Conferences 2025-2026

2025-2026

• May 18, 2026, Study day : Journalism and the environment

  

  At the Aix-Marseille School of Journalism and Communication, an event focusing on the environment as a key issue for newsrooms and media organisations, organised by Pauline Amiel and Erika Riberi, brought together researchers, journalists and media professionals to address a common question: how can we cover environmental issues in a way that reflects the profound changes they are already bringing about in our societies?
  The discussions highlighted a convergence of views.
  For Jean-Marie Leforestier, director of La Presse Libre, journalist and former editor-in-chief of Marsactu, the environment can no longer be considered a specialist section: “The ideal newsroom is perhaps one without an ‘environment’ desk, because the subject permeates everything. ”
  This shift is also observed by Jules Dilé-Toustou, teacher-researcher, whose research into media coverage of the environment between 1994 and 2025 shows a gradual transition from disaster-focused reporting to a more systemic and in-depth approach to the issues.
   

  Drawing on the work of the Media Observatory on Ecology, Veronika Zagyi, teacher-researcher, points out that, despite progress, environmental topics still account for a minority of media content, thereby highlighting the importance of training all journalists in these issues.
  David Goldie’s presentation on Fox News also demonstrated how climate change can become a subject of ideological and emotional polarisation, at the risk of obscuring the scientific debate behind cultural and political divisions.
  The discussions finally turned to the key issue of editorial, financial and governance transparency. Some media outlets, such as La Croix, choose to explain to their readers the structure of their resources and their financial balance. Others, such as Le Monde, highlight measures designed to preserve editorial independence from shareholders.
  For Fabienne Marquet, founder of Équilibre Médias, a consulting firm specialising in corporate strategy, with nearly forty years’ experience in the media, the business model remains a fundamental element: a responsible media organisation is based on editorial rigour, coherent governance and a business model aligned with the values it upholds. Environmental issues now cut across all media organisations and also call into question their ability to adapt to changes and pressures on resources.

• April 10, 2026, Meeting with Constantin Sigov and Sergiy Kvit: Ukraine, war and intellectual resistance

  

  On April 10, EJCAM welcomed two major figures in Ukrainian intellectual life as part of the Effets réels festival: French-Ukrainian philosopher and publisher Constantin Sigov and Sergiy Kvit, President of Kiev's Mohyla Academy University and former Ukrainian Minister of Education.

  Eric Berton, President of Aix-Marseille University, opened the meeting with students from the Journalism and International Issues master's program, emphasizing the crucial role of journalists and the need to defend press and academic freedom. He recalled the "Safe place for science" initiative supported by amU, designed to preserve scientific knowledge and guarantee freedom of research, even in times of crisis.

  The word resistance resonated throughout the discussions.

  In his book Musiques en résistance, Constantin Sigov traces the careers of composers Arvo Pärt and Valentin Silvestrov, analyzing their relationship with power and creative freedom. For him, in the face of war, music and literature are not anecdotal refuges: they have real effects, and they remain immortal.

  Sergiy Kvit embodies an institutional resistance. Despite the bombs, Ukraine continues to educate its young people - in subways and shelters transformed into classrooms, through hybrid devices, by pursuing its university reforms. Education, he says, is a social project in its own right, and freedom of expression a line that must never be abandoned. His work provides a valuable framework for understanding the links between information, power and truth in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

  A valuable encounter that invites us to reflect on what it means to resist - through words, knowledge and culture - at a time of profound global upheaval.

  The Effets réels festival is organized by the Association Effets Réels, in partnership with the Italian Cultural Institute, the Académie d'Aix and Aix Marseille Université.

• April 08, 2026, Meeting with Jean-Pierre Besnard, digital innovation pioneer at Ouest-France

  

  On April 08, we were delighted to welcome Jean-Pierre Besnard, a specialist in digital innovation within the Ouest-France group. Heading up OFF7, the group's in-house gas pedal, he supports the digital transformation of one of France's leading press groups by putting Ouest-France in touch with technology startups. Over 50 start-ups have been supported to date, focusing on media, data and artificial intelligence.

  In his talk, Jean-Pierre Besnard presented a number of concrete projects explored by the group: dual-camera video capture via smartphone, the use of AI on editorial prompts, and the distribution of information via connected lenses.

  His presentation also highlighted three key concepts that are reshaping the media landscape. Firstly, liquid information, content with no fixed format that can be adapted to any medium and any use, as opposed to the "solid" information of the paper newspaper or the traditional TV report.

