journalists.network

What journalists.network does

journalists.network e.V. is a Berlin-based German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 1995 to promote foreign correspondence among German-speaking journalists. It runs a portfolio of programs anchored by international research trips (~12 journalists per cohort, capped at participants under 40 years old) to destinations across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East, complemented by online Hintergrundgespräche (#jnWebtalk) with active correspondents, in-person workshops on skills such as mobile reporting and satellite data analysis, regional Stammtische in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, and Munich, and the annual Tag des Auslandsjournalismus conference launched in January 2023.

The organization operates a community-led, volunteer-driven model: governance rests with a ~9-member elected board chaired by Lea Deuber (China correspondent for Süddeutsche Zeitung), and trip organization is handled by active journalists at major German outlets including Deutschlandfunk and ARD. It is not a technology company — the core "product" is curated access to international reporting experience and a peer network, with no proprietary platform, app, or API. Pricing is structured as tiered per-trip participation fees ranging from €300-€950 depending on participant type (editorial staff, self-payer, volunteer/student) plus optional Fördermitgliedschaft supporting memberships.

Monetization is a hybrid of participant fees, supporting memberships, and a diversified institutional funding base spanning German political foundations (Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung), development and humanitarian NGOs (Misereor, WWF, Welthungerhilfe, CARE, Brot für die Welt), BMZ-funded programs (ZFD Konsortium), and corporate sponsors (Daimler Truck, Henkel, Knauf, Asahi Kasei, Toto, ABB, Schindler, KfW). The organization explicitly subsidizes trip costs via this sponsorship stack, with participant fees set well below actual trip cost.

Name

journalists.network

Legal name

journalists.network e.V.

Website

https://journalists-network.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

journalists.network is a Berlin-based German non-profit association founded in 1995 that runs subsidized international research trips, workshops, and networking events for under-40 German-speaking journalists, funded by a mix of participant fees and a diversified base of political foundations, NGOs, and corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Professional Development

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

Keywords

• Journalism association services
• International research trips
• Foreign correspondence training
• Professional journalism workshops
• Media networking events

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Trip participation fees: Participants pay reduced fees for research trips (850-950 EUR for editorial staff, 750-850 EUR for self-payers, 700-750 EUR for volunteers/journalism students). These fees cover flights, internal travel, and accommodation with breakfast. Actual costs are subsidized by sponsor funding.
2. Membership contributions: The organization offers a 'Fördermitgliedschaft' (supporting membership) option, allowing members to financially support the association's work.
3. Sponsorship and institutional funding: Research trips are co-funded by foundations and corporations including Misereor, WWF, Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung, and companies such as Knauf, Daimler Truck, Henkel AG, Asahi Kasei, Toto, ABB, Schindler, and others. The organization applies for project-based funding from BMZ and EU programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

journalists.network e.V. is a non-profit professional association that organizes subsidized international research trips for early-career journalists under 40, alongside digital background discussions (#jnWebtalk), skill-based workshops, regional networking meetups (Stammtische), an annual conference (Tag des Auslandsjournalismus), and an annual member assembly. It delivers its programs through in-person events across Germany and abroad, with thematic focuses on politics, climate, economics, and social issues in destination countries.

Product overview

journalists.network e.V. is a non-profit journalism organization that operates as a single unified program rather than a platform. Its core offering consists of organized international research trips abroad for young journalists, supplemented by digital background discussions (#jnWebtalk), workshops on journalism skills, regional networking meetups (Stammtische), an annual conference (Tag des Auslandsjournalismus), and annual member meetings. The organization focuses on fostering foreign journalism and understanding of global affairs among German-speaking journalists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Recherchereisen (Research Trips Abroad)
• Hintergrundgespräche (#jnWebtalk)
• Workshops In-person and digital professional-development workshops covering practical journalism skills such as mobile reporting, freelance foreign correspondence, satellite data analysis, and open-source research methodology. Delivered to early-career journalists and members.
• Stammtische (Networking Meetups)
• Tag des Auslandsjournalismus (Foreign Journalism Day)
• Jahrestreffen (Annual Meeting)
• Outside looking in Conference

