Business News
Axel Springer Academy and Columbia School of Journalism join forces on international exchange program
Monday 14. September 2009 - Jan-Eric Peters: "Investigative passion and journalistic research competence are decisive for success."
The Axel Springer Academy has launched a cooperation with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York. Principal item is a groundbreaking exchange program and intensive courses for investigative journalism with the most prestigious journalism school in the world. This new mandatory element in the Axel Springer Academy training program will further strengthen the research competence of the trainee journalists. Through this international partnership the Axel Springer Academy is underlining its position as Germany’s most modern school of journalism.
Jan-Eric Peters, director of the Axel Springer Academy, commented: “Satisfying the audience with exclusive journalistic services will become even more important in the future, irrespective of the media channel. Investigative passion and journalistic research competence are decisive for success.” Peters added: “For many young journalists its a dream come true to visit the legendary school of journalism which also awards the Pulitzer Prize. We are happy to be able to fulfill this dream for our trainees and to give them the opportunity during their training to gather foreign experience and to make international contacts.”
Arlene Morgan, associate dean of the Columbia School: “We greatly appreciate this unique international partnership. The Columbia School of Journalism and the Axel Springer Academy are both devoted to uphold the standards of excellence of our profession and share the ideas of high quality education for journalists of the 21st century. We have built an exceptional program that offers great opportunities.”
The Columbia School will run an intensive course exclusively for each team of trainees from the Axel Springer Academy in its “Center for Investigative Journalism” on its campus in New York. The English-language workshop will be held twice a year and is led by journalists with wide-ranging investigative experience, including for example Pulitzer prize winners from the “New York Times.” At the same time every participant uses the 10-day trip to put a previously-developed research idea into practice on the spot. Team 3 from the Academy will be the first group to fly to New York in November.
Simultaneously the Axel Springer Academy is offering places on an exchange program entitled “CU ASAP” (Columbia University Axel Springer Academy Program) for up to ten graduates a year from the American university. These young journalists will either spend three months working in an Axel Springer editorial office in Germany or in one of its subsidiaries in other European countries as a reporter. Thus, in addition to its own young new journalists, Axel Springer AG every year makes use of the potential of excellently trained young journalists with an international background.