From Covid-19 to Europe at war: A European Perspective connecting a continent through trusted news

On 31 May, ‘A European Perspective’ marked the end of phase II of the pan-European networked newsroom project. Over the last 12 months, the project has expanded from 12 to 18 media organizations with a massive expansion in Eastern Europe. This means that the potential audience for these news stories is around 66 million Europeans. That number will keep growing as Cyprus is set to join the project next.

Noel Curran, Director General, EBU, said: “The EBU is proud of the innovative news sharing project ‘A European Perspective’. It is my strong hope that the project continues with more EBU Members joining to help us shape a digital future for public service news.”

He continued: “We are in a very competitive news market where disinformation is rife. By joining forces across borders, we are giving public service media an edge to reach audiences all over Europe with trustworthy news, amplifying the value of the societal investment while enhancing understanding.”

Delphine Ernotte-Cunci CEO of France Télévisions and President of the EBU said: “Audiences across Europe need broader viewpoints as most news stories today have global implications. ‘A European Perspective’ is a platform where we can build our strength in digital news and enhance the relevance of public service media. The 365 million impressions of 20 thousand news stories since the project’s launch, indicates a powerful impact alongside constant growth. We see the need to expand and evolve this project.”

Key milestones

• On average, 1,000 news stories submitted each month with 800 of those stories being republished by outlets in other countries
• News is being republished in 14 different languages in the newsfeeds
• In the first 7 months of the project, there were 1 million clicks on ‘A European Perspective’ news stories. 14 months later, that figure had risen to 7 million clicks, showing an accelerating growth of the audience
• There are 25 thematic newsfeeds on pan-European topics, such as climate change and cost of living
• The development of a constructive journalism algorithm with the Constructive Institute, which focuses on prioritizing news search results that are solutions-orientated
• The initiation of a Public Service Algorithm, which is developing a framework for scoring news according to specific public service objectives. Once released, it should surface content that strongly engages audiences
• Outreach to young audiences on social media, featuring news stories that will appeal to this group
• Innovation with the AI translation (EuroVOX) and recommendation tools (PEACH) that are constantly updated and developed
• A weekly newsletter that features the most shared stories with input from the editors on why they selected those news stories, adding a human face to the news feeds
• A comprehensive report on disinformation, Fact checking Trends and Patterns, developed for the project by France Télévisions

What the audience says

In an audience survey from April 2023, 86% of respondents found the ‘A European Perspective’ newsfeeds useful. Some notable quotes:

“The wider the horizon, the better the solutions” – respondent from Latvia.

“I think it's great that public service media are joining forces and shedding light on fuel prices, energy issues or the like from a European perspective.” – respondent from Germany.

“It can be trusted.” – respondent from Sweden.

“I like the way it's presented. It is easy to scroll.” – respondent from Portugal.

Next steps

Although this phase of EU funding is coming to a close, ‘A European Perspective’ is a highly valued initiative and the participating media organizations are committed to continue sharing trusted content and different perspectives with audiences. The AISBL EBU-UER and participating media organizations will continue to invest in refining the tools and processes, while actively seeking further funding opportunities to accelerate the growth of the project.

Justyna Kurczabinska, ‘A European Perspective’ Project Director said: “We are excited to continue this innovation journey with Members and partners, as in our connected world, “collaboration is the new competition”. It broadens perspectives while being the key to a thriving media future.”

ABOUT 'A EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVE'

'A European Perspective' brings together public service media organizations to share original online news content, offering their audiences fresh insight into pan-European issues.

Each participating organization shares its stories through a Digital News Platform, where they are translated into multiple languages using the EBU's EuroVOX AI translation tool and robust editorial workflows.

Editors select the most relevant stories for their audiences and publish them through a dedicated widget featured on their websites. To see a list of our participating Members, go to our webpage.

This project is co-financed by the European Union’s Preparatory Action – “European Media Platforms”