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 200 journalists attended the first Tag des Auslandsjournalismus conference in 2023
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funding partner for research trips, specifically the Georgia research trip. KAS provides financial support and facilitates dialogue with political stakeholders in Germany and abroad.
• MisereorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment organization providing financial support for research trips to Brazil. Focus on social justice and international development themes.
• WWFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization co-funding Brazil research trips, with focus on climate and environmental topics covered during the COP30 trip.
• Friedrich-Ebert-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitical foundation providing financial and organizational support for Japan research trips. Conducts programs on political topics including security policy and energy transition.
• Rosa-Luxemburg-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitical foundation co-funding Brazil research trips, focusing on social and political transformation topics.
• Friedrich-Naumann-StiftungcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPolitical foundation providing financial support for Argentina research trip, focusing on political and economic transformation under Milei government.
• WelthungerhilfecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment organization supporting research trips to Somalia/Somaliland and Ethiopia, with focus on hunger, food security, and climate change topics.
• KnaufminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman construction materials company sponsoring Brazil research trip, with focus on industrial and economic topics.
• Daimler TruckminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman automotive company sponsoring Brazil research trip, visited their São Paulo manufacturing plant.
• Henkel AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman chemical consumer goods company supporting Japan research trip.
• Asahi KaseiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese technology company supporting Japan research trip, provided tour of hydrogen electrolyzer facility.
• TotominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese toilet manufacturer supporting Japan research trip, provided tour of research facilities.
• ABBminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss technology company supporting Switzerland AI research trip.
• SchindlerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss elevator company supporting Switzerland research trip.
• ZFD Konsortium / BMZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium of peace-building organizations funded by German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supporting Kenya research trip.
• CAREminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian organization supporting Somalia/Somaliland research trip.
• Handicap InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumanitarian organization supporting Somalia/Somaliland research trip.
• Diakonie KatastrophenhilfeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtestant humanitarian organization supporting Kenya research trip.
• Brot für die WeltminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProtestant development organization supporting Kenya research trip.
• Menschen für MenschenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian development organization supporting Ethiopia research trip.
• NABUminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman nature conservation organization supporting Ethiopia research trip.
• Plan InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChild rights organization supporting Ethiopia research trip.
• Netzwerk RecherchecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman investigative journalism network. Annual conferences serve as venue for jn workshops and member recruitment. Collaborative workshops on topics like freelance foreign correspondence.
• Deutsch-Chinesisches MediennetzwerkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman-Chinese media network co-organizing the 'Outside looking in' conference on press freedom and foreign reporting on China.
• Bosch Alumni CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides venue support for the 'Outside looking in' conference on journalism restrictions in China.
• KfWminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman development bank, funding invested in Kenya's geothermal energy infrastructure (Olkaria), visited during research trip.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Netzwerk Recherche: German investigative journalism network that runs annual conferences and workshops for journalists. jn explicitly partners with Netzwerk Recherche for workshops and member recruitment, and the two serve overlapping communities of German journalists focused on quality reporting — making them the closest peer in mission and audience.
• Reporter ohne Grenzen (Reporters Without Borders Germany): German chapter of the international press freedom organization. Operates as a journalism-focused non-profit in Germany with similar sponsor and donor base, though focused on press freedom advocacy rather than training trips — a peer in mission-adjacent space serving the same German journalism community.
• Journalismfund.eu: European non-profit providing grants and financial support for cross-border investigative journalism projects. Comparable to jn as a journalism-supporting non-profit that channels foundation and institutional funding toward enabling journalists to undertake international reporting work.
• European Journalism Centre: Maastricht-based non-profit supporting international journalism through grants, training programs, and reporting trips across Europe and beyond. Overlaps directly with jn in providing professional development and reporting-trip support to journalists from multiple European countries.
• Pulitzer Center: US-based non-profit that funds international journalism travel and reporting grants for journalists. Operates a comparable model of subsidizing journalists' international reporting trips via foundation and corporate sponsorship, with similar mission focus on under-covered global stories — a direct conceptual analog to jn's Recherchereisen program.
• Free Press Unlimited: Dutch non-profit supporting independent journalism in developing countries and conflict regions through training, grants, and reporting support. Operates a comparable model of foundation-funded journalism development programs targeting international reporting — closely parallel to jn's research-trip and workshop approach.

Broad incumbents

• International Federation of Journalists: Global federation of journalists' unions and associations spanning 140+ countries. Operates as a broad incumbent in the international journalism-association space, providing trade representation and advocacy rather than the focused training/trip model that defines jn.
• Committee to Protect Journalists: US-headquartered international non-profit advocating for press freedom and providing safety support to journalists worldwide. Comparable to jn as a journalism-focused non-profit with international scope and foundation/corporate funding, though focused on press freedom protection rather than professional development.
• Deutscher Journalisten-Verband (DJV): Largest professional association for journalists in Germany, representing over 18,000 members across all media sectors. Functions as a broader incumbent in the same journalism-association space as jn but serves the full profession (not specifically foreign correspondence) and offers trade union representation rather than training trips.

Emerging players

• Hostwriter: Berlin-based platform connecting journalists for cross-border collaboration, explicitly linked from jn's website as a related resource. Shares jn's Berlin location and journalism-network focus but offers a digital platform for collaboration rather than organized trips — an emerging peer intersecting with jn's community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookjournalists-network.org/?wysija-page=1&wysijap=subscriptions
• Instagraminstagram.com/jn_journalists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about journalists.network