenging topics
such as climate change in North Africa, how photojournalists
can protect and monetize their work and how to help businessjournalists obtain reliable financial data. A panel assesses theviability of the projects, the commitment of the teams and thefeasibility of the projects in reaching their goals.
The top prize in 2023, worth 10,000 euros, went to the online
magazine Yaluna. The team focuses on solutions journalism
to “help young people stay informed and inspired.” Yaluna is
active on social media and covers many topics, including the­environment and health—all with a constructive approach. 

55

start-ups in Tunisia,
Morocco and Algeria
supported by MEDIALOVES TECH (2018-2023)

Innovation for
public dialogue
The digital transformation of publicdialogue comes with opportunities
and risks. Modern technology offers
us endless opportunities to share
information and engage in public
discussions. Its limitations lie in
unequal access, language barriers,
algorithmic bias and government
regulation. DW Akademie promotes
innovations in the digital world toimprove public dialogue withoutbarriers and protected fromrestrictions and manipulation.

56

OUR WORK EMPOWER ING MEDI A MAKER S

 ore than survival:
M
Podcast highlights successful
business models for media
On DW Akademie’s“Survive and Thrive: The
Media Viability Podcast,”
media managers fromaround the world discuss
financing models andrecipes for success, alongwith what they learned frommissteps and bad decisions.
Launched in 2023, the second
season has been runningsince January 2024.

Armed conflicts, natural disasters,
increasing cyber attacks and declining
revenue streams are affecting media
companies worldwide. How do media
survive in such a difficult media landscape? What motivates media professionals to keep going? Among the guests
who have answered these questions so
far are Iryna Vidanava, an exiled media
manager from Belarus; Salam Omer from
KirkukNow in Iraq, which reports fromconflict regions; and Michelle Nogales,
co-founder of Bolivia’s first feminist
online magazine.
“Survive and Thrive” is publishedmonthly and can be found on all major
podcast platforms, along with a video ofthe podcast on YouTube. The transcript,
further information and resources are
DW Akademie website
available on theand on our LinkedIn newsletter. 

Most Iraqi
politicians view
independentjournalism andnews that is notin their interestas propaganda.

10,000on LinkedIn.

© KirkukNow

During the first season of “Survive
and Thrive: The Media Viability Podcast,”
newsletter subscriptions surpassed
Salam Omer

Iraq, consultant and editor-in-chief
KirkukNow, an independent online
news website that covers the dispu­
ted territories of northern Iraq

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

57

40© Julia Minner/DW Akademie

languages in which the
MethodKit for Podcasts
is available

 ot an idea for a new podcast?
G
Get start-up help from professionals
With MethodKit for Podcasts, DW Akademie supports podcasts worldwide from development to production.
Together with the Swedish organization MethodKit and 20
global podcast experts, DW Akademie developed a set of 61
cards, each highlighting a crucial aspect of podcast development. The kit stimulates discussion and helps with concept
development as well as considering production details. It
also helps trainers working with media professionals on new
audio formats but it can also be used independently.

DW Akademie has also developed training modules thathave already been implemented in various African countries,
Cambodia and Ukraine. The podcast kit can be used online
and offline and is available in English, Kiswahili, Amharic,
Burmese, Oromo, Arabic, Chichewa, French, Mooré, Spanish,
Ukrainian, Khmer and German, among others. Digital kits
are available for free atmethodkit.com/podcasts

OUR WORK EMPOWER ING MEDI A MAKER S© Curtis Shuck58

DW Trainees report through wind and rain W trainees broaden their horizonsD
on assignment abroad
DW trainees hail fromdifferent cultures andcountries. They havejoined the DW Akademie
program to become
the next generation ofjournalists.

The budding journalists of the 2023/24
trainee cohort come from seven nations
to work with DW. Over 18 months of practical seminars and editorial assignments,
the trainees have learned the journalistic
skills necessary to produce television,
online and radio news. Beyond working
in both Bonn and Berlin, a two-monthassignment in one of DW’s foreign studios is mandatory. In addition, trainees
have the choice of a month-long elective
assignment, which can be at the ARD
studio in Madrid or at the UN in Jamaica.
The main goal of the program is fortrainees to understand what makes DW’scorrespondent work so remarkable andto experience how colleagues from othermedia companies work.
And after the traineeship? Almost
all of them stay with DW—as editors,
reporters or correspondents. 

12

DW trainees percohortDW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

59

 ualification ensures quality:
Q
Strengthening media withacademic training
All students have already gained some
professional experience in the media
industry, media development or ineditorial offices.
The international program gives students an in-depth look at the connections
between media, politics and development.
In two years, they learn digital media
production and gain comprehensive journalistic expertise and media management
skills.
Upon completion of the master’s
program, graduates function as media
experts worldwide and contribute tostrengthening media development
and freedom of speech in their homecountries.
The International Media Studies program is offered through DW Akademie,Bonn University and the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
University of Applied Sciences. 265

alumni of the International
Media Studies (IMS) master’s
program

The IMS programis enhancing myjournalistic skills
and widening myhorizons. It will
help me pursue
my dreams to
make a differencein the lives ofmany, especiallyin Africa.
© Jennifer Pahlke/DW

The new students in
the International Media
Studies (IMS) master’s
program come from allover the world, including
Mexico, Bangladesh,Pakistan, Colombia, Ghana,
Kenya and Ethiopia.
And for the first time,
students from Latvia,
Lithuania, Zimbabwe andAlbania are also joining
the program.

