It is time to go back to school, and the European Commission is bringing forward a series of courses to make its Cohesion Policy more accessible and comprehensible to future journalists. In 2022, the Directorate General for Regional and Urban policy (DG REGIO) launched a call for proposals, allocating € 1 million to develop a course aimed at journalism educational institutions. This initiative resulted in the creation of a project called COPE (Covering Cohesion Policy in Europe) – a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). The COPE – MOOC is a collaborative effort by six European universities and two journalists' associations, designed to equip journalism students and professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively cover the EU and one of its most complex policies: Cohesion policy.
The vision behind the project
Cohesion policy is central to the EU's mission of reducing disparities between regions. However, with its many intricacies and layers of governance and decision-making, the policy is not exactly the most easily understandable, nor the easiest to explain to citizens. This leads often to superficial press coverage that can be instead addressed by improving journalism education. This visible gap is what inspired the decision to develop a specialised course on the EU and cohesion policy, with the goal to make this complex subject more accessible and to prepare future journalists to report accurately and insightfully on EU matters.
The project that emerged from the 2022 call for proposal was submitted by a a partnership that spanned six universities and two leading journalism associations. Recognising the need for better EU-related journalism, these institutions, created a comprehensive educational tool that could be used across the EU.
The consortium behind the MOOC
The consortium includes the Technical University of Dortmund (Germany), the University of Porto (Portugal), the Wroclaw University (Poland), the Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece) and the AP University of Antwerp (Belgium). These universities worked closely with the European Journalism Training Association and ARENA for Journalism in Europe, combining academic expertise with professional insights to create a MOOC that is both informative and practical.
The development of the MOOC was guided by an Advisory Board comprising notable figures such as Radka Betcheva from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), George Ubachs from the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU), and investigative journalist Harald Schumann from Investigate Europe. Their input helped shape the course to meet the needs of both students and professionals in the field.
What the MOOC offers
The COPE MOOC is a free, extensive, and interactive e-learning platform designed to educate journalism students across all EU Member States. Available in all EU languages, it is accessible to a broad audience and encompasses several key areas:
Structured into 14 modules, the course corresponds to a full semester of academic teaching. Each language version incorporates local examples relevant to the language in which the course is being taught, ensuring that the content is not only theoretically sound but also practically applicable in different national contexts.
Who can benefit and how to access the MOOC
The COPE MOOC is designed primarily for journalism students, but its utility extends far beyond the academic environment. Professional journalists, media practitioners, and anyone interested in understanding the EU and cohesion policy can benefit from this resource. With the course being freely available online, it opens opportunities for continuous learning and professional development across the EU.
The pilot version of the MOOC was launched in the spring semester of 2024, reaching 497 students. Following its successful trial, the course will be rolled out in partner universities during the autumn of 2024.
Expected impact and future prospects
The COPE MOOC represents a significant step towards improving the quality and depth of EU-related journalism. By providing a comprehensive, accessible educational tool, the course is expected to enhance the ability of journalists to cover EU issues, particularly those related to cohesion policy, with greater accuracy and insight. Ultimately, this online course shows the way towards a better-informed public, especially on an EU policy area with so much impact on European citizen’s everyday lives.
Prof. Dr. Susanne Fengler, from the Erich-Brost-Institut for International Journalism echoes this sentiment: “The MOOC has already started to systematically equip the next of generation of European journalists with the necessary competences, skills, and European networks to understand the political agenda, decisions, programmes and funding mechanisms of the European Union.”
Professor Fengler added that the course has already shown how it can train young journalists to thoroughly investigate and critically cover EU issues. Journalists are in fact equipped to exploit the plurality of available sources and browse relevant databases, translating this raw information into compelling reporting that addresses local audiences.
Professor Fengler eagerly emphasised the local audience angle, stating that “The MOOC makes a special effort in finding the regional angle in EU coverage” as journalism also needs to act as watchdog to cover and assess the spending of cohesion funds by local actors in the regions across the EU.”
In order to foster cross-border co-operation, the MOOC makes a point of training journalism students in collaborative techniques of EU coverage. Journalism educators are supported by experienced scholars (from the field of political science, mainly public policy and European studies) dealing with Cohesion Policy and EU policies in general.
Moreover, the course's availability in all EU languages and its inclusion of local examples make it a versatile tool for journalism education across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts. As it becomes integrated into the curricula of more universities and accessed by professional journalists, the MOOC has the potential to support the reporting of a new generation of journalists, and lead to a more informed democratic debate across the Union.
For those interested in exploring the MOOC or integrating it into their educational or professional development, the course can be accessed via the website at cope-journalism.eu.
