Initiative Nachrichtenaufklärung

The Initiative Nachrichtenaufklärung (INA) is a German non-governmental organization founded in May 1997 by media scholars and journalists, including Peter Ludes, Imme de Haen, Ingrid Kolb, Ulrich Saxer, Georg Schütte, and Hermann Meyn. Its mission is to draw public attention to topics and news that are neglected by the German mass media. The INA is based in Cologne and operates as a registered association (e.V.). The organization's main activity is the annual publication of its "Top 10 neglected news stories" (Top 10 der vernachlässigten Nachrichten). These are selected from suggestions submitted by the public, which are then investigated by student research teams at several German universities, including Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Hochschule für Medien, Kommunikation und Wirtschaft (HMKW), and Hochschule Darmstadt. A jury of scholars, journalists, and seminar leaders evaluates the relevance of the topics and compiles the final ranking. The INA was founded in Siegen and later moved to Dortmund before settling in Cologne. From 2014, Hektor Haarkötter of Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg served as managing director; in 2022, Filiz Kalmuk was appointed managing director. The initiative has been nominated for the Grimme Online Award in 2002 and has cooperated with Deutschlandfunk and the German Journalists' Association (DJV) since 2015. In June 2023, the INA, together with the US-based Project Censored, published an International Top Five for the first time. The INA's work is based on the premise that German media exhibit "herd behavior," creating topic cycles and systematically ignoring certain issues. Its nomination criteria require that topics be relevant to the German (and European) public, based on reliable sources, and not yet covered by media. The organization is funded through membership fees, donations, and project grants, and it maintains a website at derblindefleck.de.

The Initiative Nachrichtenaufklärung (INA) was founded in May 1997 in Siegen, Germany, by a group of media scholars and journalists. The founding team included Peter Ludes, Imme de Haen, Ingrid Kolb, Ulrich Saxer, Georg Schütte, and Hermann Meyn. They were inspired by the US-based Project Censored and aimed to address the perceived "herd behavior" and systematic neglect of certain topics in German mass media. The organization initially operated from Siegen, then moved its headquarters to Dortmund. From October 2002, Horst Pöttker coordinated the project at the Institute for Journalism in Dortmund. Later, the INA relocated to Cologne, where it is currently based. In 2002, the INA was nominated for the Grimme Online Award. In 2014, Hektor Haarkötter of Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg took over as managing director. In 2022, Filiz Kalmuk, a research associate at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg and chairwoman of the INA, was appointed managing director. Since 2015, the INA has cooperated with the newsroom of Deutschlandfunk and with Journalist, the magazine of the German Journalists' Association (DJV). In June 2023, the INA, together with Project Censored, published an International Top Five for the first time. The INA's core activity is the annual publication of the "Top 10 neglected news stories." Suggestions are collected year-round from the public and investigated by student research teams at several German universities, including Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, HMKW, and Hochschule Darmstadt. A jury of scholars, journalists, and seminar leaders selects the final list. The organization also organizes events such as the Cologne Forum for Journalism Criticism.

• Founded in Siegen by media scholars and journalists.

• Nominated for the Grimme Online Award.

• Horst Pöttker coordinates the project at the Institute for Journalism in Dortmund.

• Hektor Haarkötter becomes managing director.

• Cooperation with Deutschlandfunk and DJV's Journalist begins.

• Filiz Kalmuk appointed managing director.

• First International Top Five published with Project Censored.

Media-critical NGO highlighting underreported issues in German mass media.

• Top 10 neglected news stories (annual list)

  Annual ranking of underreported news topics selected by jury.

• International Top Five

  Joint project with Project Censored since 2023.

1. 1Die Initiative Nachrichtenaufklärung e.V. -derblindefleck.de
2. 2Über Uns -derblindefleck.de
3. 3Initiative Nachrichtenaufklärungde.wikipedia.org
4. 4Initiative Nachrichtenaufklärungwikidata.org