Reference Welcomed Seven New Members

Amsterdam, September 2025 – Reference is delighted to welcome seven new members to its growing European network of independent, public-interest media organisations. The new members: FADA Collective (Italy), BIRC Institute (North Macedonia), Solomon (Greece), Fundacja Pismo (Poland), The Investigative Desk (Netherlands), Voxeurop (France) and The European Correspondent (Belgium) join Reference as part of the network’s … Read more

Shared Learning and Solidarity Shone in Athens

Athens, September 2025 – Members of Reference and grantees of Civitates met again in Athens for an intensive day of knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and reflection during the iMEdD Forum 2025. The gathering brought together 32 participants from 14 countries, combining focused peer learning sessions with participation in the Forum’s wider international programme. Taking place within one … Read more

Exploring the Future of Public-Interest Journalism in Perugia

Perugia, April 2025 – Members of Reference gathered in Perugia, Italy, in the frame of the International Journalism Festival to participate in a series of sessions dedicated to the future of independent, public-interest journalism in Europe. The meeting coincided with the launch of the Journalism Value Project (JVP) white paper, Shaping the Future of Journalism: … Read more

The Journalism Value Report: Mapping the State of Public Interest Journalism in Europe

On Thursday, 28 November, the Journalism Value Report was published, providing a detailed overview of the state of independent public interest journalism in Europe. Drawing on responses from 174 newsrooms across 31 countries, the report explores this growing sector’s challenges and opportunities. At Reference, we are committed to supporting independent public interest media, which provide … Read more

Valuable Conversations

We’ve been having a lot of valuable conversations recently, both inside the network and outside of it. Some key questions at the centre of the Journalism Value Project are What is the value of independent public interest journalism? and How can it be better supported? Answers to these might be obvious to those working in the space: incredibly important … Read more

Design Thinking for Solidarity: Fostering Collaboration in the European Public-Interest Media Sector

On Friday 2 June 2023, at Dataharvest in Mechelen, we hosted a Design Thinking for Solidarity workshop, bringing together approximately 15 participants from the Reference Circle network and grantees by Civitates. The two networks co-organized the workshop. We set out to explore ways to promote solidarity among audiences within the European public-interest media sector.  Below … Read more