Bonn Institute

What Bonn Institute does

Bonn Institute gGmbH is a Bonn-based, non-profit limited liability company (gGmbH) founded on 27 April 2022 with a Jay Rosen keynote at its opening. It is the leading German-language institute dedicated exclusively to constructive journalism and constructive dialogue, serving working journalists, editors, newsrooms, and journalism educators in the DACH region. Its mission is to equip the media to counter news avoidance and declining trust by promoting solution-oriented, perspective-rich reporting and audience dialogue, framed as a contribution to democratic resilience.

The institute's product portfolio spans three pillars. First, knowledge products include the 'Eine Stunde reden' dialogue game (launched in German in May 2026 and English in June 2026 as 'One Hour, Many Voices'), the Konstruktiver KI-Kompass / Prompt Book (launched November 2023 with RTL, Deutsche Welle, HMKW and Constructive Institute Denmark), a 'Psychologie im Journalismus' web series, qualitative studies on constructive war reporting and local solutions journalism, and the book 'Journalismus auf der Couch'. Second, training and fellowship programmes comprise Masterclasses, the Constructive Journalism Fellowship run jointly with Deutsche Welle, and the b° local project for regional newsrooms. Third, community and event assets are anchored by the annual b° future festival on Bonn's Münsterplatz, presence at re:publica and DW's Global Media Forum, and a monthly b° newsletter. Core technology is not publicly disclosed; the AI Compass product relies on a third-party GPT-based bot rather than proprietary models.

Bonn Institute operates as a non-profit and does not publish revenue. Its funding mix combines public grants (Landesanstalt für Medien NRW is the disclosed primary funder of the Prompt Book), B2B training revenue from Masterclasses and the DW co-run fellowship, ticket and sponsorship revenue from the b° future festival, and direct-to-consumer sales through its own e-commerce shop (books priced at €20 and dialogue-game units). With 14 employees, the organization remains small; strategic emphasis is on deepening partnerships with major German media groups (RTL, Deutsche Welle), anchoring a recurring international partnership with the Constructive Institute (Denmark), and expanding bilingual reach through the 2026 English dialogue-game launch.

Name

Bonn Institute

Legal name

Bonn Institute gGmbH

Website

https://bonn-institute.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bonn Institute is a German non-profit founded in 2022 that advances constructive journalism through training programmes, publications, a flagship annual festival, a dialogue game, and an AI guide for newsrooms, primarily serving DACH-region journalists, editors, newsrooms, and journalism educators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Journalism Education and Training

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Educational Support Services (61171), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD), Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC)

Keywords

• Constructive journalism training
• Journalism education programs
• Dialogue facilitation tools
• Media professional development
• Solutions journalism research

Headquarters

HQ city

Bonn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Shop Sales: Sale of physical and digital products including the 'Eine Stunde reden' dialog game and publications such as 'Journalismus auf der Couch' and the Konstruktiver KI-Kompass (print edition).
2. Educational Programs and Fellowships: Constructive Journalism Fellowship program providing professional development for journalists.
3. Events and Masterclasses: Revenue from b° future festival tickets and Masterclass offerings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bonn Institute provides training programs, educational tools, and resources for journalists and newsrooms to adopt constructive journalism practices. Its core offerings include the 'Eine Stunde reden' dialogue game, the 'Konstruktiver KI-Kompass' AI guidance resource, the b° future festival, masterclasses, the Constructive Journalism Fellowship, and a portfolio of publications and research studies on constructive and solutions journalism.

Product overview

Bonn Institute offers a portfolio of resources, training programs, and tools for constructive journalism. Core offerings include 'Eine Stunde reden. Das Dialogspiel' (a dialogue game for audience engagement), the 'Konstruktiver KI-Kompass' (Constructive AI Compass guide on responsible AI use in journalism), and the 'b° future festival' (annual journalism festival). The institute also produces publications including the 'Psychologie im Journalismus' web series, studies on constructive war reporting, and books like 'Journalismus auf der Couch'. Additional offerings include masterclasses, the b° local local journalism project, and the Constructive Journalism Fellowship. These products work together to advance solutions-oriented, perspective-rich, and dialogue-driven journalism.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• b° future festival: Annual festival for journalism and constructive dialogue in Europe, held in Bonn.
• b° local
• Eine Stunde reden (One Hour, Many Voices)
• Konstruktiver KI-Kompass

