Over 100 participants from 45 Members attended the annual Eurovision News Contacts meeting in Rome in May.

The Mayor of Rome, Virginia Raggi, along with Head of News and Events, Jeff Dubin, welcomed attendees to the city of Rome, highlighting the importance of Public Service Media and congratulating participants for the important service they provide to society.

EBU Head of News and Events Jeff Dubin and Managing Director Eurovision Rome Elena Pinardi greet Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi (right)

Thanks to the generosity of the city of Rome, participants were able to take a brief guided tour of the Capitoline Museums, viewing the Horatii and Curiatii Room (where the Treaty of Rome was signed) and the original ancient Roman bronze statue of Marco Aurelius. Today the copy of this equestrian statue dominates the Piazza del Campidoglio designed by Michelangelo, where participants had the chance to take the “family photo” in front of the Fontana della Dea Roma.

The Eurovision News Contacts Meeting is an annual key networking event of the EBU News Community that promotes collaboration among journalists working for public service media. With a focus on the digital shift of the media landscape, this year's meeting explored how the digital transformation is impacting newsroom workflows and activities.

Head of the News Exchange Justyna Kurczabinska and the Chair of the Editorial Subcommittee Geertje Bal kicked off the meeting, thanking participants for their attendance despite the 'difficult times' that public broadcasters face. Kurczabinska emphasized the importance of creating new networks, such as the UGC Verification or Digital News Network, within the current EBU news community to be able to deliver relevant services for all platforms.

The participants, from 66 different countries, listened to top speakers like Kevin Anderson, International Media Consultant and member of the Eurovision Academy Faculty, who explained how audiences, especially teens, are rapidly shifting from open networks like Facebook to messaging apps such as WhatsApp, and are consuming video in new ways via social media and on mobile devices.

Eurovision Digital Subeditor Derek Bowler introduced participants to the User-Generated Content Verification Network (UGCVN), that now includes more than 300 journalists, and EBU Digital Unit Manager Ezra Eeman presented the preliminary results of an ongoing EBU survey on fact-checking initiatives from both Members and other media entities.

Cathy Milner, Head of the RTE Foreign Desk and current News Exchange Visiting News Editor examined coverage of the election and Presidency of Donald Trump with the help of US based correspondents and foreign desk editors from EBU Members.

The diversity among EBU Members when it comes to the digital transformation was addressed at a session produced by Eurovision News Producer and Digital News Lead, Luis Jimenez. Head of Social NOSop3 Jonna ter Veer and Social Media Editor at VRT Nicolas Vlaeminck joined him for the first session on Friday and together they explored how to better perform with digital content on social platforms.

The meeting also gave participants an insight into the operation of the EBU’s subsidiary in Rome, mandated to support Eurovision’s News and Special Events activities, as well as institutional relations with the Vatican, Italian and international entities based in Rome such as WFP and FAO. The Managing Director and Rome Bureau Chief, Elena Pinardi explained how MHER provides live indoor and outdoor studios from the bureau as well as temporary facilities set up for Special Events both in Italy and for Papal trips abroad. The Rome bureau houses newsgathering operations of several entities, including seven EBU Members and affiliates.

Despite the extremely tight agenda, the meeting provided Members with the perfect environment to share their experiences and further enhance their cooperation in delivering the most relevant and valuable news content to all audiences.