By Jaroslav Zacko, RTV

I work as a television editor for a Slovak‑language programme in Vojvodina, Serbia. When I was selected to attend the International Journalism Festival in Perugia through an EU‑funded mobility grant, I was initially unsure how relevant the experience would be for my day‑to‑day work in a small, minority‑language newsroom.

It turned out to be far more relevant than I expected.

The festival took place across multiple venues in Perugia’s historic city centre and offered an open, accessible programme of panels, workshops and interviews. What impressed me most was the level of access: journalists could sit alongside editors from major international broadcasters and engage with them directly, asking questions and exchanging experiences on equal footing.

From a practical perspective, I gained two insights that I will apply immediately. The first concerns the use of AI‑based transcription tools for minority‑language media. For Slovak‑language television, subtitling and archiving have long been limited by a lack of resources. At the festival, I met professionals from across Central Europe who are already tackling these challenges in smaller language communities, and their solutions offered concrete inspiration for our own work.

The second key takeaway came from a session on short‑form video for broadcast and social platforms, focusing on vertical formats and social‑first storytelling. Until then, I had viewed these approaches as incompatible with serious journalism. The discussions in Perugia changed my perspective. I realised that the format itself is neutral — it is the quality, depth and integrity of the story that ultimately matters.

However, the most valuable part of the experience did not happen on stage. Informal conversations with journalists from small and regional outlets in Croatia, Slovakia and Wales proved just as important. We spoke openly about shared challenges: shrinking budgets, increasing centralisation, and the ongoing struggle to keep local stories visible. Knowing that these pressures are widely shared does not eliminate them, but it reduces the sense of isolation and provides a clearer, more grounded way of approaching the work.

This mobility experience strengthened both my professional skills and my confidence as a journalist working in a minority‑language context, reaffirming the importance of international exchange and peer learning supported by EU programmes.

Funded by the European Union, the Innovation. Media. Minds Program: Support to Public Service Journalism in the Western Balkans, is managed by the Goethe-Institut on behalf of the European Commission and in collaboration with its implementing partner DW Akademie. The contents of this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.