The new Publix Fellowship for Media Entrepreneurs will bring two innovators to the Reuters Institute every year

The Reuters Institute and Publix are delighted to announce the Publix Fellowship for Media Entrepreneurs, which will bring two outstanding journalists with innovative media minds to Oxford every year from 2026. Each of these innovators will be selected from either Germany, Austria or Switzerland, and will spend one term at the Institute, followed by a stay at Publix, a mixture of experiences which will strengthen their leadership and innovation skills. Applications for the new Publix Fellowship will open in January 2025.

Publix is an initiative of the Schoepflin Foundation, which is committed to the development of critical thinking, a vibrant democracy and a diverse society. Its goals are securing a diverse and independent media landscape in Germany and Europe, promoting journalistic innovation, strengthening the democratic discourse and counteracting disinformation.

Publix joins more than a dozen funders that make possible our Journalist Fellowship. The programme, which brings together reporters and editors from all over the world, is one of the world’s leading schemes for practising, mid-career journalists to take some time out from their day jobs to explore journalism in depth. 

The programme includes seminars, networking events and discussions with peers. While in Oxford, our Journalist Fellows work on a project that can be of direct impact to them, their career, their newsroom and the wider media industry.

In response to the announcement, Mitali Mukherjee, Director of our Journalist Programmes and Acting Director of the Institute, said: “We are delighted to partner with Publix on this unique and innovative fellowship. For journalists today, it is important to bring together a multitude of skills ranging from best reporting practices to being skilled entrepreneurs and adapting to a rapidly changing news landscape. This fellowship will provide journalists the opportunity to grow as future news leaders and innovators.” 

Maria Exner, Publix Director, said: "We are more than happy to be able to launch this cooperation with such an excellent partner in our opening week. The Fellowship for Media Entrepreneurs is an important component of our work at Publix, which aims to strengthen media diversity and quality journalism. For the first time, two fellowships in the Reuters Institute's Journalism Programme are now available exclusively for media professionals from the DACH region."

Tim Göbel, Executive Director of Schoepflin Foundation, said: “We are convinced that in the future, good journalism will only exist with equally good business models. The Publix Fellowship for Media Entrepreneurs is designed to give journalists the tools to develop their ideas for journalistic and commercially sustainable outlets – and thus strengthen the diversity of the media landscape.“