European Journalism Institute

2025 Program Dates: July 12 – 20

The European Journalism Institute (EJI) is a week-long journalism training program held in Prague that brings together approximately 25 early to mid-career journalists and upper-level journalism students from around the world. The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) and The Media Project (TMP) cohost the program, with academic credit offered through Anglo-American University. EJI participants engage with industry professionals to expand their understanding of religion in public life, explore fundamental issues related to journalism ethics, and boost reporting skills through lectures and workshops. The experience also challenges participants to consider the importance of independent, fact-based journalism as a foundation of liberty and free societies.

Loading…
CURRICULUM

The program contains four core academic components: religion reporting, journalism ethics, writing effective leads and story tops, and photojournalism. Participants will receive 2 US credit hours from Anglo-American University upon successful completion of the program.

Over the course of the week, class time is interspersed with opportunities to visit famous sites in Prague and get to know the other participants better through organized social events. The range of nationalities, religions, and ethnicities represented at the program gives participants the chance to interact, learn and share their experiences in ways that can benefit their educational and professional development.


FACULTY

Adam Berry, Getty Images

EJI PROFESSOR – PHOTOJOURNALISM

Adam Berry is a professional photojournalist based in Berlin, Germany. He regularly works for photographic and news agencies such as Getty Images and Agence France-Presse, print publications such as The Washington Post and The Guardian, governmental bodies including the European Commission and the German Federal Environment Ministry, as well as corporate outlets. Visit his website to view his work.

Before going freelance in 2010, he was a staff photojournalist and photo editor at Bloomberg News in Berlin and Frankfurt, running its coverage of Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and Austria, and prior to that an editor at The International Herald-Tribune (now The New York Times) in Paris.

He studied Print Journalism at American University in Washington, D.C. and Photography at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In addition to his work as a photojournalist, Adam is also a television news producer for international networks including Al Jazeera English, Sky News and CNN.

Paul Glader Headshot

Paul Glader, Columbia University

EJI PROFESSOR – religion reporting, BUSINESS reporting, AND media ETHICS

Paul Glader is an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. Before that, he was a full professor and program chair of the journalism, culture, and society program at The King’s College in New York City, where he directed The McCandlish Phillips Journalism Institute and the NYC Semester in Journalism. He is an advisor and former executive director of The Media Project, a global non-profit journalism training organization, and was the founder and Executive Editor of its award-winning, non-profit news outlet ReligionUnplugged.com. He also co-founded Vett Inc / VettNews.com.

An award-winning journalist, Glader spent 10 years as a staff writer at The Wall Street Journal, covering a variety of beats including technology, travel, metals/mining, health/science and finance. He’s written for numerous publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, TheNewYorker.com, The Indianapolis Star, The Associated Press, Der Spiegel Online, FastCompany.com, USA Today and ESPN.com. He’s appeared on national TV and radio programs including CNBC, Fox Business, and WSJ Radio. He currently writes for several national magazines including Bloomberg BusinessWeek, ChristianityToday, The American Legion and is a regular contributor to Forbes.com.

Glader is a two-time TFAS alumnus, having completed the Institute on Political Journalism (IPJ) in Washington, D.C. in 1999 and the American Institute on Political and Economic Systems (AIPES) in 2000 in Prague. He enjoys surfing, reading, and traveling with his wife and daughters.

Paul Marshall, Baylor University and Religious Freedom Institute

EJI PROFESSOR – religious Freedom

Paul Marshall is the Wilson Distinguished Professor of Religious Freedom at Baylor University and a research professor in political science. He is a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and the Religious Freedom Institute. He was also a visiting professor at the graduate school of Sharif Hidayatullah Islamic State University (UIN) in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Prof. Marshall is the author and editor of more than twenty books on religion and politics, including Persecuted: The Global Assault on Christians (2013), Silenced: How Apostasy and Blasphemy Codes Are Choking Freedom Worldwide (2011), Blind Spot: When Journalists Don’t Get Religion (2009), Radical Islam’s Rule (2005), Islam at the Crossroads: Understanding its Beliefs, History, and Conflicts (2002), God and the Constitution: Christianity and American Politics (2002), Heaven Is Not My Home (1998), and the award-winning survey of religious persecution worldwide Their Blood Cries Out (1997). His speech introducing the International Religious Freedom Act in the U.S. Senate in 1998 was described by Senator Lieberman as “the manifesto of the religious freedom movement.”

His hobbies include shark diving, dogsledding, and photography.

David Rocks headshot

David Rocks, Bloomberg News

EJI PROFESSOR – Feature writing, international enterprise reporting, and business Reporting

David Rocks is a senior editor for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg BusinessWeek in Berlin, shepherding European coverage for the magazine and helping journalists from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa tell their stories and improve their writing. Previously, he was senior editor for global news at BusinessWeek, overseeing correspondents and coordinating bureaus from Mexico City to Mumbai. Rocks was the magazine’s Asia editor for four years, leading coverage in Asia and writing his own stories about technology, politics, design trends and more. He also served as managing editor of e.biz, a monthly technology supplement to BusinessWeek, and as a correspondent in the magazine’s Atlanta bureau.

