European Journalism Institute

2024 Program Dates: July 20 – 28

The European Journalism Institute (EJI) is a week-long journalism training program held in Prague that brings together approximately 25 early to mid-career journalists and upper-level journalism students from around the world. The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) and The Media Project (TMP) cohost the program, with academic credit offered through Anglo-American University. EJI participants engage with industry professionals to expand their understanding of religion in public life, explore fundamental issues related to journalism ethics, and boost reporting skills through lectures and workshops. The experience also challenges participants to consider the importance of independent, fact-based journalism as a foundation of liberty and free societies.

CURRICULUM

TFAS and The Media Project co-host EJI to encourage an intellectually honest and critical approach to subjects related to religion, liberty, and ethics in journalism. We seek to challenge and equip journalists and future media professionals to cover religion as an essential part of public life and advance individual freedom, human achievement and personal responsibility through their life’s work.

The program contains four core academic components: conflict and religion reporting, journalism ethics, creating effective leads, and photojournalism. By delving into the life experiences and expertise of our faculty and guest lecturers, participants will survey best practices in the industry and how to navigate the social, economic, and political complexities of an ever-evolving media landscape. Participants will receive 2 US credit hours from Anglo-American University upon successful completion of the program.

Over the course of the week, class time is interspersed with opportunities to visit famous sites in Prague and get to know the other participants better through organized social events. The range of nationalities, religions, and ethnicities represented at the program gives participants the chance to interact, learn and share their experiences in ways that can benefit their educational and professional development.


FACULTY
Sean Gallup headshot

Sean Gallup, Getty Images

PROFESSOR – PHOTOJOURNALISM

Mr. Sean Gallup is chief news photographer in Germany for Getty Images. Based in Berlin, he assigns and produces news and features coverage with a team of freelance photographers for Getty in Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

His photographs appear regularly in news publications and outlets across the globe and have appeared on the front pages and covers of Time, Newsweek International, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Der Spiegel, Vanity Fair, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Irish Times, Financial Times, Toronto Star, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and Sueddeutsche Zeitung, among others. Sean photographed a series of portraits relating to right-wing extremism that was initially exhibited at the Bundeswehr Military History Museum in Dresden in 2013 and subsequently toured to 12 venues across Germany.

Sean is also author of “Journeys Into Czech-Moravian Texas.” He has a bachelor of arts in political science from Williams College and a master of arts in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin.

Paul Glader Headshot

Paul Glader, Columbia University

Adjunct PROFESSOR – religion reporting, BUSINESS reporting, AND media ETHICS

Paul Glader is an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Before that, he was a full professor and program chair of the journalism, culture, and society program at The King’s College in New York City, where he directed The McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute and the NYC Semester in Journalism. He is an advisor and former executive director of The Media Project, a global non-profit journalism training organization, and was the founder and Executive Editor of its award-winning, non-profit news outlet ReligionUnplugged.com. He also co-founded Vett Inc / VettNews.com.

An award-winning journalist, Glader spent 10 years as a staff writer at The Wall Street Journal, covering a variety of beats including technology, travel, metals/mining, health/science and finance. He’s written for numerous publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, TheNewYorker.com, The Indianapolis Star, The Associated Press, Der Spiegel Online, FastCompany.com, USA Today and ESPN.com. He’s appeared on national TV and radio programs including CNBC, Fox Business, and WSJ Radio. He currently writes for several national magazines including Bloomberg BusinessWeek, ChristianityToday, The American Legion and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com.

Glader is a two-time TFAS alumnus, having completed the Institute on Political Journalism (IPJ) in Washington, D.C. in 1999 and the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) in 2000 in Prague. He enjoys surfing, reading, and traveling with his wife and daughters.

David Rocks headshot

David Rocks, Bloomberg News

PROFESSOR – Feature writing, international enterprise reporting, and business Reporting

Mr. David Rocks is a senior editor for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg BusinessWeek in Berlin, shepherding European coverage for the magazine and helping journalists from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa tell their stories and improve their writing. Previously, he was senior editor for global news at BusinessWeek, overseeing correspondents and coordinating bureaus from Mexico City to Mumbai. Rocks was the magazine’s Asia editor for four years, leading coverage in Asia and writing his own stories about technology, politics, design trends and more. He also served as managing editor of e.biz, a monthly technology supplement to BusinessWeek, and as a correspondent in the magazine’s Atlanta bureau.

