While journalism was long regarded as an institution of truth, many people today are turning away from it. For a democratic society, this is a problem, as it depends on people forming opinions about how we live together based on reliable information – and on this basis, shaping public opinion. One reason for this growing distance is that many people do not see their own experiences and concerns sufficiently reflected in the media. This prompted journalists Helene Bubrowski, Editor-in-Chief of Table.Briefings, and Simon Strauss (FAZ), together with wissen.live – the digital learning programme of adult education centres (Volkshochschulen) in Germany – to launch a project that places listening and personal encounters at its centre. At the beginning of March, they publicly presented the project »Volkes.Stimmen – Democracy in Motion«, funded by the Schöpflin Stiftung and the Hertie Foundation, at Publix in Berlin.

In the first phase of the project, (capital-based) journalists held conversations with people from across the country, particularly with those living outside major urban centres. The journalists travelled to meet them, took time to engage with their everyday lives and asked questions. The aim: to talk more with people rather than about them. To listen and to understand what people feel is missing in journalism and in society. As diverse as the responses were, they all revolved around trust and a sense of belonging to society. The journalists summarised their reflections from these 17 in-depth »conversations from everyday life about the state of our country« in a publication (german language). Journalist Anna Schiller describes the unique quality of these exchanges: »As a journalist, I rarely get direct feedback on how my articles affect the people they are about or written for. In everyday editorial work, the focus is usually on facts and wording – less on what texts actually trigger in people. This conversation bridged, for a moment, the distance I usually have from my readers.«

In the coming months, the dialogue project Volkes.Stimmen will travel to ten adult education centres  (Volkshochschulen) across Germany. In interactive formats, citizens and journalists will come together in small groups to exchange perspectives – on their everyday realities, their views on politics and media, and on public debate.