Bonn Institute gets hands-on at the Global Media Forum

On June 23 and 24, the Bonn Institute brought its work helping journalism serve its audiences better to the Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum. Founder and CEO Ellen Heinrichs and her team contributed to the program through two separate sessions focused on dialogue and innovation in journalism.  

On Tuesday, the first day of the forum, the Bonn Institute introduced its new discussion game, "One Hour, Many Voices," in an interactive workshop. Designed like a cooperative board game, it is a practical tool to help journalists and media organizations engage in meaningful conversations with their audiences.  

"In times when journalism is losing trust and traction in many parts of the world, the Bonn Institute is launching the discussion game 'One Hour, Many Voices,'" said Heinrichs of the motivation behind the game. "We believe journalism needs to take many more forms and shapes to remain relevant as a profession that helps our open societies thrive, and we see this game as one way to achieve that."

Around two dozens journalists of all ages and nationalities spent one hour learning about the games aims and methods, trying it out for themselves and then discussing their experiences. Mehregan Behrouz, the Bonn Institute’s project coordinator for dialogue formats, addressed how it can be used to engage audiences and build trust.  

"I really found value in in the game that we played this afternoon because that's what we're trying to do in the Philippines," said Celine Samson, head of verification at VERA Files, a Filipino fact-checking organization. "We live in a very polarized society and so being able to hold dialogues and facilitate dialogues in a very welcoming, very non-confrontational way, really inviting different perspectives to be shared in one round table – I think is a great way to do it." 

"One Hour, Many Voices," known as "Eine Stunde reden" in German, was developed over two years with partners and clients. It can also be used in community settings and other contexts where meaningful dialogue matters. It is available for purchase in our online shop. 

Finding one’s way in journalism 

The Bonn Institute was also featured on the second day of the conference, with Heinrichs joining the panel "Ask a Journalist: Lessons from the Field."  Alongside other leaders of the German media scene, Ellen discussed career paths in journalism and how there is no one "right" way. She shared the professional insight she has gained over the course of her own journey from journalist to media innovator and business founder and addressed individual questions from the predominantly young audience.