In times of multiple crises, independent journalism is more important than ever. How do you deal with fake news and political interventions? How do you bring the best and most important stories from your readers’ environment every day? Six graduates of ‘Krone’s’ own Hans Dichand Academy have answered exactly these burning questions and formulated seven ideas for journalism with a future in their graduation theses. It went much further than writing.
The first part presents the work of layout designer Nina Auer (Vienna), editors Verena Höchstätter (Sport im Burgenland), Magdalena Winkler (Lower Austria) and editor Marcel Tratnik (Carinthia). Nina, for example, investigated the question of how the production of ‘Krone’ magazines could be optimally designed. She has been working at Kronen Zeitung for twelve years and provides graphics for glossy magazines, but also for articles.
“I have set myself the task of analyzing the existing process and reducing potential problems, conflicts and risks. The goal here should be to improve daily production,” says Nina. After many years of experience in the creative field, it was important for her to gain insight into editorial work.
‘It’s exciting to see how quickly the media world is developing and to have the opportunity to further your education here.’ The ‘Krone’ is the first media company to offer its employees an academic education in collaboration with a university. The courses are given both at the Joanneum University of Applied Sciences in Graz and online.
Well-trained journalists are needed
“In order to respond optimally to current developments in journalism, well-trained journalists are needed. And so it was a decision that was not difficult,” says editor Marcel Tratnik about his reasons for completing the Hans Dichand Academy. He has been working at the “Krone” in Carinthia for three years and is responsible, among other things, for politics, regional events and the online environment.
Marcel also dealt with appearances on the internet in his thesis. It’s about individual tools, but also about how messages, titles and image selection work. “The Kärntner Krone uses the two channels Instagram and Facebook. There are our own templates created with the Canva program,” he explains.
Renaissance of the Rooms
The two editors Magdalena Winkler and Verena Höchstätter also focused on local journalism. “Every third journalist works in this field,” says Verena. The corona pandemic meant a renaissance for local journalism. Verena has been working at the Kronen Zeitung since 2005 and is mainly responsible for sports reporting in Burgenland.
In her graduation thesis, she analyzed, among other things, what lessons can be learned from the corona pandemic and what opportunities local journalism has in the future. Verena chose the “Krone” locations in St. Pölten and Eisenstadt as an example. De Burgenlander spoke with editor-in-chief Klaus Hermann and the two editorial directors Philipp Wagner (Burgenland) and Lukas Lusetzky (Lower Austria).
Make newsletters more regional
The subject of Magdalena Winkler’s work was how newsletters can be prepared even more regionally and better. “It is important to filter information, especially because of the flow of news. That’s why it was important for me to come up with a concept for regional newsletters. “Regional reports that are well prepared and in depth arouse the interest of readers,” the Lower Austrian is convinced.
In Lower Austria, the “Krone” already has a regional newsletter. However, Magdalena went one step further and created concepts for four different newsletters (Waldviertel, Weinviertel, Mostviertel, Industrieviertel). To this end, she delved into the literature and spoke to experts. Magdalena recently celebrated her one year of employment. Your daily focus is on digital reporting.
“The visionary Hans Dichand has positioned the ‘Krone’ well and future-oriented. We are currently in a transformation process that will take us further forward. The Hans Dichand Academy must best prepare us for the future,” says Klaus Herrmann, editor-in-chief.
The third course of the Hans Dichand Academy started at the beginning of October. Over two semesters, the new participants learn content such as media law, forms of journalistic writing and technical skills. After successfully completing their studies, they become academic journalists.
Mara Tremschnig, Elisa Torner and Katharina Wurzer also completed the second course. Their work will be presented in the second part.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
