the European Independent Media Circle
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
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
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
Berlin, December 2024 – In late November, members of the Reference network came together in Berlin for two days of lively discussions, reflection and forward planning. The gathering, which took place in the Publix building, also welcomed several Civitates grantees into the sessions, offered a space to take stock of the past year and set … Read more
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
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
Join the Reference team, and help support the future of independent media in Europe!
How can independent public interest journalism convert its public value into financial value? With the Journalism Value Project, we aim to find that out.
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
Earlier this month, 24 leaders of independent media organisations from across Europe gathered in Belgium to work on solving shared challenges together. At this Reference Circle meet-up at Dataharvest, one of two in-person network meetings we hold each year, we created space for discussions about developing the network, as well as working on specific challenges … Read more