Foreign practice can be interesting not only for journalists themselves, but also for the media they represent
For journalists from Eastern Europe who want to work in Germany, the Marion Countess Dönhoff Journalist Scholarship (Marion-Gräfin-Dönhoff-Journalistenstipendium) has existed for 18 years. As Deutsche Welle notes, program participants receive 3,800 euros to cover living expenses, airfare, health insurance, and visa fees. Applications can be submitted until April 15, and the internship will begin in mid-October 2018.
The scholarship program is named after the former editor-in-chief of the weekly Die Zeit, one of Germany's most authoritative media outlets. Countess Dönhoff is a cult figure in German journalism. She devoted her journalistic and public activities to the reconciliation of peoples in the years after World War II. IJP, in turn, also seeks to improve understanding between countries.
According to Miodrag Šorić, head of the Marion Dönhoff scholarship program, the scholarship does not lose its relevance, especially given current political events. Today, he emphasizes, international journalists need, more than ever, a deep understanding of what is happening in the country they write about and the opportunity to obtain first-hand information. All this contributes to creating an objective picture in the media and prevents distortion of facts.
Another goal of the Marion Dönhoff scholarship program is to create a broad network of contacts among journalists. "It's a community you can always count on. Whether you need some information or are planning a business trip, you can use these contacts at any time," notes program graduate and former project coordinator Evgeniya Sayko. After an internship in Berlin in 2006, she still keeps in touch with other scholarship holders from both Germany and Eastern European countries.
During the internship, scholarship holders have the opportunity to broaden their horizons, understand the essence of what is happening in other countries, and exchange views with colleagues on topics that concern them.
"I learned more, for example, about Ukraine and Moldova. I was also pleasantly surprised by the general level of training of German scholarship holders and their awareness. During the introductory seminar, I found our joint discussions interesting. Despite the topics being not very easy for most participants, everyone was very correct and tried to understand a different point of view," believes Elena Korkina, who interned at the editorial office of the newspaper Schweriner Volkszeitung.
Simion Ciochină from Moldova honed his professional skills in the Romanian editorial office of the media company Deutsche Welle. "We are all from the countries of the former Soviet Union, we used to live together, now our states are fragmented, and our peoples no longer know each other so well. This program provided an opportunity to get acquainted," shares the young journalist.
The Dönhoff scholarship internship lasts two months. It allows you to learn how German media work, compare professional standards, and use the acquired knowledge to improve the work of the media organizations represented by the scholarship holders.
Foreign practice can be interesting not only for journalists themselves, but also for the media they represent. Sending a correspondent on a business trip is a rather costly process, while during the internship, the scholarship holder can act as a foreign correspondent and carry out assignments for their home editorial office.
"In Tomsk, I worked on regional television, making materials about local events. But Berlin, where I did my internship, involved completely different scales: I shot stories about the Berlin Wall, famous German writers, journalists, a member of the Bundestag with Russian roots. All these materials were broadcast in Tomsk in a special section 'German Stories'," says Evgeniya Sayko.
She agrees with other program graduates: internships abroad provide a powerful charge of energy and inspiration. "I returned home full of strength and new ideas. The IJP scholarship inspired me to continue working on Germany and international topics," emphasizes the young journalist.