Speakers
Luisa Neubauer is a climate activist and a key organizer of the Fridays for Future movement. She has mobilized millions of people for climate protests, leading to Germany's first climate law. Currently, she works to build climate alliances between union workers and youth.
Paul McNally is a journalist and media entrepreneur with 20 years of experience. He founded Develop AI, which reports on AI, trains journalists globally to use AI responsibly, and builds AI tools for podcast creation and justice reporting.
Tina Antončič is the editor-in-chief of Infodrom, a children's news show on the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija. She is also a documentary filmmaker for children and youth, as well as the presenter and scriptwriter for the youth talk show (Ne)varni.
Nina Skočak ran in this year's European elections, leading the youngest independent candidate list in the EU - Gen Z list in Croatia. She is a political scientist and communication expert working for the European Commission's Scientific Advice Mechanism in Brussels. Nina is also a content creator, curating a personal Instagram and TikTok blog.
Dr. Bahareh Heravi is an academic at the Institute for People-Centred AI at the University of Surrey and a BRAID (Bridging esponsible AI Divide) fellow with BBC R&D, focusing on AI literacy in the news. As a specialist in AI and journalism, she advises on AI usage in the media.
Markus Mörchen is deputy editor-in-chief of “Tagesmagazine Mainz” within the news department of German public broadcaster ZDF. He is responsible for the development of several new formats for streaming media, YouTube and social media.
Tamara Denić is a film director from Berlin, Germany. Her graduation film, ISTINA (Truth), won the Audience Award for Medium-Length Film at the 44th Max Ophüls Film Festival, was a 2023 BAFTA finalist, and won a Student Oscar at the 50th Student Academy Awards.
Pavol Szalai has been the head of Reporters Without Borders' EU/Balkans Desk since 2020. He previously served as the organisation's correspondent in Slovakia, covering European affairs for Sme and Euractiv.
Neža Prah Seničar is a journalist, TV host, and scriptwriter for the public broadcaster RTV Slovenija, specializing in content for children and youth. For over a decade, she has produced news segments for children on the show Infodrom. Neža has been involved in international projects such as the Sex Ed Glossary, hosted the show Osvežilna Fronta, and has produced documentaries and documentary series for children and youth.
Dinko Gruhonjić is a professor in the Department of Media Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, Serbia. He serves as the program director of the Independent Journalists Association of Vojvodina and VOICE's editor-in-chief.
Beate Weides has managed the Hannah Arendt Initiative's coordination office since
June 2024. She has worked as a journalist in various roles in print, online, and radio, with many years of experience at Westdeutscher Rundfunk.
Phillis Fermer is the Executive Producer for the Eurovision Kids’ Documentary series and an accomplished documentary filmmaker. In addition to her production work, Fermer conducts regular surveys and screenings with children to assess the series’ impact and outreach.
Emilija Milenković is a dedicated activist, feminist, and advocate for youth political engagement. She serves as the program director of Our World, Our Rules and is a National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS) board member.
Artur Papyan is the director of Media Diversity Institute - Armenia and a co-founder of CyberHUB-AM Threatlab, working in digital and information security. Since 2007, he has worked as a journalist, editor, and producer for various media outlets.
Sonja Verbaarschott is the editor-in-chief of NOS Jeugdjournaal, a daily news show for children on TV and social media. NOS is a public broadcaster that covers news in the Netherlands. Sonja is responsible for the strategy and daily output of a team of around 60 young journalists.
Tamar Kintsurashvili is the founder and executive director of the Media Development Foundation (MDF) and editor-in-chief of the Myth Detector. She also teaches courses on propaganda research methods, media literacy, ethics, and self-regulation.
Antanina Maslyka is the regional director for Europe at Article 19, where she leads initiatives promoting freedom of expression and human rights across Europe. She previously managed the Human Rights Defence Programme at the Netherlands Helsinki
Committee.
Zoran Stanojević is the editor of the RTS.rs internet portal and serves as both editor and moderator of political TV shows and debates on Radio Television of Serbia. He began his journalism career as a high school student at Omladinske novineand has since worked for notable outlets, including BBC World Service, NBC News, and the weekly Vreme.
Tamara Skrozza has been a journalist since 1997. She worked at Radio Index and spent 20 years at the political weekly Vreme. For the past five years, she has been working as a journalist, TV production editor, and deputy editor-in-chief of the Fonet news agency. Since 2011, Tamara has also been a member of the Appeals Commission of the Press Council. She has received several national awards and one regional.
Enrique Anarte Lazo is a Spanish multimedia journalist based in Berlin, currently leading TikTok content for Thomson Reuters Foundation’s award-winning LGBTQ+ news platform Openly. He has reported for TRF, DW, Reuters, and NBC across more than 15 countries.
Georgia Trismpioti is the Regional Team Leader for Innovation.Media.Minds. "Support to Public Service Journalism" in the W. Balkans. A political scientist and communication expert, she previously held managerial roles with the ICRC & IFRC in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.
Peter Limbourg is the Director-General of Deutsche Welle (DW), and a staunch advocate for press freedom and diversity in journalism. Under his leadership, DW has consistently increased its online and social media reach, with 1.4 billion views per month across 32 languages.
Natalia Krapiva is a legal professional managing risks for the Digital Security Helpline and leading Access Now's legal strategies for digital rights. Licensed in New York, she has worked as a prosecutor and conducted human rights investigations.
Lukas Hansen is the editorial lead of ENTR, a pan-European social media outlet founded by Deutsche Welle and France Médias Monde, which aims to connect young people across Europe. He has worked for several national and international media organizations in Germany.
David Cuka is an Albanian artist who uses photography to document aspects of life that are related to human rights. His work promotes awareness of social equality and discrimination, particularly within the LGBTIQ+ community.
