WEBJOU: Data Journalism in the Western Balkans

The project

How can data journalism be introduced into universities across the Western Balkans, with learning pathways designed around local contexts and combining data, statistics, visualisation and communication?

This was the starting point for WEBJOU – WEstern Balkan higher educational courses in data JOUrnalism, a European project that, between 2023 and 2025, brought together universities and organisations from Italy, Portugal, Albania, Kosovo and Serbia to develop new approaches and resources for teaching data journalism.

The project was funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, under the ERASMUS-EDU-2022-CBHE call, project number 101083122, with a total budget of €713,798. It was coordinated by the University of Tuscia.

Why a data journalism project in the Western Balkans?

Data journalism brings together skills from different fields: finding and assessing data, analysing it, visualising it and turning it into a clear and meaningful story.

WEBJOU started from the need to strengthen these skills within higher education in the Western Balkans, adapting content and teaching methods to the needs of universities and of students preparing for careers in journalism and communication.

The first step was therefore to analyse needs and existing good practice. Before designing the courses, the consortium explored which skills were already present, which were missing and how learning pathways could be built to work across the different university contexts involved.

Six modules for learning how to work with data

This initial research led to the development of six learning modules, designed to be combined in different ways:

Big Data and Data Discovery, Data Visualisation, statistical analysis, geospatial representations, storytelling, and European legislation on data ownership and protection, including GDPR.

The aim was not to create one identical course for every university, but a modular structure that could be adapted and integrated into different higher education programmes.

Alongside the course content, the project also developed teaching materials, open educational resources and a system for assessing skills, with the aim of making the work reusable beyond the lifetime of the project.

WEBJOU resources were designed to remain accessible online and to be shared under open licences.

From course design to the classroom

The materials were not left on paper.

The courses and resources developed by the consortium were tested with students in Albania and Kosovo, turning the modules into practical activities focused on data analysis, visualisation and storytelling.

The pilot phase also led to the production of data journalism projects covering topics ranging from the death penalty to migration in Europe. These gave participants the opportunity to apply their new skills to real-world issues and build journalistic stories based on data.

Feedback from the pilot activities showed high levels of satisfaction among both participants and educators. One of the key findings was the value of flexible learning pathways capable of combining university teaching with digital learning environments and making training more accessible.

Dataninja’s role in WEBJOU

Dataninja joined WEBJOU as a consortium partner, contributing its experience in data journalism training, data literacy and the design of data-driven learning experiences.

The Dataninja team involved in the project included Andrea Nelson Mauro, responsible for partnerships and the development of training programmes, and Benedetta Tonnini, who works on the coordination of international training and research projects focused on data literacy and new learning methods. Both were members of the WEBJOU Steering Committee.

Dataninja’s contribution was part of a broader approach that has shaped our work for years: turning technical data skills into learning experiences that can be applied in real contexts, from journalism to schools and universities.

The same approach can also be found in the Data Journalism Training Program, developed by Dataninja with EDJNet to help journalists integrate data into their everyday work.

A consortium connecting Europe and the Western Balkans

WEBJOU brought together 11 partners, coordinated by the University of Tuscia:

University of Tuscia (Italy); NOVA University Lisbon (Portugal); Dataninja (Italy); European University of Tirana (Albania); Mediterranean University of Albania (Albania); Aleksandër Moisiu University of Durrës (Albania); Universum College (Kosovo); RIT Kosovo – A.U.K. College (Kosovo); Kadri Zeka University (Kosovo); University of Novi Sad (Serbia); and University of Tirana (Albania).

This mix of partners was an important part of the project itself. Expertise and approaches from different higher education systems could be compared and combined with the specific needs of institutions in the Western Balkans.

What WEBJOU leaves behind

WEBJOU came to an end in 2025. In May, the consortium met in Viterbo at the University of Tuscia for the final event, where partners discussed the results achieved, the experience of the participating universities and how the resources developed during the project could continue to be used.

WEBJOU leaves behind six modules covering key data journalism skills, teaching materials and resources, pilot activities carried out in Albania and Kosovo, and an international collaboration model connecting universities, education and data-driven expertise.

But it also leaves us with a question that goes beyond the project itself:

How should university education evolve to prepare future journalists to work with data in a rigorous, critical and accessible way?

WEBJOU explored one possible answer, starting from a simple principle: learning to tell stories with data requires more than adding a few technical tools to a journalism course.

It requires learning experiences in which analysis, visualisation, statistics and storytelling are designed together.

Find out more

Visit the official WEBJOU website to explore the project, its activities and the consortium.

[Visit the WEBJOU website]

You can also read the project leaflet, with further information on its objectives, structure, work packages, partners and funding.

[Read the WEBJOU project leaflet]

To explore Dataninja’s work on data journalism education:

[Discover the Data Journalism Training Program]