Groningen, May 1st – A consortium of seven deaf-led media organisations, consisting of Turkoois (Netherlands), Visual Box (Belgium-Flanders), Media’Pi! (France), DeafStudio (Slovakia), manua (Germany), Fenice Turchese (Italy), and Teckenbro (Sweden) is excited to announce the successful acquisition of a grant from the European Union for Deaf Journalism Europe (DJE). This groundbreaking project aims to establish Deaf journalism in Europe, maintain a continuous flow of information in national sign languages, and work on investigative journalism about the Deaf community as a whole. In addition, the project will develop educational materials for new Deaf journalists and provide recommendations for governments to maintain Deaf media organisations.

Deaf Journalism Europe aims to create a fourth power within the Deaf community by monitoring events and reporting on audism, racism, sexism, ableism, bigotry, and other forms of oppression. The project also seeks to celebrate the positive aspects of the Deaf community, which often do not receive the media coverage they deserve.

The project brings together seven Deaf-led media organisations from across Europe, each with a strong track record of producing informative videos for diverse audiences, including Deaf, hard of hearing, hearing people, sign language interpreters, and professionals in the Deaf community.

The European Union has granted funding for the DJE project under the CREATIVE EUROPE program managed by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA), reflecting its commitment to fostering innovation and diversity in European media and journalism. The project costs are approximately 1.3 million euros. As per European funding rules, 80% of the project costs are funded by the European Union, totaling 1.06 million euros.

The DJE project will kick off on June 1st, 2023, and will conclude on May 31st, 2025. Throughout this period, the project team will work together to develop educational materials, create recommendations for governments, and establish a strong network of Deaf journalists in Europe.

The DJE project is expected to significantly enhance the quality and understandability of media coverage for the Deaf community in Europe. By training and supporting Deaf journalists, the project aims to create a more inclusive and diverse media landscape and empower the Deaf community to be active participants in shaping public discourse.

“I am beyond thrilled that we can finally embark on this journey together, after brewing on this idea for three years. I am particularly proud that everyone in this consortium is Deaf and this is 100% a Deaf-led project.” [Dennis Hoogeveen, CEO Turkoois and project coordinator DJE]

“As marginalized people, we have so far had difficulties in establishing, operating and also financing journalistic platforms that are specifically adapted to the needs of Deaf people and make news and information accessible to them. That is why I am all the more pleased about the opportunity to work with European partners to expand the journalistic field across Europe.” [Benedikt J. Sequeira Gerardo, Executive Director of manua]

For more information about Deaf Journalism Europe, please contact:

Dennis Hoogeveen
Project Coordinator, Deaf Journalism Europe
Email: info@deafjournalism.eu

Website: www.deafjournalism.eu
Instagram: @deafjournalism
Facebook: Deaf Journalism Europe