Before joining BusinessWeek, Rocks spent eight years in Prague as a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to that, he was a reporter and editor for The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. His work both for BusinessWeek and other publications has taken him to scores of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.

Rocks has taught journalism and led seminars at universities in Colorado, Indiana, California, India and Jordan. He has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and a Master of Arts in international communications from American University in Washington, D.C.

The following is a list of past guests speakers at EJI. During the program, you can expect to hear from many prominent thought leaders like the ones listed below.

David Blevins of Ireland

senior ireland correspondent for Sky news

Jakub Janda of Czech Republic

executive director of the European Values Think-Tank and head of the Kremlin Watch Program

Edward Lucas of the United Kingdom

senior vice president at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), former senior editor at The Economist, long-serving foreign correspondent in Berlin, Vienna, Moscow and the Baltic states

Barbora Maronkova of the Slovak Republic

director of the NATO Information and Document Center in Ukraine

Ivan Mikloš of the Slovak Republic

former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic and former chief advisor to the Minister of Finance of Ukraine

Vladimir Vaňo of Slovakia

head of communications for SK-NIC and group economist for CentralNic Group PLC

Walking Tour of Prague
On one of the first days of the program, participants go on a walking tour of the beautiful, historical city, including sites such as the grounds of Prague Castle, the narrow streets of Staré Město (Old Town), the statue of St. John of Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge and the world famous Prague Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square.

Participants visit the Lennon Wall on their walking tour of Prague.

Bowling Night
During EJI participants will gather at a local bowling alley to get to know each other and to exercise their bowling skills.

Accommodation + Meals

As part of EJI, participants will stay in Masarykova Kolej, a dormitory located near downtown Prague. The double occupancy dorm rooms have a private bathroom, and the building includes a shared kitchen and free WiFi. TFAS staff will assign same-gender roommates from different countries to promote cross-cultural exchange.

Breakfast will be provided at the dormitory and lunch will be provided at AAU throughout the program. Every effort will be made to include alternatives for participants with special dietary requirements (kosher, vegetarian, etc.) due to religion and/or lifestyle. Participants are free for dinner to explore the abundance of local restaurants and cafes.

Transportation
Participants are provided with a Prague Public Transportation Metro Pass. This pass is used on all forms of public transportation within the Prague city limits: trams, buses, and the metro. More details about the Prague Public Transportation system will be given to the participants prior to arriving to Prague.

Neighborhood
The neighborhood surrounding the dorms is home to many of the technically oriented faculties of Charles University as well as a variety of shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and pubs.

By taking the metro a few short stops, you could find yourself walking through the grounds of Prague Castle, strolling along the streets of Malá Strana (Lesser Town), crossing the Vlatava River on the famous Charles Bridge, exploring Staré Město (Old Town), gazing at the Prague Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square, or walking through Wenceslas Square, the site of historic protests during the Prague Spring of 1968 and the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

Please note this schedule gives an idea of the program’s general structure and is subject to change. Participants will receive the final schedule prior to the start of EJI.

Sun
12:00PM – 4:00PMRegistration
7:00PM – 10:00PMGroup Dinner and Orientation
Mon
8:30AMDepart with Staff to Classroom
9:00AM – 11:00AMPaul Glader Lecture: Entrepreneurial Journalism
11:00AM – 11:15AMBreak
11:15AM – 12:45PMGuest Lecture on Journalism and the Clash of Civilizations
12:45PM – 2:15PMLunch
2:15PM – 3:30PMGuest Lecture on Russia Disinformation Campaign and Effects on Journalism
3:45PM – 5:00PMSean Gallup Lecture: Photojournalism Part I
5:15PM – 7:00PMWalking Tour of Prague
Tue
9:00AM – 10:30AMGuest Lecture on Media and Revolutions
10:30AM – 10:45AMBreak
10:45AM – 12:30PMSean Gallup Lecture: Photojournalism Part II
1:00PM – 2:30PMLunch
2:45PM – 4:00PMPaul Glader Lecture II: Ethics in Business Journalism
4:00PM – 4:15PMBreak
4:15PM – 5:30PMDavid Rocks Lecture I
7:45PM – 11:00PMBowling