About us

The #UseTheNews initiative researches how young people consume and engage with news, and develops new educational resources. In collaboration with partners from the media, education, and research sectors, we explore how young people access information and identify ways to encourage their engagement with journalistic news. Because news literacy is democracy literacy.

What we do

How we strengthen news literacy

Co-Creation
In co-creation projects, journalists collaborate with young people to produce local journalism, ideally with the support of media educators.
Newscamps
At our events, young people explore topics such as journalism, news and disinformation in an entertaining way and develop their own ideas.
Trainings & workshops
Together with our partners, we develop workshop concepts and and bundle offers to teach students, teachers and volunteers news and information literacy skills.
Self Service
With free teaching materials and tools, we support teachers in bringing news and information literacy into every classroom.
Community
We bring together media professionals, teachers and young people interested in the media within the #UseTheNews community, encouraging mutual exchange.
Wissen (Knowledge)
On our website, we share knowledge from various projects, the #UseTheNews studies and other research findings.

Frequently asked questions

Our partners

Initiatoren
dpaHamburgHAW HamburgLeibnitz-Institut
Medienpartner
Alex BerlinANPAPAARDBLMbpbBrost StiftungBundesverband Digitalpublisher und ZeitungsverlegercheckyDeutschlandradiodfvDIE ZEITDW AkademieFUNKEfunkyglomexGWAHamburger AbendblattHeiseKeystone SDALandesanstalt Medien NRWLausitzer RundschauLeibniz fmLFKMadsack Stiftung Media Lab BayernMedienanstalt Berlin-BrandenburgMedienanstalt Hamburg / Schleswig-HolsteinMedienanstalt HessenMedienanstalt Rheinland-PfalzMVFPMärkische OderzeitungNDRNeue Westfälischenext.MediantvOMGOTZ TeenieProSiebenSat.1Radio HamburgRTLRTL NordrumbleSpiegelSWRTactile.NewsVRMVÖZZDF
Programm- und Bildungspartner
Bonn InstitutBosch StiftungcodetektDeutscher LehrerverbandDIE DigitalmachereiEIJKFazit-StiftungFrankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungGrimme InstitutHolistic FoundationJournalismus macht SchuleJuleklicksafeLie DetectorsMegaFonMischaMuseum für KommunikationNDR einfachMedienNews Literacy ProjectPrognosReporter ohne GrenzenReporterfabrikSalon5So geht MedienSpreuWeizenTIDEVHSVOCERWestermannZEIT Stiftung Bucerius

Our team

Do you have questions about #UseTheNews or want to get involved? Here you will find all the contact details for our project team and the members of our Board of Trustees.

Meinolf Ellers
Managing Director
UseTheNews gGmbH
Vanessa Bitter
Chief Operating Officer
UseTheNews gGmbH
Lena Marie Haring
Project Manager
UseTheNews gGmbH
Lara Seils
Project Manager
UseTheNews gGmbH
Dr. Leonie Alatassi
Postdoc
Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI)
Dr. Sascha Hölig
Senior Researcher
Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI)
Peter Kropsch
CEO
dpa (Steering group)
Dr. Carsten Brosda
Minister of Culture and Media
Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (Steering group)
Prof. Dr. Kai Gniffke
Director General
SWR (Steering group)
Sonja Schwetje
Managing director
RTL North (Steering group)
Joachim Braun
Editor-in-Chief
Somedia
Arne Busse
Head of the Target Group Specific Services Department
bpb (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
Pia Frey
Co-Founder
Opinary
Anja zum Hingst
Member of the Executive Board
SPIEGEL-Group
Juliane Leopold
Editor-in-Chief digital
ARD aktuell / Tagesschau
Julia Lumma
Editor-in-Chief
VRM
Anja Pasquay
Head of Communications
BDZV – Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger e.V.
Jörg Sadrozinski
Chairman
Journalismus macht Schule
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schulz
Director
Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut (HBI)
Eva-Maria Sommer
Director
MA HSH
Birgit Wentzien
Editor-in-Chief
Deutschlandfunk
Rieke Smit
Lead Media Education & Policy
UseTheNews gGmbH
Sandra Jütte
Lead Community & Communication
HAW Hamburg
Fiete Stegers
Project manager CCYA
HAW Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Christian Stöcker
Professor for Digital Communication
HAW Hamburg
Jens Petersen
Head of Corporate Communications
dpa
Julia Becker
Publisher
FUNKE Media Group (Steering group)
Hendrik Brandt
Managing director
Madsack Stiftung
Nicole Bornemann
Managing director
Westermann group
Alexander Drechsel
Managing director and Editor-in-Chief
TIDE Hamburg
Dr. Wolfgang Kreißig
President
State Office for Communications Baden-Württemberg
Susanne Kayser
Public Value Manager
Second German Television (ZDF)
Andrea Preußker
Team leader ‘Good Nursery and School’ field of action
Robert Bosch Stiftung
Anja Schaluschke
Director
Museum for Communication
Bettina Schausten
Editor-in-Chief
Second German Television (ZDF)
Jessica Staschen
Divisional Management Quality Journalism
ZEIT-Stiftung