Journalismus macht Schule

What Journalismus macht Schule does

Journalismus macht Schule (JmS) is a Hamburg-based German non-profit association (eingetragener Verein, e.V.) that was formally registered in 2022 under the full legal name 'Journalismus macht Schule – Verein zur Förderung von Informations- und Nachrichtenkompetenz e.V.' Its mission is to strengthen news and information literacy among students by connecting working journalists directly with school classrooms and by building a national community of practice among educators, journalists, and media literacy advocates. The organization operates a portfolio of nine interconnected services: curated classroom resources (Materialsammlung), a structured journalist-into-schools visit program (Journalist:innenbesuche), a nationwide coordination initiative (JmS bundesweit), a state-specific program in North Rhine-Westphalia (startchancen NRW), professional development training for teachers and journalists (Fortbildungen), educational publications including a teacher handbook distributed via Friedrich Verlag, the annual #PressefreiheitMachtSchule campaign tied to International Press Freedom Day, the annual Jahrestagung Nachrichtenkompetenz network conference, and the 'JmS im Gespräch' podcast.

The business model is non-commercial: services to schools are provided free of charge, and revenue is generated through recurring membership dues, donations and sponsorships, and one-time sales of educational publications. The organization is supported by a Vorstand (board) chaired by Jörg Sadrozinski and Klaus Ott, with board members including Martin Spiewak (affiliated with DIE ZEIT) and Annkatrin Kaiser (affiliated with Lie Detectors), alongside a Kuratorium (supervisory board). JmS reaches schools and educators across all 16 German states, primarily through direct coordination with schools, partnerships with major German media organizations (DIE ZEIT), educational publishers (Friedrich Verlag), peer non-profits (Lie Detectors), regional media authorities (Medienanstalt Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein), state civic education bodies (Bayerische Landeszentrale für politische Bildungsarbeit), and foundations (Stiftung Medienkompetenz). The 2025 annual conference convened over 140 experts from education, journalism, politics, science, and civil society, underscoring JmS's role as a national convening body in the German news literacy ecosystem.

Name

Journalismus macht Schule

Legal name

Journalismus macht Schule – Verein zur Förderung von Informations- und Nachrichtenkompetenz e.V.

Website

https://journalismusmachtschule.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Journalismus macht Schule is a Hamburg-based German non-profit association (e.V.) that strengthens news and information literacy in schools by coordinating journalist classroom visits, teacher training, and educational publications, serving schools, educators, and students across Germany through a national network of media and civic partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Literacy Education Services

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Investigative & Nonprofit News Organizations (MPAJADAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Student Media & Publications (Newspaper, Radio, TV) (EDALAHAE)

Keywords

• Media literacy education
• News literacy programs
• Journalism school visits
• Press freedom campaigns
• Teacher professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: The organization operates as a registered association (e.V.) since 2022, supported by members who pay dues to support the organization's mission of promoting news and information literacy in schools.
2. Donations and sponsorships: Funding from supporters, donors, and possibly corporate sponsors to support educational programs, school visits, and training materials.
3. Publications and handbooks: Sale of educational materials and handbooks for teachers, such as the practical handbook published in partnership with Friedrich Verlag.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Journalismus macht Schule operates a nationwide initiative in Germany that connects professional journalists with schools to deliver news and information literacy education. The organization provides school classroom visits by journalists, curated educational materials, teacher training programs, a practical handbook for educators, the annual #PressefreiheitMachtSchule campaign linked to International Press Freedom Day, and an annual networking conference (Jahrestagung Nachrichtenkompetenz).

