LVR LandesMuseum

Opening Ceremony

With Ellen Heinrichs and Markus Beckedahl

Welcome to the b° future festival 2025!

Journalism is a Profession of Care and Connection

With Nina Fasciaux

What if journalism was less about problems and more about care? Nina Fasciaux shows how compassion can reshape reporting, spark better debates, and bring people together.

Beyond the Newsroom: How to Involve Citizens in Your Investigations

With Neus Vidal and Sabrina Faramarzi

What if investigations went beyond the newsroom? In this hands-on workshop, journalists and citizens team up to tackle cross-border issues and turn local knowledge into impactful stories.

How to Build a Media Brand That Feels Like a Group Chat

With Emilio Doménech

Global Journalism, Global Voices: A Practical Guide to Participatory Cross-Border Reporting

With Roli Mahajan, Eva-Maria Verfürth, Katharina Otieno, Alba Nakuwa and Maren van Treel

Global stories need global voices. D+C shows how collaboration with journalists from the Global South leads to more balanced, inclusive reporting – and why that’s key for constructive journalism.

America's Free Press in Shackles

With Astrid Maier, Keri Mitchell, Kimberly Spencer, Moritz Döbler and Thomas S. Leatherbury

The U.S., birthplace of democracy, now faces threats to press freedom: public media defunding, silencing critical newsrooms, and rolling back journalist protections. Will democracy’s guardrails hold? The world is watching.

Connecting with Communities

With Lucas Batt, Rhiannon J Davies and Lucy Brisbane McKay

How can journalism rebuild trust and truly connect with communities? Discover fresh ideas from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism and Greater Govanhill on making media more inclusive, local, and people-powered.

Showing Them What’s Cooking: A Recipe for Radical Transparency and Ethical Guidelines

With Wytse Vellinga

Learn how journalism can earn trust in the age of social media and AI by practicing radical transparency and showing the public how facts are verified.

Making Solutions Climate Journalism Work: A Participatory Workshop

With Alice Fleerackers, Andreas Schuck and Lucas Verhoeven

How can we make climate journalism more effective—and more engaging? In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore new research on audience reactions to solutions stories and co-create practical tools for better storytelling.

Where Art Meets Truth: An In-Depth Study of Artistic Journalism

With Jakub Górnicki

What happens when journalism turns into art? Jakub Górnicki shows how immersive storytelling and performative formats can transform news into shared experiences that connect and inspire.

The Missing Voices: Why Animals Deserve a Place in Mainstream Media

With Prya Bisambhar

Why are animals nearly invisible in the news – and why should that change? Prya Bisambhar shows how animal journalism can spark empathy, shift perspectives, and give non-human lives a place in the headlines.

Update Your Audience's Worldview – And Your Newsroom's Too

Think you know the world? Gapminder’s Ola Rosling challenges old stereotypes and shows how constructive journalism can reveal the truths your newsroom hasn’t yet discovered.

Bridging Past and Future: How Media Archives and Cultural Heritage Offer New Perspectives on Journalism

With Laura Postma and Jill van Remundt

Explore how Sound & Visions’ archives empower journalists and citizens to tell richer, more informed stories.

Designing a Platform for Deep Listening [cancelled]

What happens when your audience doesn’t just read – but listens back? Morten Ro from Zetland shares how deep audience listening fuels loyalty, impact and growth. With insights, numbers – and a business model inspired by human anatomy and the magic of singing together. Curious? Come listen!

Embracing Influencers: A New Era for Newsrooms

With Adriana Lacy

Discover how newsrooms can engage young audiences through social media, influencers, and authentic video content.

When Choral Music Meets Journalism: Crafting Stories That Reach New Audiences

With Keri Mitchell and Sam Brukhman

Sam Brukhman and Keri Mitchell teamed up to tell West Dallas’ story of environmental injustice through music, film, and storytelling. In this session, they share how their unique collaboration created a powerful, bilingual narrative that connected communities and sparked new awareness and action.

Mapping and Mending Ukraine’s News Deserts

With Tetiana Gordiienko and Valeria Shemshuchenko

The MDF presents “News Deserts 2.0,” a nationwide study on access to vital information in Ukraine. Discover key findings and practical strategies with local media to combat information inequality and support fragile media ecosystems.

Rethinking Conflict Coverage: Lessons from the Middle East and Beyond

With Alina Živanović, Yasmina Al-Gannabi, Konstantinos Antonopoulos and Derek Bowler

This panel explores fresh ways to cover conflicts that connect with young audiences amid digital overload—shifting focus from violence to empathy, resilience, and community stories for a new kind of conflict reporting.

What Does the Public Think of Generative AI (in the News)?

With Dr. Felix M. Simon and Richard Fletcher

AI in journalism affects us all. This talk shares fresh insights on how audiences use, trust, and feel about AI—and what it means for news and policy.

Get Out of Your Bubble and Into the Circle!

With Joost Bos and Ilse Louise van der Woude

Step outside and experience The Circle Method — a playful, powerful way for journalists to connect with their audience and turn the streets into a canvas for stories.

Building an Independent Cultural Platform: Lessons From Agelast

With Galeb Nikačević Hasci-Jare

How do you build independent media in a polarized region? Agelast, the Balkans’ leading podcast, shares its journey: from authentic storytelling to community-building and creative survival. A session for media makers who believe in impact beyond the mainstream.

Women of Color in Leadership

With Vivienne Francis, Katie Mark and Debarati Guha

As DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) fades, who tells the untold stories? Join the Bureau’s women-of-colour leaders as they unpack trust, bias, and the challenges of a still male, white-dominated newsroom.

The Future of Journalism? Rebuilding Trust Through Representation

With Esmat Jeraj, Georgina Quach and Matt Pearce

Whose stories get told – and whose don’t? Journalism that lacks diversity risks losing trust. This panel explores how newsrooms can drive real, systemic change to reflect the society they serve – and win back audiences by making everyone truly visible.

Beyond the Scroll: Combatting News Fatigue in Crisis Reporting Through Audience Engagement

With Borja Díaz-Merry, Yasmina Al-Gannabi, Alina Živanović and Sebastian Katthöver

News fatigue is real – especially in times of crisis. This session explores how journalism can cut through the noise, engage younger audiences, and stay ethical under pressure. With hands-on strategies to fight overload and build lasting trust.