OPEN Media Hub

The five-year OPEN Media Hub sought to strengthen independent media and professional journalism in 17 of the countries bordering the European Union and create a media sharing platform.

Cross border multi-country programmes

The migration crisis, post-truth politics, conflict in Ukraine, international terrorism, the war in Syria, the ongoing crisis in Libya; there had never been a more important time for accurate and balanced news.

From 2016 to 2021 the Thomson Foundation, supported by the European Union, was at the heart of the issues, delivering its biggest ever project, the OPEN Media Hub. 

Helping reach wider audiences

From Morocco to Moldova and from Azerbaijan to Algeria we playred a key role in helping local media to reach wider audiences in their own countries and inside the EU.

The project brought together editorial and business skills, and a specialist set of consortium partners, to support new and established media. We delivered in-country workshops for media managers, active production sessions on critical topics with editorial staff and set up a journalist exchange scheme all aimed at supporting the creation of high-quality television and video production.

Europe needs to understand more about the real situation of neighbourhood countries.

Content sharing platform 

Uniquely the project capitalised on Thomson Foundation’s long media business heritage encouraging EU newsrooms to use content made in countries bordering them. We set up a sharing system delivering high impact coverage from reporters trained by the foundation directly into the newsrooms of some of Europe’s biggest public and private media organisations.

Our partners

• France 24
• Free Press Unlimited
• The European Journalism Centre
• Particip
• Action Global Communications
• Ipsos Mori

Closer ties for a stronger neighbourhood

Moldova was the venue for the first phase of the multi-million euro OPEN Media Hub project

 

Managing in a multimedia world 

Engaging managers and senior editors is a key strategy in the initial programme in Jordan

Mojo for Libyan reporters

Mobile journalism workshops were held in Tunisia for journalists from Libya