Over the weekend we launched the 2026 Journalism Mentorship Program, with 17 participants from Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Hungary gathering at the Ratiu Democracy Centre in Turda for an intensive opening event alongside Romanian and international mentors.
The young journalists selected for the programme spent two days pitching their story ideas, receiving detailed feedback, and refining their reporting plans under the guidance of experienced editors and correspondents. Over the coming months, they will continue developing their stories through one-on-one mentorship, with final pieces to be published across the regional media landscape and featured in the Ratiu Report as well.
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This year’s participants are looking into topics such as growing up as an ethnic Romanian in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, the connection between youth social media consumption and rising violence, the Romanian online “manosphere,” fears around immigration, and the paradox of anti-Russian Hungarians’ support for Viktor Orbán’s pro-Russian policies.
“I enjoyed this weekend - it was so inspiring. I enjoyed hearing all these stories from these different places; it was really interesting,” said Lili Anna Lempek,a mentee from Hungary.
“I felt like this place was an incubator of ideas; surrounded by great people, you are inevitably going to uplift yourself. Great mentors with great impact who can actually make a difference,” said Max Mihailovici.
“I enjoyed that it was practical and applicable to our professions, and I’m grateful that I met people who have the same drive as me. Sometimes it gets lonely,” said Iulia Mureșan.
This year’s mentor team includes Alison Mutler (Universul.net, former AP Chief Correspondent for Romania), Dan Perry (former Associated Press Chief Editor for Europe, the Middle East and Africa), Adam Reichardt (Editor of New Eastern Europe), Diana Oncioiu (Dela0 / Să Fie Lumină), Emilia Șercan (investigative journalist and lecturer, University of Bucharest), Nick Thorpe (BBC Central Europe Correspondent), Ovidiu Vanghele (Center for Investigative Media / Să Fie Lumină), and Luiza Vasiliu (co-founder of Scena9).
“Our industry is going through major business challenges but remains critical to the proper functioning of democracies and free markets, and for ensuring that we have an informed and engaged citizenry in the democratic world,” said Perry. “It is immensely gratifying to work with the young generation that continues this endeavor. The Ratiu Forum’s efforts, with LSE Ideas, are a public service in the most prfound sense.”
The mentee whose final piece stands out will receive a fully funded place at the Reuters Institute Journalism Summer School in the United Kingdom. Last year’s top mentee, Ana-Maria Preda, produced The Pit, an exposé on a Romanian town literally sinking beneath its residents, published in HotNews.ro and later recognized for its investigation into environmental neglect and government opacity. Other 2025 mentees saw their work published in PressOne, Școala9, New Eastern Europe, Dela0, and Universul.net.