Potsdam, 7 August, 2016. In yesterday’s media magazin on Radio eins in rbb project manager Sabine Sasse talked about this year’s M100 Sanssouci Colloquium, M100 Media Laureate Roberto Saviano, keynote speaker Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel and the high safety precautions. You can find the interview here (in German).

ZEIT Editor-in-Chief, Giovanni di Lorenzo, delivers laudation, German Chancellor Merkel political keynote

Potsdam, 3 August 2016. Italian author and journalist Roberto Saviano has been recognised with this year’s M100 Media Award. The award will be presented under strict security precautions in the Orangery of Potsdam on the evening of 15 September to mark the end of the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium international media conference.

Ten years ago, Saviano published the journalistic novel “Gomorrah: Italy’s Other Mafia” (“Gomorra – Viaggio nell’impero economico e nel sogno di dominio della camorra”). In it, he describes in detail the practices of organised crime and its links with legitimate business structures and politics as well as openly publishes the names of the parties involved. The book, for which he worked for years as an undercover dockworker, catapulted the then 26-year old to fame. The book was translated into 51 languages, made into a movie (which received an ®Oscar nomination in the category “Best Foreign Film”) and filmed as a TV series. Saviano has written additional books on the Mafia, including “The Opposite of Death”, “The Struggle Continues: Resisting the Mafia and Corruption” (“Der Kampf geht weiter: Widerstand gegen Mafia und Korruption”) and “Zero Zero Zero”, published in early 2014.

Since publication, Saviano and his family have been threatened by the mafia. Now under police protection, he lives a life underground, sharing the fate of an increasing number of journalists in Europe and worldwide who are threatened, imprisoned, tortured or killed because of their work.

“Through his research on the Mafia, Roberto Saviano has been made vulnerable; he has paid for his courage with a life of invisibility”, says ZEIT Editor-in-Chief Giovanni di Lorenzo, who will deliver the laudation. “The recognition that this award will bring him is thus extremely important: It provides a level of protection against attacks and threats that are all too common to Saviano – and shows not only him, but all those who risk life and limb to speak the uncomfortable truth that their work is not in vain!”

The political keynote speech, which introduces the award ceremony, will be delivered by Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel. Following 2006 and 2010, Chancellor Merkel is making her third appearance at the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium.

The M100 Media Award, which is part of the international media conference M100 Sanssouci Colloquium, is presented each year to honour individuals who have left their mark on the world and who have taken a stand for democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Previous recipients include the editorial staff of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last year, Vitali Klitschko, Kurt Westergaard, and Hans-Dietrich Genscher.

Under the topic “War or Peace” some 60 editors-in-chief, historians and politicians will gather this year to discuss the return of geopolitical strategies, a Europe sliding into disintegration, the growing radicalisation of Western, Middle Eastern and other societies as well as the role and responsibility of the media in these developments.

Please find the accreditation form for reporting journalists here.

More information about conference and participants please find here.

M100 is an initiative of the state capital Potsdam and the organisation Potsdam Media International e.V. This year’s event is supported by the city of Potsdam, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Federal Foreign Ministry, and Land Brandenburg, amongst others.

The M100 Young European Journalists Workshop in Potsdam, Germany (9 to 15 September, 2016) teaches young journalists from Europe and Eastern Partnership Countries the methods and challenges of investigative research.

“Corruption and money laundering is common among all developing countries”, writes 25-year old Sonya. “Armenia is no exception.” There seems to be a lot of oligarchs in her homeland, many dealing in offshore businesses that are repeatedly involved in scandals. According to Sonya, it is often impossible for Armenian journalists to conduct investigative research, or they are constantly harassed. “Even if Armenia had freedom of press and opinion, not one piece of information could be published in reality.”
Aynur (23) from Baku says it’s no different in Azerbaijan, where journalists find it almost impossible to develop sources for the issues they are working on. If, for example, a journalist is looking for information on corruption in state-owned enterprises, he or she will not find anyone willing to confirm facts or figures. Everyone is afraid of losing their job or that their family would be threatened.

Sonya and Aynur are just two of 25 young journalists from 14 countries that were chosen to take part in the M100 Young European Journalists Workshop in Potsdam. Fifteen come from Eastern Partnership Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine) and from Russia; another ten come from other European countries, including Great Britain, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland (find the list of all participants here).

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Potsdam, July 6, 2016. On the occasion of this year’s M100 Media Award on the evening of 15 September in Potsdam, Federal Chancellor Dr Angela Merkel will deliver the political keynote speech.

The M100 Media Award, which is part of the international media conference M100 Sanssouci Colloquium, is presented each year to honour individuals who have left their mark on the world and who have taken a stand for democracy, freedom of expression and freedom of the press. Previous recipients include the editorial staff of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last year, Vitali Klitschko, Kurt Westergaard and Hans-Dietrich Genscher.
This year's Award laureate will be announced soon.

Following 2006 and 2010, Chancellor Merkel is making her third appearance at the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium.

Under the topic “War or Peace” some 60 editors-in-chief, historians and politicians will gather this year to discuss the return of geopolitical strategies, a Europe sliding into disintegration, the growing radicalisation of Western, Middle Eastern and other societies as well as the role and responsibility of the media in these developments.

Read more ...

Potsdam, 27 June, 2016. “War or Peace” is the title of this year’s M100 Sanssouci Colloquium, which will welcome chief and senior editors, publicists, politicians and historians from all over Europe to Potsdam (Germany) for the 12th time on 15 September. Some 60 participants will gather in the Orangery of Sanssouci to discuss the return of geopolitical strategies, a Europe sliding into disintegration, the growing radicalisation of Western, Middle Eastern and other societies as well as the role and responsibility of the media in these developments.

