Thomas Stokholm has for more than 25 years produced and directed TV documentaries primarily focusing on investigative programs and often true crime. He has been nominated multiple times for the Cavling Award and received the award in 2004. He co-founded and co-led Bastard Film and has also had a long career as an editorial and creative leader at companies such as Monday Media, Ekstra Bladet, and Heartbeats. Over the past five years, he has worked freelance as a podcast producer and host, freelance TV producer, advisor, and author.

During his fellowship, Thomas will dive deep in to whether investigative TV documentaries today are driven by legal requirements and considerations more than necessary journalistic craftsmanship and the ability to doubt and dare whether the journalist always strive to give the best obtainable version of the truth in order to present the audience with facts and nuances rather than raising fear and anxiety that is based on less solid documentation.

Eva Højrup has held a range of positions in journalism and management within the Danish media industry. Her workplaces have often been DR and TV2, with detours to the print press and magazines. For the past four years, she has been responsible for the health content at TV2 EAST, the regional tv-station covering 12 municipalities in the Zealand region. Her job as a specialist reporter has provided her with an extensive network of sources, and knowledge about the conditions in a healthcare system, where there is a shortage of staff on all fronts. Her stories deal with people and social inequality and how we can attempt to think creatively and solve problems.

During the fellowship program, Eva Højrup will focus on how a regional media can facilitate a conversation between the system and the most vulnerable citizens. There are pockets in our system where the vulnerable do not seek out the healthcare system, even though they desperately need it. So how can civil society and the public system enter a dialogue about solutions, and can TV2 EAST play a role by giving voice to people who are otherwise never seen in the media and who are not heard?

Nanna Malou Rasmussen is employed as social media editor of TV2 Nord. Earlier, she was the local reporter of Aalborg, supplying TV2 Nord with news reports from her municipality. Operating as video journalist in this, she has shaped her own news reports from idea to publication – and digital versioning. Nanna graduated as a journalist from University of Southern Denmark. Before TV2 Nord she worked as a journalist in another regional news media house.

During her fellowship Nanna will examine what special considerations are required by the publisher and facilitator of news consumption on new digital platforms, due to their different premises. This regards to her quest in figuring out how traditional TV broadcasters implement tools from constructive journalism in their publications and versioning of news on social media in order to support the local democractic dialogue.

Jamilla Sophie Alvi is a feature writer at Jyllands-Posten. She has served as an “editorial change agent” for various media organizations and has been crafting thought-provoking stories since 2000. At the heart of her journalism lies nuanced storytelling that aims to challenge and expand the perspectives of readers, stimulate public discourse, and provide entertainment simultaneously. During her tenure as the head of communications at the patient organization Muskelsvindfonden, she found inspiration to narrate case stories in an empowering manner. As an editor for digital projects and investigative journalism at the regional TV station TVOJ, she and her team earned accolades for their excellence in digital storytelling. In her journalistic endeavors, she strives to transcend the commonly used binary narratives of victimhood.

Throughout her fellowship, Jamilla Sophie Alvi will develop a concept for “constructive case narratives” and explore innovative ways to leverage storytelling to spark constructive public debate. She will delve into case studies within the healthcare sector, focusing on how the media currently portrays prioritizing challenges and dilemmas in healthcare.

Thomas Buhl is a political journalist at DR, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, where he is co-hosting DR’s political podcast “Slotsholmen”. The mission of the podcast is to give insight into Danish politics and the political engine room through interviews with key political figures, advisors, experts, analysts, and other main actors on the political scene. Thomas has also covered elections, breaking news events, party conventions, and daily politics, communicated both through features for national radio and TV and as a live reporter. Previously, Thomas has worked as a news reporter at “Radioavisen”, made features for “Orientering” at P1, and produced regional journalism as a reporter and news host at DR’s regional station in Northern Jutland.

During his fellowship, Thomas will investigate ethical dilemmas faced by society and the health sector at a time when treatment methods become increasingly advanced, and innovative medical discoveries are being made. He will also map out how politicians consider and handle these ethical dilemmas, and how the media can work constructively with covering the field.

Ida Skytte is a journalism lecturer at The Danish School of Media and Journalism in Aarhus. In the recent years she has been the academic coordinator of the diploma program for specialized journalism and she has conducted research on how pay walls have impacted news journalism and how user needs have entered Danish news rooms. Before teaching journalism, Ida worked as a political journalist at e.g. Kristeligt Dagblad and Altinget and as a press advisor at the former prime minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussens office in the European Parliament and as a science journalist at Health, Aarhus University.

During her fellowship at Constructive Institute, Ida will focus on life sciences and how the media reports on the research advances in fields such as biology and medicine. She is curious to understand both the potential and barriers in health innovation and how to do balanced and nuanced journalism in that field.

For the past eight years Marie has worked as a project manager at Politiken Live creating debates, talks, award shows and courses. She has been in charge of projects such as Politikens Undervisningspris, Ibyen Prisen and Politikens Kunstkritikerskole. Additionally, Marie writes columns about tv and radio. Before joining Politiken she was a web editor at Danwatch. Marie holds a master’s degree in analytical journalism (cand.public) from Aarhus University and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy.

During her fellowship at Constructive Institute Marie will be investigating how we as publicists can strengthen the dialogue with citizens and readers through live journalism. When we as media bring journalism to the stage we facilitate spaces where people come together to discuss, to educate themselves, to be entertained and to have their beliefs challenged. But can we make more of the trust and bond we build in those short meetings? How can dialogue with readers and citizens inspire journalists to ask new questions?

