Students in Bucharest, Constanța and Oradea can take part in practical journalism workshops and pursue a paid internship at independent newsrooms through the Pressing programmeThe Pressing programme takes place in three university centres – Bucharest, Constanța and Oradea – and includes workshops led by experienced journalists, newsroom mentoring and a six-month paid internship;
- Students will have the opportunity to learn directly from experienced independent journalists about working with sources, structuring an investigation, fact-checking and countering disinformation;
- The journalists leading the workshops are: Ana Poenariu – Public Record, Iulia Roșu – Snoop, Marian Voicu – Veridica, Măriuța Nistor – Ziarul de Gardă, MD, Codruța Simina – Misreport & Public Record, and Iulia Stănoiu – Context;
- Following the workshops, selected students will have the opportunity to take part in mentoring programmes and pursue a paid internship at the following newsrooms: Buletin de București and Snoop (Bucharest), Info Sud-Est (Constanța), and Bihoreanul (Oradea);
- Pressing runs from October 2026 to July 2027. The workshops are free of charge. Applications for the workshops in the three cities are open on the programme page: https://www.ffff.ro/pressing-pentru-studenti/;
- The Pressing programme builds on Atelierele Superscrieri, supported by ING Bank, a programme launched in 2024 with workshops dedicated to journalists’ professional development and the training of young journalists.
Bucharest, 7 October 2026 – The Friends For Friends Foundation, organiser of the Superscrieri Awards Gala, and ING Bank Romania are continuing the Pressing programme, an initiative dedicated to the professional development of the next generation of journalists. The programme is aimed at students in Bucharest, Constanța and Oradea, offering them access to practical workshops and mentoring in independent newsrooms, as well as the opportunity to be selected for a six-month paid internship at Buletin de București, Snoop, Info Sud-Est or Bihoreanul.
The programme is primarily aimed at students studying journalism, but is also open to those pursuing related fields, such as political science, communications or history, who aspire to a career in journalism.
“Through the Pressing programme, we want to give future journalists real-world exposure to the profession. We want to bring them closer to established journalists, alongside whom they can practise, through workshops, mentoring and hands-on experience, what public-interest journalism means. We believe that encounters like these can make a huge difference at the beginning of a career. We are pleased that, together with ING Bank Romania, the partner universities and newsrooms, we can bring Pressing to three university centres and build a concrete pathway for students that can influence their professional trajectory,” says Alexandra Cantor, Executive Director, Friends For Friends Foundation.
The Pressing programme is structured in three stages and runs from October 2026 to July 2027.
The first stage takes place in October and consists of workshops led by professional journalists from the independent media, covering essential topics such as information gathering and verification, structuring an investigation, data analysis, Open Source Intelligence (OSINT), fact-checking and identifying disinformation mechanisms.
In Bucharest, Constanța and Oradea, students will take part in two-day workshops led by journalists with experience in investigative journalism, fact-checking and documenting disinformation.
In Bucharest, the workshops will be led by Ana Poenariu, co-founder of Public Record, and Iulia Roșu, co-founder of SNOOP.
Ana Poenariu will work with students on practical investigative tools: how to request public information, what to do when an institution refuses access to documents, how to analyse raw data, how to use OSINT techniques and how to protect sources. Iulia Roșu will focus on the journey from research to publishing an investigation: choosing the right angle, organising information, building the structure, and writing the headline and standfirst.
In Constanța, the workshops will be led by Marian Voicu, co-founder of Veridica.ro, and Măriuța Nistor, a journalist at Ziarul de Gardă in the Republic of Moldova.
Marian Voicu’s workshop will explain the differences between misinformation and disinformation, as well as disinformation narratives and language, and techniques such as debunking, prebunking and fact-checking. Drawing on her experience investigating influence and disinformation networks in the Republic of Moldova, Măriuța Nistor will explain how false information is created, funded and distributed.
In Oradea, the workshops will be led by Codruța Simina, co-founder of Public Record and author of the Misreport newsletter, and Iulia Stănoiu, an investigative journalist at Context.
Codruța Simina will discuss how to recognise disinformation, the tactics used to spread it online, the vulnerabilities exploited by social media platforms, and how to protect ourselves from the effects of manipulation. Iulia Stănoiu will lead a complementary workshop on identifying and debunking false or misleading information provided by public institutions. Students will work with case studies and explore tools they can use to verify information.
“The media needs well-trained, curious people who are capable of verifying the information they bring into the public sphere. For us, supporting the Pressing programme means contributing to the training of future journalists while they are still at university. We encourage them to ask questions without fear, rigorously verify information and understand the responsibility that comes with this profession. Newsroom experience and mentoring are essential to this journey, and our partnership with the Friends For Friends Foundation allows us to provide tangible support to the new generation of journalists,” says Silvia Jalea, Head of Internal & External Corporate Communication, ING Bank Romania.
After the workshops, participants will go through a selection process. Four students from each city will have the opportunity to continue the programme with a mentoring stage in partner newsrooms between November 2026 and January 2027. The mentoring programme will involve working on stories proposed by the students, under the guidance of the local newsroom.
At the end of the mentoring stage, one student will be selected for a paid internship running from February to July 2027 at one of the following newsrooms: Buletin de București, Snoop, Info Sud-Est or Bihoreanul.
The workshops are free of charge, and places are limited. Applicants must register for both workshop days in their chosen city. Each workshop lasts five hours, from 10:00 to 15:00.
The Pressing programme builds on Atelierele Superscrieri, supported by ING Bank, a programme launched in 2024 with workshops dedicated to journalists’ professional development and the training of young journalists.
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About ING Bank Romania
ING Bank Romania is part of ING Group, a global international financial institution serving more than 38 million individual, corporate and institutional customers in over 40 countries. Established in 1994, ING Bank Romania is now a universal bank, offering products and services to all categories of customers – large and small companies, financial institutions, small businesses and individuals.
ING Bank Romania is the only bank among the top 10 local banks by assets to have achieved organic growth without acquiring customer portfolios or other banks. ING Bank Romania is a universal bank with more than 1.7 million customers across three business segments: Retail, SME & Mid-Corporate, and Wholesale Banking. ING’s mission is to help people stay one step ahead in life and in business.
About Superscrieri, a Friends For Friends Foundation (FFFF.RO) programme
Since 2011, Superscrieri has been our tribute to authors who, through the power of their writing, originality, honesty and courage, continue to tell the stories that matter. To authors who believe in the power of the right word, show us how things really are, help us move beyond prejudice and stereotypes, move us emotionally, enrich us and protect us from fake news. We dedicate the Superscrieri awards, grants and seminars to them, with gratitude.
