#rp24 speaker Ellen Heinrichs: Bad News are Bad News

More and more people are avoiding the news because they feel stressed and depressed by them. For Ellen Heinrichs, this is bad news for journalism, as it seems to be gradually losing its audience – but also for our democracies, as they need well-informed voters. Younger people in particular are increasingly informing themselves via social media, family and friends – because they often distrust journalism and hardly see any connection between the news and their own lives. 

What strategies can help in the fight against news avoidance? And how do they fit in with the claim of newsrooms to inform their audiences about relevant topics and problems as fact-based and objectively as possible? At re:publica 24, Ellen will present studies, user data and practical examples to show which newsrooms are already successfully developing journalism today so that it is still relevant tomorrow.

Ellen is committed to journalism that creates added value and strengthens democratic participation. She is the founder and managing director of the non-profit Bonn Institute, a network organisation for the media industry that organises research, training and exchange on how journalism can become more solution-oriented, perspective-rich and constructive. With the b° future festival, she organises Europe's first festival for journalism and constructive dialogue together with re:publica co-founder Markus Beckedahl.

Ellen Heinrichs began her career as a reporter at the regional newspaper Rheinische Post. After working for international organisations, she joined Germany's international public broadcaster Deutsche Welle, where she worked as a journalist and manager. Most recently, she headed DW’s "Trends & Knowledge" team. Ellen Heinrichs is a trained mediator, solutions journalism trainer and agile culture coach. She is a board member of the Human Journalism Network and was the only German Fellow at the Constructive Institute in Denmark.

At #rp24, we look forward to hearing Ellen's thoughts and strategies on the topic of news avoidance.