Tanja Nyrup Madsen is an experienced investigative journalist and editor. She has a deep passion for journalism that leaves people more enlightened, engaged and empowered. As chief editor of Mandag Morgen she combined investigative, analytical and constructive journalism to reach this goal. Previously, she has led the Danish public radio (DR) current affairs flagship program, P1 Morgen, and served as business editor for online, tv and radio at DR, where she also led a cross boarder investigation team on global investment banks’ dividend tax fraud throughout Europe. She started her carrier at TV2 working as beat reporter and member of various investigative teams. In her early years she worked with data journalism as analytical journalist at Ugebrevet A4. Later she became the first editor and host of the investigative radio program P1-Documentary. She played an active part in creating the FUJ prize for investigative journalism and also served as chairman of the jury and vicepresident for the Danish Association for Investigative Journalism (FUJ).

During her fellowship she will explore how the current journalistic approach to system changing ideas affect the publics (dis)ability to envision attractive, sustainable futures. She will focus specifically on media narratives about innovative production methods and new business models that involve radical changes to the current system. Who are the potential system changers? How are their ideas described by the media? Can constructive journalism foster a more enlightened public debate on transformative ideas and sustainability in various industries and the societal implications of such changes?

Noora Mattila currently works as a podcast producer at the Finnish Jaksomedio in the Finnish capital, Helsinki. She has formerly been a reporter at several Finnish newspapers amongst others Helsingin Sanomat, the largest newspaper in Finland. She has also worked as an editor of the literature magazine Nuori Voima and during a stay the United States she was a freelancer for several Finnish news media. Noora Mattila is the author of a book about conspiracy theories and vaccine critics which she wrote after the covid 19 epidemic and she has won several Finnish journalism awards.

Noora Mattila will be the 7th Finnish journalist to obtain a fellowship at Constructive Institute granted by the Finnish newspaper foundation, Helsingin Sanomat Foundation. During her fellowship Noora Mattila will investigate how media can react to misinformation on social media in a constructive way that may help combating polarization and strengthen trust in society.

Alex is Program Manager for the Graduate Diploma in Journalism at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and the elected President of the Journalism Education and Research Association of Australia. An Associate Professor in Journalism, Alex is an active leader, educator and researcher in journalism. She began work as a journalist in the mid 1980s. Her research, teaching and practice sits at the nexus of journalism practice, journalism education, equality, diversity and mental health.

Alex will explore the perceived impact on journalists’ wellbeing from the use of Constructive Journalism. CJ has been heralded by some as a way to help journalism help democracy trough more focus on stories on nuances, dialogue and inspiration to solutions to societal problems. Specifically, it is encouraging people to engage more with the news, by forgoing the classical emphasis on conflict and negative stories and focussing more on news articles which provide solutions and context. This project seeks to focus on the use of CJ, with its more positive emphasis on reporting and its perceived impact on journalists’ wellbeing. Specifically it asks, do those people who have undergone Constructive Journalism training perceive a difference in their own wellbeing from a result of using the methodology. It then follows by asking how do journalists perceive it has made a difference? And were participants in Constructive Journalism drawn to the method because of concerns about their own wellbeing prior to study?

Esben Seerup is a seasoned leader in local and regional news, with over 30 years of experience across various media platforms, including regional radio (DR Fyn), newspapers (Fyens Stiftstidende), and television (TV 2 Fyn). His career spans more than 25 years as editor, manager and CEO. From these positions he has consistently championed quality journalism – critical and constructive hand-in-hand – as a vital component of democracy.

At TV 2 Fyn, Esben led a significant transformation, crafting a strategy that positioned the media house as Denmark’s most constructive over a three-year change process. This effort involved the entire newsroom and resulted in TV 2 Fyn becoming the most trusted, most influential, and the dominant news source for the 500.000 people in the Funen region by 2024, boasting record-high viewers and digital user engagement.

During his fellowship, Esben plans to explore innovative digital, constructive and collaborative methods to innovate political coverage. This core area in local journalism is under huge pressure due to low user interest om digital platforms. Next year’s local and regional election, “Kommunalvalget”, is therefore at great risk of becoming the worst media-covered municipal election in the last 50 years.

His project will focus on leveraging digital platforms to enhance the relationship between politicians and citizens, particularly during elections. Esben aims to discover new ways of covering local elections and politics that benefit media, politicians, and the public. Especially by utilizing advanced technologies, creative formats and establishishing new partnerships among media, municipalities and NGOs.

Stine Jessen Jensen has been a journalist at Fyens Stiftstidende for nearly 20 years, writing local and regional journalism for the people of Funen. For many years her primary focus has been the major welfare sectors and municipal politics in Denmark’s third-largest city, Odense. Since 2019, she has participated in Fyens Stiftstidende’s annual journalistic campaigns, all focusing on various areas of the welfare system. These journalistic initiatives have consistently aimed to give journalism a constructive and solution-oriented twist. Recently, Stine has switched to the crime desk, where she daily works to produce balanced and nuanced journalism about crime in Funen.

Stine will investigate how the coverage of traditionally high-attention journalism, such as crime reporting, can incorporate constructive elements to better reflect statistics that indicate crime is generally decreasing in society. Stine will seek to understand if there is something in our general understanding of the world that promotes journalism with inherent conflict. She will explore if it is possible to use knowledge about conflict concepts and conflict narratives to understand this issue, thereby, becoming better at creating constructive journalism that challenges and reshapes readers’ understanding of the local community.