Ruth Kühn is a TV journalist and a senior technology manager at Deutsche Welle. As part of DW’s AI team, she works on company-wide initiatives to integrate AI while upholding journalistic integrity and fostering responsible innovation.
Milena Janjušević, an editor and journalist for RTCG in Montenegro, has crafted a distinct voice in children’s media. She has directed and written several acclaimed children's documentaries, including Seagull, Ogi the Fisherman, Ilija's Dream, and Iva in Robotics—all produced by the European Broadcasting Union.
Nadiia Mantulo is a media and information literacy expert specializing in teenagers and gamification. Originally from Kyiv, Ukraine, she is currently based in Bonn, Germany, working on DW Akademie’s project 'Strengthening Independent Media for a Strong Democratic Ukraine'.
Máire Rowland is a passionate advocate for press freedom and gender equality. As a researcher at the Coalition For Women In Journalism, she documents the challenges faced by women and non-binary journalists worldwide.
Mykola Chernotytskyi is a prominent Ukrainian media manager and expert who has led the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (Suspilne Ukraine) as Head of the Managing Board since April 2021. In July 2022, Chernotytskyi was elected to the Executive Board of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
Nadine Berneis is a media education expert and the managing director of fragFINN e.V. This non-profit organization operates Germany's only children's search engine and runs a children's editorial team—the FINNreporter, which currently focuses on AI from a child's perspective.
Džemal Ćalaković currently coordinates the freedom of expression cooperation project
at the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade. A University of London alumnus, he has experience in project management, human rights, and program implementation.
Noljan Lole is the editor-in-chief of RTSH 24, the news channel of Albania's Public Broadcaster RTSH. In this role, he oversees the channel's daily operations and manages the Breaking News section. Lole has been a journalist since 2002, bringing years of experience to his leadership position.
Nevena Zelenika is a student and civic activist from Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina. After direct confrontations with the Republika Srpska regime, and an attack during the March 8th protest in 2023, she shifted her approach, engaging in activism through social media, particularly Instagram, as well as writing columns and participating in street protests.
Rachel Baig is a journalist and media trainer at DW and DW Akademie, specializing in fact-checking, OSINT tools, and forensic analysis to combat misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda. A founding member of DW's fact-checking team, she also hosts their YouTube fact-checking series.
Belmin Karamehmedović has been Director General of the Public Broadcasting Service of Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2015. With 36 years in the public media industry, he has worked as a journalist, editor of the News and Sports department, and Director of Television for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Avni Mustafa is a human rights advocate and expert on Roma inclusion, focusing on Kosovo and the broader EU. Since 2017, he has been active with ERIAC and currently manages its Media and Information Section, which has 37 active members.
Narine Safaryan has worked with Internews Media Support NGO (now Media Initiatives Center) as a producer and editor for radio programs. With 25 years in journalism, she specializes in designing and delivering media training programs.
Tatjana Ćitić serves as the Deputy Executive Director of the Department for Development and New Business Affairs at Radio Television of Serbia (RTS). Known for her work launching new OTT platforms and thematic channels, she is also a published academic, having authored several works and a university textbook on contemporary television and journalism.
Arminas Muse is a global education expert focused on bridging the gap between media and information literacy research, new trends, innovations, and education.
Bader Eddine Taamallah is a security incident handler at Access Now. He holds a national engineering degree in software engineering and has a passion for learning about various technologies and topics.
Pavle Zlatić is a digital media expert from Belgrade, Serbia, with over 20 years of experience in the news industry and digital media development. Currently, he serves as Senior Lead for Digital Development with IREX Serbia at the Mediji.Inovacije project.
Marija Piroshki is a professional photographer from Belgrade, Serbia. In recent years, she has been involved in video production and innovations in the field of AI art and visual technologies. Previously, Marija collaborated with Oxfam, the Divac Foundation, Vogue, Vice, and Harper’s Bazaar.
With over 15 years at Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Public Broadcasting Service, Edis Deljković has held various roles, from announcer and host to journalist and editor-producer. Now the Team Leader for Multimedia at BHRT’s News Program, Deljković oversees the Web, YouTube, and social media teams.
Dalibor Tanić has spent nearly 20 years as a journalist and activist, amplifying the voices of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Roma community. As editor of Newipe, the country’s only Roma-focused news platform, he won the EU Award for Investigative Journalism in 2014.
Jelena Bursać is a student and the host of the student show Akademac at Radio Television of Vojvodina in Novi Sad, Serbia. Beyond hosting, she produces segments and conducts surveys, tackling topics that matter most to young people and students.
Vedran Prodić is the editor of the Youth Program at Radio BiH, overseeing a dynamic lineup of eight radio shows tailored for young audiences. He is also the editor of OP.BHRT.ba and serves on the board of directors of the international youth association Young Media Network.
Branko Vučić is a director and screenwriter with over 30 years of experience in the film industry. For the past 20 years, he has focused on producing children’s programming at RTS in Belgrade, Serbia. Vučić is the author of numerous fiction and documentary films for children, many of which have been featured in EBU exchange programs.
Jelena Božić is a multi-award-winning journalist working for Oradio, a youth radio station in Novi Sad, Serbia. Since 2022, she has served as the president of Young Media Network. Jelena is also involved in activism through the association KulturaNova.
Valjeta Kosumi is a journalist at Kosovo's public broadcaster, RTK, where she heads the Online Media department. She has also worked for Radio KFOR and Radio Free Europe and has participated in various journalism training programs. Kosumi has received both national and international awards for her work.
Vuk Branković is a student and an active junior trainer holding MIL workshops in primary schools in Belgrade, Serbia. As a team member of Asocijacija medija, he has participated in many DW Akademie activities such as Create Your Own Website, MediaMocracy camps, and BNMF.