iMEdD: Supporting Journalism - Stavros Niarchos Foundation

Recognizing the challenges faced in recent years by the media sector, especially in Greece, we joined iMEdD founding members Anna Kynthia Bousdoukou and Stratis Trilikis in envisioning an independent nonprofit organization to promote and strengthen transparency, credibility, and independence in journalism.  

Established in 2018 with exclusive support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), iMEdD (Incubator for Media Education and Development) is a nonprofit that seeks to build a powerful community of independent media professionals in a welcoming space that promotes international collaboration and the development of new ideas and ventures.

Get to know iMEdD’s team and work.

iMEdD’s dedication extends to the creation and facilitation of journalistic innovation through diverse initiatives, such as the Incubator program, co-productions, and iMEdD’s original content creation which aims to be a prime resource for media professionals to advance their work.    

Incubator

iMEdD’s Incubator supports individuals and teams in creating innovative journalism projects. It provides mentorship, resources, and networking opportunities to turn ideas into reality. Wιth access to expert advice, workshops, and necessary tools, the Incubator fosters a collaborative environment for producing independent, original content. 

Air Pollution: The Story οf Two Cities
An investigation into the challenges faced by Thessaloniki and Ioannina on their path to becoming NetZeroCities, using reliable scientific data to highlight the scale of the problem and its broader impact.

Tracing the Path of Greece's Plastic Waste
An investigation into the impact of China’s waste import ban, which forced developed countries to seek new markets for their plastic waste—leading Greece to turn to Bulgaria and Romania.

The Evros Femicides
An investigation into the 2018 murders of three migrant Afghan women on the Greek-Turkish border.

Explore all projects

Ideas Zone

Ideas Zone, iMEdD’s core training pillar, focuses on sharing best practices, tools, and expertise. It offers a range of thematic programs and events designed to equip journalists and media professionals with skills to advance their careers and better serve the public. 

AI Spotlight Training   
In collaboration with Pulitzer Center 

Journalists from Southeastern Europe learned about AI accountability, impact reporting, and supply chain tracking in a two-day training with Karen Hao and Gabriel Geiger in Thessaloniki.  

Introduction to Investigative Journalism 
In collaboration with Global Investigative Journalism Network 

Journalists from Azerbaijan, Zambia, Brazil, Greece, and beyond—selected from over 1,300 applicants—joined a nine-week hybrid training program with online sessions and an intensive in-person week in Volos, Greece. The program resulted in a ten-chapter guide offering essential investigative skills—from source finding and data journalism to digital security and fact-checking. 

Empowering the Next Generation of Podcasters 
In collaboration with the Advertising and Public Relations Lab (ADandPRLab) of the Department of Communication, Media and Culture at Panteion University 

Workshops on podcasting techniques, guiding third-year students from concept to publication, followed by the creation of their own journalistic podcasts.  

Content

iMEdD’s team publishes regularly a range of content, including investigations, data analyses, interviews, videos, podcasts, and tools. It experiments with new journalistic practices and formats to support quality journalism. The mission is to share best practices in research, documentation, storytelling, and the application of ethics and transparency.

All eyes on earth: Strategies and tools for environmental stories 
A comprehensive article featuring insights and methods from leading environmental journalists.   

Crowd Counter  
A tool for estimating crowd numbers based on plotted concentrations and density settings. 

 Hooligan Express
An audio documentary shedding light on the unknown world of ultras in Greece and Europe. 

Find out more

Anna Kynthia Bousdoukou, iMEdD Co-founder and Managing Director, SNF Dialogues Initiative Executive Director

"Now more than ever, we need to do our job as best as we can. We need to produce cutting-edge journalism to serve the audience. Journalism, not content."

iMEdD International Journalism Forum 

It all started in 2019 with a question: How can we create a space where journalism is not just discussed but practiced, challenged, and reimagined? That question gave birth to the iMEdD International Journalism Forum, a gathering that has since evolved into a dynamic meeting point for journalists, media professionals, and academics from around the world. 

For the past two years, the Forum’s program has evolved through a truly collaborative process shaped by journalists and media professionals worldwide who share their ideas in response to iMEdD’s open call for proposals. This collaborative process lies at the heart of what the Forum stands for: a living platform where diverse voices meet, exchange perspectives, and reimagine the future of journalism together.

Democratic values all around us are being challenged and diluted every day, by many and for various reasons. Journalism, and the media at large, is a core pillar of democracy.

Andreas Dracopoulos

SNF Co-President

Every year in Athens, the Forum brings together award-winning investigative reporters, media innovators, press freedom advocates, newsroom leaders, academics, photojournalists, documentarists, data journalists, fact-checkers, media policy analysts, nonprofit media founders, OSINT specialists, and storytellers—all united by a commitment to journalism that serves the public interest.  

Stratis Trilikis, iMEdD Co-founder & General Director, Journalist

"For us at iMEdD, the Forum is not just an event. It is an exercise in cooperation, coexistence, and synergy."

Over three days, the iMEdD International Journalism Forum 2025 inspired with 119 speakers, investigative awards, and a networking hub, highlighting the power of collaboration in journalism.

annual gatherings

583

speakers

236

sessions

8,296

participants

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