For 27 days, 27 young European journalists will work together to produce 27 reports on the concrete applications of cohesion policy. Far from the institutional rhetoric, they will offer lively, embodied accounts of the men and women behind EU-funded projects in a variety of environmental, economic, social and societal fields. The 27 reports will be published in various media across the EU.

I - The Newsroom 27 - How does it work?

• You find a story related to a project financed by the EU. Many of them are here, here, here and here. You can also ask the representation of the EU Commission in your country about the existing projects around you.
• You prepare a draft of a story linked to one of the projects financed by the EU and you apply to The Newsroom 27 by following the requirements listed here. The application process is open until February 15th 2024, 11:59 PM CET.
• Once selected, you integrate the virtual newsroom, get the opportunity to collaborate with other young journalists from the Member states and with the Slate team report and write your story as part of a consistent editorial project. Your work shall start in the beginning of Spring and be published between the end of Spring and the beginning of Autumn.

II - The project

The selected candidates will benefit from the advice of professional journalists from Slate France, and will have the opportunity to learn from each other in the virtual newsroom. A common conversation will be opened, and three plenary sessions of the newsroom will be organized throughout the process.

The 27 selected candidates will be remunerated, and the costs related to the report will be covered. The young reporters will be guided in their investigation, reporting, writing and editing work by Slate.fr’s editorial staff, and by a project manager who is himself a journalist.

III - The stories

Each member of The Newsroom 27 will have to write one long story (1000 words / 7000 characters minimum) linked to a project financed by the EU in his country, through an original angle.

The stories should present innovative projects supported by the EU in a European region, and more specifically initiatives developed with the help of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Just Transition Fund and the Recovery Plan in key sectors –innovation, ecology, digital, social, citizenship.

The stories will be published in French, in English and in the native language of their authors on Slate.fr, on the website thenewroom27.eu and in various media across the EU, giving the young journalists access to a wide audience.