Product overview

Journalismus macht Schule is a nationwide German initiative and registered association (eV) focused on strengthening news and information literacy among students. The organization operates as a multi-service educational platform rather than a single product, offering a coordinated portfolio of interconnected services: journalist school visits that provide firsthand journalism experience, a resource/material collection for classroom use, professional development training for teachers and journalists, publications including a practical handbook for educators, the annual #PressefreiheitMachtSchule campaign linking students with renowned journalists, and the annual JmS networking conference. The JmS im Gespräch podcast extends outreach through audio content. These services work together to enable students to inform themselves comprehensively and factually about current events while understanding why journalism is essential for democratic society.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Materialsammlung (Resource Collection)
• Journalist:innenbesuche (Journalist Visits)
• JmS bundesweit (JmS Nationwide)
• startchancen NRW
• Fortbildungen (Professional Development)
• Publikationen (Publications)
• #PressefreiheitMachtSchule (Press Freedom Campaign)
• Jahrestagung Nachrichtenkompetenz (Annual Conference on News Literacy)
• JmS im Gespräch (Podcast)

Quantifiable outcome

• 140+ experts participated in 2025 network meeting
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Bayerische Vertretung BerlinminorOthers · 17 December 2025Venue partner for the 2026 Jahrestagung Nachrichtenkompetenz conference. Bayerische Vertretung provides the location in Berlin.
• Friedrich VerlagcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership for publishing the practical handbook for teachers on news literacy education. Friedrich Verlag distributes educational materials for teachers.
• Lie DetectorscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration with Lie Detectors organization, with JmS board member Annkatrin Kaiser also affiliated with Lie Detectors. Both organizations work on media literacy and journalism education for youth.
• Bayerische Landeszentrale für politische BildungsarbeitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Collaboration on political media education. Dr. Katja Friedrich from the Bavarian State Center for Political Education participates in joint podcasts and educational initiatives.
• DIE ZEITcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia partnership with major German newspaper. JmS board member Martin Spiewak is affiliated with DIE ZEIT, facilitating journalist participation and editorial collaboration.
• Medienanstalt Hamburg/Schleswig-HolsteinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional media authority partnership supporting media literacy initiatives in the Hamburg region.
• Stiftung MedienkompetenzminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation focused on media competency education, supporting JmS initiatives and programs.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (bpb): Federal German agency for political education with a national mandate and significantly larger resources. Provides media- and democracy-literacy materials for schools and is a likely funding competitor/partner for JmS's programs.

Emerging players

• Correctiv: German investigative journalism and fact-checking nonprofit. Operates in adjacent territory to JmS — both target news literacy and misinformation — but Correctiv is primarily a newsroom and fact-checking outlet rather than a school-classroom program.

Direct peers

• Grimme Institut: German media-education organization known for the Grimme Award in television quality. Conducts media-literacy projects with schools and educators, overlapping with JmS on teacher training and media-pedagogy curriculum work.
• News Literacy Project: U.S. nonprofit that provides news-literacy curricula and resources to schools and educators. Most internationally comparable peer to JmS in mission, target audience, and curriculum-driven approach to media literacy.
• Bayerische Landeszentrale für politische Bildungsarbeit: Bavarian state agency for political education and an existing JmS partner. Co-publishes podcasts and educational content on media and democracy topics, making it a structural peer in the political-media-literacy space.
• Neue Deutsche Medienmacher: German nonprofit association of media professionals focused on diversity in journalism and media literacy. Comparable nonprofit structure with a journalism-education mission that intersects with JmS's news-literacy goals.
• Lie Detectors: Brussels- and Berlin-based nonprofit that runs classroom workshops on news literacy and misinformation for schoolchildren. Directly comparable to JmS in mission, target audience (students aged 10–18), and active partnership status (JmS board member Annkatrin Kaiser is also affiliated with Lie Detectors).
• Stiftung Medienkompetenz: German foundation dedicated to media-competency education and supporting media-literacy initiatives including JmS. Operates in the same mission space with overlapping teacher- and student-facing programs across Germany.

Others

• Deutscher Presserat: German voluntary press council that adjudicates complaints about journalistic ethics and publishes principles of press conduct. Thematically related to JmS's journalism-education mission but operates as an industry self-regulator rather than a school-facing educator.
• Reporter ohne Grenzen (RSF Germany): German branch of Reporters Without Borders, focused on press freedom advocacy and journalism safety. Thematically aligned with JmS's #PressefreiheitMachtSchule campaign but focused on journalist protection rather than classroom education.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/JmS_Verein
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@journalismusmachtschule
• Facebookfacebook.com/journalismusmachtschule
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/journalismusmachtschule
• Instagraminstagram.com/journalismusmachtschule

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Journalismus macht Schule