Dataharvest 2025 - the European Investigative Journalism Conference

Live journalism is emerging as a powerful global trend, reconnecting audiences with journalism in an engaging, interactive way.

In this session, participants will explore how journalism can transcend traditional formats and captivate live audiences. After an introduction to the genre — its evolution, impact, and the key players worldwide — we’ll dive into Headliner’s unique approach in Germany, showcasing Reporter Slam (a fast-paced, entertaining format) and JIVE (a magazine on stage), alongside inspiring international examples.

Then, we’ll break down the core principles of live journalism, analysing curated clips from live shows to identify what makes them work. Participants are encouraged to bring a story (printed or digital) that they believe could be adapted for the stage. Through hands-on guidance, they will learn to:
✔ Select the appropriate format and tone
✔ Identify visual and auditory elements to enhance storytelling
✔ Structure a compelling narrative arc for a live audience

No prior experience required!

By the end of this session, participants will have a good grasp of different live journalistic formats and first practical tools to start re-imagining their own stories for the stage.

Telling stories live to those around us, using our voices, is probably the oldest storytelling format of all. Live Journalism, on the other hand, is a more recent but fast-growing phenomenon, with new groups emerging in different countries every year.

While there's no single definition of Live Journalism, most often, it involves journalists and other storytellers performing on a stage in front of a live audience.
This year, Dataharvest will present a Live Journalism show, produced by Christine Liehr, co-founder and managing director of Headliner, where we'll experiment with ways of bringing to life journalistic investigations done by the Dataharvest community.

Stay tuned for more details on this show – and how you can be part of it!