The XVIII German-Russian Media Forum started at Saratov University. The hybrid-organised conference topic was the following: The High-Quality Journalism: Myth or Reality?.

The solemn opening of the forum took place in Building XI. The event was attended by guests from different Russian and German cities. Our university was represented by Vice-Rector for International Affairs Dmitrii Konakov, Head of Priority Projects and Programmes Elena Yelina, Director of the Institute of Philology and Journalism Lyudmila Borisova, Scientific Advisor of the Institute of Philology and Journalism (IPJ), Chair of the Department of Literary Studies and Journalism Valerii Prozorov, IPJ Deputy directors Roman Pavlenko and Gulnara Altynbayeva, and students majoring journalism.

Sebastian Nietzsche, Deputy Executive Director of the German-Russian Forum, was the first to welcome the conference participants. In his speech, he noted, ‘We are always happy to hold such discussions outside Moscow, this is how we get to know the beauty of the country, get imbued with the culture of Russia. Today we are faced with an important task: to determine the development vectors of high-quality journalism, which is going through the next stage of crisis. I am very glad that, in addition to the opportunity to strengthen their theoretical knowledge, the forum allows participants to improve their practical skills as well.’

On behalf of the Russian participants, Dmitrii Konakov welcomed the audience. ‘Last year, the pandemic significantly influenced the form of the media forum, therefore, all the events were organised exclusively online. This year we were more fortunate – we have an opportunity to communicate both face-to-face and on the Internet, so the productivity of the dialogue this time depends only on you. I wish you productive and interesting work.’

On behalf of SSU Rector Aleksei Chumachenko, the guests were greeted by Elena Yelina. She spoke about the university, its history and current state, and also emphasised, ‘Not so long ago, our university won a large federal competition titled the Priority – 2030. Due to this project, we are able not only to receive fundamental state funding but also to conduct research in the natural sciences, and, of course, in the humanities, including journalism.’

Scientific Advisor of the Institute of Philology and Journalism, SSU, Chair of the Department of Literary Studies and Journalism Valerii Prozorov commented on the up-to-date character of the current media forum issues. ‘We are pleased to have an opportunity to communicate with foreign colleagues. Perhaps together we will be able to come closer to understanding what quality journalism is today. For now, it seems to me that today it is not so much the kind of journalism that is recognised by the entire world professional community as self-proclaimed journalism.’

Bernd Heinze, Head of the Press and PR Department of the German Embassy in Moscow, recalled the key tasks of the forum in his address to the conference participants. ‘Getting acquainted with the texts of new media, we rely on our own subjective opinion, we hold for them some kind of internal competition, which allows us to determine the quality of the information presented. However, how true are our beliefs? I hope that during our meetings we will be able to expand the list of effective tools with which it was possible to measure the professionalism of representatives of modern media.’

The final welcoming speech was given by Head of the Moscow Bureau of the German-Russian Forum in Moscow Artyom Lysenko. He also noted the fragility of the situation in modern journalism and hoped for the effectiveness of the decisions that would be suggested during the media forum.

Then the introductory reporters were presented. Head of the Communications Department of the German Consumer Rights Protection Society Franka Kühn spoke about the state of the German press in the era of digitalisation and Dmitrii Sokolov-Mitrich, the founder and general producer of the Once Laboratory, explained why high-quality journalism no longer needs the media to earn money.

The conference participants are to indulge into the diverse programme, including not only research reports but also excursions, discussions, and master classes. The languages ​​of the forum are German and Russian. The moderators provide simultaneous translation of all events. To participate, you need to register in ZOOM using the link. The full programme can be found here.