Products and services

• Eine Stunde reden. Das Dialogspiel (One Hour, Many Voices) A dialogue game designed to facilitate constructive conversations between people, creating a protected space with fixed rules where listening is prioritized over convincing. Available in German and English editions for newsrooms, organizations, and community groups seeking structured dialogue.
• Konstruktiver KI-Kompass (Constructive AI Compass / Prompt Book) A comprehensive guide providing knowledge, tools, and tips for using artificial intelligence responsibly and constructively in journalism. Includes prompts for idea generation, research, and interview preparation, plus a GPT-based constructive ideas generator. Available as a free PDF in German and English, and as a print edition.
• b° future festival Annual festival for journalism and constructive dialogue in Europe, held in Bonn city center. Brings together journalists, editors, media professionals, and the public for keynotes, workshops, and networking around constructive journalism practice.
• Masterclasses Training sessions and workshops on constructive journalism methods for journalists, editors, and media professionals seeking skills development in solution-oriented and constructive reporting.
• Constructive Journalism Fellowship Fellowship program run in partnership with Deutsche Welle that provides journalists with professional development in constructive journalism approaches, combining practical training with editorial experimentation.
• b° local Project bringing solutions journalism approaches to local newsrooms in German-speaking regions, supporting regional media organizations in adopting constructive formats through pilots and editorial support.
• Buch: Journalismus auf der Couch A book by Ellen Heinrichs and Astrid Prange featuring interviews with 15 media professionals (including ZEIT Chief Editor Giovanni di Lorenzo) on paths out of the journalism crisis through constructive approaches. Published by Herder Verlag, 240 pages, ISBN: 978-3-451-39342-6, priced at 20 Euros.
• Studie: Konstruktive Kriegsberichterstattung (Between Wish and Reality) A qualitative study on constructive war reporting, examining how journalists can reach audiences during wartime and avoid news avoidance. Provides research-grounded guidance for editors and reporters covering conflict.
• Bericht: Lösungsjournalismus im Lokalen

Quantifiable outcome

• Constructive journalism has been shown to positively impact monetization of regional media
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Constructive Institute (Denmark)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Constructive Institute in Denmark is a key strategic partner for Bonn Institute. They collaborated on the 'Konstruktiver KI-Kompass' (Constructive AI Compass) project and Bonn Institute draws heavily on Constructive Institute frameworks and research. The Constructive Institute's executive director is cited as a collaborator, and Bonn Institute was established in alignment with the Constructive Institute model. The Constructive Institute's founder David Bornstein's work on solutions journalism is referenced extensively.
• Deutsche WellecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeutsche Welle (DW) is a key project partner in the 'Prompt Book' (Konstruktiver KI-Kompass) initiative. DW also collaborates with Bonn Institute on the Constructive Journalism Fellowship program. DW hosted the Global Media Forum where Bonn Institute launched the English version of 'One Hour, Many Voices'.
• RTLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTL is a project partner in the 'Prompt Book' (Konstruktiver KI-Kompass) initiative, contributing to the development of responsible AI usage guidelines for newsrooms in the German media market.
• HMKW – Hochschule für Medien, Kommunikation und WirtschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHMKW is a project partner in the 'Prompt Book' initiative, contributing academic expertise through Professor Dr. Ranty Islam (Professor for Digital Journalism). Students from HMKW collaborated with Bonn Institute on the project.
• Landesanstalt für Medien NRWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Landesanstalt für Medien NRW (State Media Authority of North Rhine-Westphalia) is the primary funder of the 'Konstruktiver KI-Kompass' (Prompt Book) project. This funding enabled the development of AI guidance resources for German-language newsrooms.
• Media University (HMKW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partner contributing academic perspective on digital journalism to the Prompt Book project, working alongside RTL, Deutsche Welle, and Constructive Institute Denmark.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Poynter Institute: US-based journalism training and standards organization (owns PolitiFact, runs MediaWise, ICN). Large, established journalism education body with overlapping training and content mission — relevant peer especially for the AI and constructive-tools portfolio.
• European Journalism Centre (EJC): Nonprofit foundation supporting journalism innovation in Europe through grants, programs, and events. Comparable scale, mission, and audience (European newsrooms/journalists).
• DW Akademie: Deutsche Welle's development and training arm — runs larger-scale journalism training programs globally and partners with Bonn Institute on the Constructive Journalism Fellowship. Overlaps on training, capacity building, and journalism education.
• Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism: Oxford-based research and thought-leadership body producing the Digital News Report and journalism research. Comparable research-and-thought-leadership positioning though focused more on industry analysis than training.

Emerging players

• News Literacy Project: US nonprofit advancing news literacy and trust in journalism. Overlaps on Bonn Institute's mission to combat news avoidance and declining trust, though oriented to audience-side literacy rather than newsroom-side craft.
• Reportagen Magazin Foundation: Swiss nonprofit supporting long-form, perspective-rich journalism — thematically adjacent to constructive journalism with overlapping mission of reframing how journalism serves audiences.
• Journalism & Women Symposium (JAWS): US journalism support nonprofit running fellowships, training, and community programs. Comparable operating model (small nonprofit, fellowship programs, training) though with a different focus area.

Others

• Nieman Foundation (Harvard): Academic journalism fellowship and research organization. Comparable fellowship/community-building model (especially the Nieman Fellowship) and research outputs to Bonn Institute's Constructive Journalism Fellowship.

Direct peers

• Solutions Journalism Network: Global nonprofit advancing rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. Cited extensively in Bonn Institute materials (David Bornstein) and operates the training programs that Bonn Institute localizes in the DACH market.
• Constructive Institute: Denmark-based constructive-journalism organization explicitly referenced as the model and key strategic partner for Bonn Institute. Both organizations develop frameworks, training, and research around constructive journalism — the closest direct peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bonn-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/bonn_institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Bonn Institute