Before joining BusinessWeek, Rocks spent eight years in Prague as a correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle. Prior to that, he was a reporter and editor for The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse. His work both for BusinessWeek and other publications has taken him to scores of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.

Rocks has taught journalism and led seminars at universities in Colorado, Indiana, California, India and Jordan. He has a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from Colby College in Waterville, Maine and a Master of Arts in international communications from American University in Washington, D.C.

The following is a list of past guests speakers at EJI. During the program, you can expect to hear from many prominent thought leaders like the ones listed below.

David Blevins of Ireland

senior ireland correspondent for Sky news

Jakub Janda of Czech Republic

executive director of the European Values Think-Tank and head of the Kremlin Watch Program

Ladka Mortkowitz Bauerova of the Czech Republic

Reporter at AFP and The Washington Post

Daniel Raus of the Czech Republic

Former Editor in Chief, Czech Radio Plus

Pavel Svoboda

Professor of European law at the Law Faculty of Charles University; from 2014 to 2019 a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from the Czech Republic

Walking Tour of Prague
On one of the first days of the program, participants go on a walking tour of the beautiful, historical city, including sites such as the grounds of Prague Castle, the narrow streets of Staré Město (Old Town), the statue of St. John of Nepomuk on the Charles Bridge and the world famous Prague Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square.

Participants visit the Lennon Wall on their walking tour of Prague.

Bowling Night
During EJI participants will gather at a local bowling alley to get to know each other and to exercise their bowling skills.

Accommodation + Meals

As part of EJI, participants will stay in Zeitraum, (U Průhonu 1099/56, 170 00 Praha 7-Holešovice) a dormitory located in the Holešovice district. The double occupancy dorm rooms have a private bathroom, and the building includes a shared kitchen and high speed WiFi. TFAS staff will assign same-gender roommates from different countries to promote cross-cultural exchange.

Breakfast and lunch will be provided on weekdays at AAU throughout the program. Every effort will be made to include alternatives for participants with special dietary requirements (kosher, vegetarian, etc.) due to religion and/or lifestyle. Participants are free for dinner to explore the abundance of local restaurants and cafes.

Transportation
Participants are provided with a Prague Public Transportation Metro Pass. This pass is used on all forms of public transportation within the Prague city limits: trams, buses, and the metro. More details about the Prague Public Transportation system will be given to the participants prior to arriving to Prague.

Neighborhood
The Holešovice district, also referred to as Prague 7, is considered among the top 10 of Europe’s coolest neighborhoods. The neighborhood surrounding the dorms has a variety of shops, restaurants, coffee houses, and pubs.

By taking the metro a few short stops, you could find yourself walking through the grounds of Prague Castle, strolling along the streets of Malá Strana (Lesser Town), crossing the Vlatava River on the famous Charles Bridge, exploring Staré Město (Old Town), gazing at the Prague Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square, or walking through Wenceslas Square, the site of historic protests during the Prague Spring of 1968 and the 1989 Velvet Revolution.

Please note this schedule gives an idea of the program’s general structure and is subject to change. Participants will receive the final schedule prior to the start of EJI.

Sat
1:00PM – 4:00PMRegistration
6:30PM – 7:00PMDepart with Staff to Welcome Dinner
7:00PM – 10:00PMGroup Dinner/Orientation I
Sun
9:00AM – 12:30PMSelf-Guided Visit to Place of Worship
12:30PM – 1:45PMLunch on Your Own
1:45PM – 2:45PMOrientation II
3:00PM – 3:30PMDepart with Staff to AAU Campus
3:30PM – 6:00PMWalking Tour of Prague
Mon
7:00AM – 8:45AMBreakfast Available
9:30AM – 10:45AMAAU Welcome + Campus Tour
10:45AM – 11:15AMBreak
11:15AM – 12:30PMPaul Glader Lecture: Intro to Religion Reporting Part 1: Report Unto Others as You Would Have Them Report Unto You
12:30PM – 1:45PMGroup Lunch at AAU
1:45PM – 3:00PMDavid Rocks Lecture: Fundamentals of Feature Writing – Lesson One: The Pitch, and how to turn it into your nut graf.
3:00PM – 3:30PMBreak
3:30PM – 4:45PMDaniel Raus Lecture: Profile of Religion + Politics in the Czech Republic
Tue
7:00AM – 8:45AMBreakfast Available
9:30AM – 10:45AMDavid Rocks Lecture: Fundamentals of Feature Writing – Lesson Two: Good Ledes (and some bad ones)
10:45AM – 11:15AMBreak
11:15AM – 12:30PMAdam Berry Lecture: Intro To Photojournalism – Lesson One: By the way, can you also take some pictures?
12:30PM – 1:45PMGroup Lunch at AAU
1:45PM – 3:00PMPaul Marshall Lecture: A Clash of Civilizations? The Muslim-Majority World and the West
3:00PM – 3:30PMBreak
3:30PM – 4:45PMPaul Glader Lecture: Religion Reporting Part 2: Getting Into Your Uncomfort Zone
7:45PM – 11:00PMBowling