Efemena Mapholomi
Nigeria, master’s student inInternational Media Studies

Studying in French — in France and Bonn
The new French-language master’s degree program in international journalism (MFJI) will start in the 2024 academic
year. The program, aimed at media professionals from the French-speaking world, is a result of a partnership between
DW Akademie and the Université de Tours in France. After the first year in Bonn, MFJI students continue their educationin Tours in the second year. The program concludes with a professional internship in the student’s home country and isaccompanied by a scholarship.

Our numbers
We set thestandards© Network of Information Centers (NIC)

Close cooperation with local partner organizations in nearly 70 developing andemerging countries is our strength. To enable us to work even more closely
together, we are continuously opening or expanding DW Akademie’s field andregional offices. For example, a new regional office was opened in Mexico in 2023.
Our 15 field offices complement our ten regional offices to form a global networkof media development experts. Our decentralized organizational structure
guarantees that we are where we are needed most.

O U R N U M B E R S W E S E T T H E S TA N D A R D S© picture alliance/dpa | Jair Cabrera Torres

62

Calls for justice: After the body of a journalist was discovered in the city of Tepic, Mexico, in July 2023, protesters displayed
posters with pictures of murdered media workers in the country

 n the ground for mediaO
freedom: DW Akademie
opens office in Mexico
Mexico is one of themost dangerous countries
in the world for journalists.
According to Reporters
Without Borders, more
media professionals havebeen killed in Mexico thanin any other country atpeace.

The violence is directed against criticalvoices and the crimes against journalists
in Mexico are rarely investigated, muchless punished. The consequences are
self-censorship or even flight. In recent
years, freedom of expression in Mexico
has also come under pressure dueto the spread of false information onsocial media. Young people, women andindigenous communities are particularly
affected.
DW Akademie has been active in
Mexico as a focus country since 2020 and
opened an office in Mexico City in March

2023. Together with our partner organization Periodistas de a Pie, we are working
to curb disinformation. The local media
alliance is active throughout the country, developing editorial guidelines andtesting new media formats to strengthen
dialogue and promote media and information literacy (MIL). In Central America, wewere the first international organization
to systematically promote MIL, drawing
on our wealth of experience and expertisefrom projects worldwide. © Philipp Böll/DW

DW AK ADEMIE REPORT 2023/24

63

In March 2024, around 200 DW Akademie employees from all over the world came
together in Bonn to exchange ideas and participate in workshops at the Akademietage.
Fahmim Ferdous (left), Bangladesh team, and Yulia Alekseeva, Ukraine team, hosted the event.

25

DW Akademie
locations outsideof GermanyDedicated tofree media
around the world

Regional officePartner countries (on behalf of BMZ)

Bolivia
Burkina Faso
Colombia
Côte d’Ivoire
Ethiopia
GhanaKenyaLebanonMexicoMoldova
Morocco
Namibia

Palestinian territories
Serbia
Tunisia
UgandaUkraine10

regional offices and15

field offices

Project countries
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Armenia
Bangladesh
BelarusBhutanBosnia and Herzegovina
BrazilCambodia
ChileCosta Rica
EcuadorEl Salvador
Estonia
The Gambia

Georgia
Guatemala
Honduras
Indonesia
JordanKazakhstan
Kosovo
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
LesothoLibyaLithuania
MalawiMalaysia
MaliMauritania
Mongolia

Montenegro
MyanmarNigerNorth Macedonia
PakistanPeruPhilippines
Russia
Sierra Leone
South Africa
Tanzania
ThailandTimor-Leste
Uzbekistan
YemenZambiaZimbabwe40.7
68(as of April 2024)

DW Akademie projects
in 2023365

people around the world
whom we employ on afull or part-time basis(as of May 2024)

partner organizations
around the world withwhich we work closely(as of April 2024)

emerging economies
and developing
countries where wehave projects

84

187

million euros in projectfunding from the German
Federal Ministry for
Economic Cooperation andDevelopment, the Federal
Foreign Office, the European
Union and other donors(2023 budget)

3.3

million euros in funding from theFederal Government Commissioner
for Culture and the Media, for work
we do on behalf of Deutsche Welle(2023 budget)9

media outlets
already
working
together in
the YoungMedia
Network —with more to
come!

265

alumni of the International
Media Studies (IMS)
master’s program offeredby DW Akademie, together
with the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
University of Applied Sciences
and Rhenish Friedrich
Willhelm University Bonn

12

DW trainees
per cohort(2011 to 2023)

1.1

million registered users of the
DW Learn German platform(as of March 2024)

percent of
DW Learn Germanusers are between
the ages of 21 and 35

23
40

languages in which
the MethodKit for
Podcasts is available,
including many
indigenous languages

55

start-ups in Tunisia,
Morocco and Algeria
supported by
MEDIA LOVES TECH
up to 2023

Community radio stations,
local media outlets andmedia organizations
from 13 countries inAfrica and Latin America
were involved in thedevelopment of theColmena app

57(as of March 2024)

3.7

million fans andfollowers of
DW Learn German
on social networks(as of March 2024)

66

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