World Between the Lines
V4 Journalism Festival
5th edition
Save the date: 13–17 April 2026
The only Central European festival focused purely on journalism. Five days of networking, discussions, and workshops for students and professionals from the V4 countries.
Festival in numbers
Main festival theme 2026
Beyond Bubbles
Media and information bubbles are comfortable places to be. We live in them, create them and dislike leaving them. These bubbles are not just a digital phenomenon; they are the filters through which we select information, ignore other voices and cease to understand the reality around us. So how can we report on topics that people don’t want to hear about? How can we practise journalism that tests our assumptions rather than confirming them? And how can we recognise that our newsrooms often operate within a bubble?
Practical information
Topics we'll discuss
Escape Game: Disinformation
Manipulation in action: can you recognise it when you see it? This interactive challenge demonstrates how quickly false information can appear legitimate, and how easily we can be fooled by it when we are under time pressure or overwhelmed by content.
Sensitive Photography
How can you capture emotion without causing harm? A look at the sensitivity needed when photographing trauma — where every frame carries the weight of a story and a responsibility.
Central Europe Through Foreign Eyes
What impression of Central Europe do journalists with international backgrounds have when they report on the region? It’s not just politics that attracts them – they also notice stories and patterns that are often overlooked by local audiences.
Women in the media
Attacks, harassment and questioning of competence. What do female journalists experience today, and why is this not discussed openly? This discussion will explore the specific forms of pressure faced by women in journalism.
Student media
Student media is not just “practice” journalism – it is often the first place where boundaries are tested, formats are experimented with, and future investigative journalists are born. Student media will be presented to you and will also answer these questions: When and how did they originate? Where do they get the money to operate? How do editorial processes work?
How journalism was done in the 1990s
How was journalism practised in the 1990s, and are there any similarities with the present day? Aggression, a divided society and physical attacks on journalists. We discuss these issues with people who experienced them firsthand.
Programme
Check out our programme for the 5th edition of the festival, taking place in Bratislava, April 13–17, 2026.
Programme
Check out our programme for the 5th edition of the festival, taking place in Bratislava, April 13–17, 2026.
Festival moments
Panels, workshops and coffee breaks. Debates that matter, tools that help, and lasting contacts. This is what happens when journalists come together to share their experiences and ideas.
