Five New Constructive Fellows to Develop Culture and Local Journalism in 2027
8th of October, 2026
Four journalists and one anthropologist will spend five months from 1 February 2027
exploring and developing cultural and local journalism as part of a fellowship at Constructive Institute, based at Aarhus University.
Three Culture Explorer Fellows will delve into the challenges facing cultural journalism and explore potential solutions. They are international commentator and former culture editor and managing editor Birgitte Borup from the newspaper Berlingske, and Søren Korsholm, a journalist on the newspaper Politiken’s culture desk and host of the podcast Bjørnetjenesten. The two journalists will be joined by Mads Daugbjerg, PhD in anthropology from Aarhus University.
Daugbjerg will build on the experience of the first cohort of Culture Explorers, of which he was also a member. Together with journalist and law graduate Kaj Høivang and writer and DR News journalist Annegerd Lerche Kristiansen, he took the pulse of cultural journalism by examining 15 years of coverage of cultural affairs in both national and regional media.
Their findings were both surprising and nuanced. While the three Culture Explorers found that the volume of cultural journalism has declined, the decrease was no greater than the overall decline in journalistic output across the media industry. They also found that the definition of “culture” has changed and is now understood more broadly than in the past, as something that permeates identity, everyday life and communities.
The new cohort of Culture Explorers will build on these findings and examine the challenges cultural journalists face today, as well as how news organisations can develop strong cultural journalism that fosters social cohesion and sparks curiosity among the public.
“We live in extraordinary times. That is reflected in my own working weeks, which are usually busy and incredibly varied. One minute I am discussing American politics on TV2, the next I am writing an editorial for Berlingske about pig farming. And I love all of it. Now I have been given the opportunity to take a step back and look at the times we live in with a little more perspective. I was very happy to accept, and I am sure I will return to Berlingske wiser when the five months are over,”
Birgitte Borup, international commentator and cultural editor at Berlingske
A grant from the Aage and Johanne Louis-Hansen Foundation has made it possible to establish the Culture Explorer programme. The three Culture Explorers will present their findings at the Culture Meeting on Mors in August 2027.
Local Journalism in Focus
Two more fellows will also begin their fellowships in February, focusing on the role of local journalism today and in the future. They are Rane von Benzon, regional affairs editor at the local newspaper Sjællandske Nyheder, and Kirstine Lefevre Sckerl, a journalist at the local newspaper Århus Stiftstidende.
During his fellowship at Constructive Institute, Rane von Benzon will investigate how news organisations can better understand the value local journalism creates for its users. His project will focus on what citizens gain from local journalism beyond simply consuming it. What makes journalism feel useful and relevant and something people want to return to?
Kirstine Lefevre Sckerl will examine experiences with audience participation in cultural journalism and explore new ways of engaging readers. Among other things, she will investigate whether cultural coverage can be made more vibrant through reader panels, review communities and new media formats.
The Aarhuus Stiftstidendes Foundation has made the fellowship programme focusing on local and regional journalism possible. A total of 12 journalists will take part in the programme over a three-year period.
The five new fellows will be based at Aarhus University and become part of Constructive Institute’s 10th fellowship cohort.
Making a Constructive Impact
Since the institute opened in 2017, more than 120 Danish and international journalists, editors and other media professionals have taken part in Constructive Institute’s fellowship programme. The institute is an independent organisation working to strengthen and develop journalism and democracy.
Former fellows are now widely represented across Danish and international media. Following their fellowships, many have returned to their newsrooms and contributed to the development of new journalistic formats, editorial strategies and new ways of engaging citizens in public debate.