The conference will be opened by renowned historian Prof. Dan Diner Ph.D., currently Professor of Modern History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the former Director of the Simon Dubnow Institute for Jewish History and Culture at the University of Leipzig from 1999 to 2014.

“The return of patterns of geographical and ingrained political beliefs long thought forgotten is casting a long shadow on the current and future configurations of international politics”, outlines Diner in his keynote address. “These shadows exhibit the unedifying contours of the 19th century. In any case, the contentious fault lines of European politics appear to be fracturing again – especially from the east, but also due to centrifugal forces that seem to have taken over the European Union. Brexit has sent shock waves throughout Europe. Added to this are the new-old ‘Eastern Question’, a Russia in search of itself as well as the role of Germany in a Europe roiled by turmoil – all against a backdrop of America’s creeping retreat from the Old Continent. These are scenarios that invite long-term oriented contemplation.”

You can download a photo of Prof. Dan Diner Ph.D. free of charge here: http://m100potsdam.de/en/press.html

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Potsdam, 14 June, 2016. We are very looking forward to this year's M100 Young European Journalists Workshop under the topic “Investigative Journalism – Purposes, Techniques, and specific Challenges” from September 10 to 15 in Potsdam!

A big thank you to the Federal Foreign Ministry and the National Endowment for Democracy for their financial support.

Also we thank our co-operation partners Correct!v, Netzwerk Recherche, the ICIJ and the OCCRP as well as the Medieninnovationszentrum Babelsberg MIZ, Vereinigung Europäischer Journalisten VEJ (Association of European Journalists), and the European Youth Press.

Further collaboration partners are the Ukraine Crisis Media Center, Belarus Association of Journalists, Association of Young Journalists in Armenia, Hetq - Association of Investigative Journalists, Young Journalist Center in Moldova, Georgian Charter of Journalistic Ethics and Radio Free Liberty RFL/RL.

Please find more information here.

The preparations for this year's M100 Sanssouci Colloquium are already in full swing!

Under the topic "War or Peace", some 60 leading media and opinion makers from around Europe will meet to discuss about the return of geopolitics, disintegration, the radicalisation of society, and the role of the media on 15 September 2016 in the Orangery of Sanssouci in Potsdam.

The following participants have confirmed so far: Agron Bajrami (Editor-in-Chief, Koha Ditore, Prishtina), Klaus Brinkbäumer (Editor-in-Chief, Der Spiegel, Hamburg), Stephan-Andreas Casdorff (Editor-in-Chief, Der Tagesspiegel, Berlin), Ulrich Deppendorf (former Heard of ARD Capital Studio, Berlin), Kai Diekmann (Publisher, BILD Group, Berlin), Jim Egan (CEO, BBC Global News, London), Dr. Tobias Endler (Ph.D. & Research Coordinator, Heidelberg Center for American Studies), Regina von Flemming (Member of the Board, German Chambers of Commerce Abroad, AHK, Moscow), Dr. Alexandra Föderl-Schmid (Editor-in-Chief, Der Standard, Vienna), Prof. Dr. Ulrike Guérot (Founder and Director, European Democracy Lab, Berlin), Tanit Koch (Editor-in-Chief, BILD, Berlin), Stefan Kornelius (Head of Foreign Desk, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Munich), Emin Milli (Director, Meydan TV), Dr. Christian Rainer (Editor-in-Chief, Profil, Vienna), Agnieszka Romaszewska-Guzy (Editor-in-Chief, Belsat TV, Warszawa), Anita Rozentale (Editor-in-Chief, Bauskas Dzive, Bauska, Latvia), Gabor Steingart (Publisher, Handelsblatt, Dusseldorf), Dr. Sylke Tempel (Editor-in-Chief, International Politicy, Berlin Policy Journal, Berlin), and Dr. Uwe Vorkötter (Editor-in-Chief, Horizont Group, Frankfurt/Main), amongst others. Please find the complete participant list here.

Apply for the M100 Young European Journalists Workshop from September 10 to 15 in Potsdam, Germany!

Topic: Investigative Journalism – Purposes, Techniques, and specific Challenges.

Application deadline is June 12, 2016.

For details about issue and conditions of participation please click here.

WAR OR PEACE

The return of geopolitics, disintegration and the radicalisation of society

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Buffeted by the euro crisis and a flood of refugees, the closing of internal borders and the conflict in Ukraine, national self-interests and the resurgence of right-wing parties, the European Union is facing its most existential crisis yet after almost 60 years since the Treaty of Rome.

Will Europe fail? What consequences can we expect from the reappearance of nationalism and a shift to the right in many Member States? How do things stand between aspirations and reality in the European community of values? And how can Europe revive its democratic forces to once again meet these latest challenges? What role does the media play in today’s information wars, and how much responsibility should they shoulder?

Against this backdrop, some 60 leading media and opinion makers from around Europe will meet to discuss these issues on 15 September 2016 at the 12th M100 Sanssouci Colloquium in the Orangery of Sanssouci in Potsdam. The aim of the Colloquium is to initiate a constructive, cross-sector dialogue between representatives from politics, academia, the media and relevant companies and institutions about the prospects of a free and democratic Europe caught between the threat of terror, shifts to the right, renationalisation, streams of refugees, surveillance mania and a loss of political control.

Please read the entire concept here.

More information coming soon!