Four days at the heart of the international media scene: As part of a study trip to Perugia, nine students gained practical journalistic experience and reported on the International Journalism Festival. The resulting articles were published in cooperation with the media department of Der Standard.
Perugia – a picture book city: narrow streets, historic walls, espresso in the morning sun. For nine students of the Journalism & Media Management study programs, the trip was more than just a stay in a picturesque place. Accompanied by Harald Fidler, head of the media department at Der Standard, they took part in the 19th International Journalism Festival 2025 – four intensive days at the centre of the international media scene.
Exiled journalist Can Dündar spoke about the future of democracy in the Auditorium San Francesco al Prato. ©Theresa Feyertag
Discussions about disinformation, freedom of the press and AI
The events took place in impressive locations, such as the church of San Francesco al Prato, where 13th century architecture met modern media topics. Current challenges facing journalism were discussed: disinformation, press freedom, artificial intelligence and investigative journalism. The students listened, asked questions and generated new ideas.
Focus on journalistic practice
The students had pre-arranged interviews with international journalists, media experts and NGO representatives. They conducted the interviews on the spot – in hotel lobbies, cafés or directly after the panels in the midday sun. Insights from these interviews and impressions from the events were incorporated into articles that were published on derStandard.at and some were also printed. Researching, writing, revising – always in close consultation with lecturer Harald Fidler.
In addition to the articles, a video was created for Der Standard’s social media channels. Emilija Ilić & Jonathan Kern
Experiences, exchange and new perspectives
The study trip to Perugia challenged the students journalistically and inspired them to develop new perspectives and appreciate the diversity of their profession. In addition to the substantive work, these days were also marked by discussions between the panels, long evenings on the steps of Piazza IV Novembre and exchanges with committed young journalists. Perugia thus became not only a place of further training, but also a place of togetherness and enthusiasm for a profession in constant evolution.
Further impressions can be found on our Instagram channel.
Many thanks to our students Theresa Feyertag and Michelle Cacija for their follow-up report and social media coverage during the trip.