  Then there's the digital tattoo, a tool for authenticating content in the face of rising misinformation. And finally, the agentic era, that pivotal moment when AI agents could collect, reformat, personalize and disseminate information almost autonomously - raising fundamental questions for the future of journalism.

  A rich and stimulating intervention, which invites us to rethink in depth the models for producing and distributing information.

• March 13, 2026, Conference: Beyond borders with Julien Rocheblave

  

  On Friday 13th, EJCAM welcomed communicator, photographer and content creator Julien Rocheblave for a conference tracing his atypical international career path.

  Initially studying law, Julien discovered the world of communications agencies and took a decisive turn: with a degree in communications, advertising creation and digital marketing, he forged his photographic eye during a seminal year in San Francisco, before joining Havas Play for three and a half years. There, he successively held the positions of Digital & Social Media Manager, Digital Project Manager and Social Creative, working for clients such as Orange, Paris 2024 and OPPO, and establishing himself as an in-house TikTok expert. In 2024, he joined Sleeq, a Paris-based creative agency, as Senior Project Manager.

  At the same time, he became a Fujifilm Europe brand ambassador in May 2023, taking part in national and international photo campaigns. Since late 2024, he has worked freelance as a Photographer, Videographer and Social Media Consultant, combining art direction, visual storytelling and content strategy. In 2026, he embarked on an ambitious new project: 36 Clicks of Mount Fuji, a documentary and photo book.
  An inspiring trajectory, at the crossroads of digital communication, visual creativity and image.

  At the same time, he has been a Fujifilm Europe brand ambassador since May 2023, taking part in national and international photo campaigns. Since late 2024, he has worked as a freelance Photographer, Videographer and Social Media Consultant, combining art direction, visual storytelling and content strategy. In 2026, he embarked on an ambitious new project: 36 Clicks of Mount Fuji, a documentary and photo book.
  An inspiring trajectory, at the crossroads of digital communication, visual creativity and image.

• February 05, 2026, Meeting with Oksana Leuta, fixer for France 24, Arte and BFM TV

  

  From theater stage to combat zone: meet Oksana Leuta, fixer for France 24, Arte and BFM TV.

  On Thursday February 5, EJCAM Aix-Marseille welcomed a speaker unlike any other. Oksana Leuta is not a journalist by training. She used to be an actress. But when war broke out in Ukraine, she left everything behind to return to Kiev.
  Multilingual (Ukrainian, Russian, French, English), she has become the indispensable intermediary for major international news organizations: access to hospitals, coordination in the field, simultaneous translation and management of local contacts.
  A role known as fixer - and rarely mentioned in the credits.

  What she shared with the students went far beyond the technical. She evoked the ethical dilemmas of the field: that day when a journalist insisted on filming an area she deemed too risky. Between editorial pressure and the reality of danger, the fixer bears a responsibility.
  She also spoke of the life that goes on, despite everything - adopting a cat in the midst of war, finding ordinary gestures to keep going. And of the hope that this conflict will come to an end.

  The students were able to talk freely with her. Questions about the job, about limits, about what war does to those who cover it up close.

  This meeting was organized in partnership with the We Are Ukraine association (Aix-en-Provence).

• January 29, 2026, Biodiversity Lab with Reporters d'Espoirs

  

  As part of its partnership with Reporters d'Espoirs, EJCAM is hosting an afternoon of training dedicated to science and the environment. A unique opportunity for up-and-coming journalists to enhance their skills in these highly topical areas.

  Part 1 - Scientific insight

  Pierre-Henri Villard, lecturer at Aix-Marseille University and toxicologist at the Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d'Écologie marine et continentale (IMBE), will introduce the key concepts required to tackle these subjects with rigor:

  • Biodiversity: definitions and issues
  • The "One Health" concept: the links between human, animal and environmental health
  • Focus on endocrine disruptors

  Second part - Business expertise

  • Cyrille Frank, consultant, trainer and editorial director of Groupe Influencia, will lead a discussion on the practice of journalism:

  • Case studies
  • Collective reflection
  • How to make these subjects our own in tomorrow's journalism

  A not-to-be-missed event for all those wishing to treat environmental and scientific issues with expertise and discernment.

• January 23, 2026, Meeting with Pierre Petillaut, Managing Director of the Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale (Apig)

  

  EJCAM is delighted to welcome Pierre Petillaut, on January 23, for a conference on press business models and the challenges facing the sector in the age of artificial intelligence.
  Since 2020, Pierre Petillaut has been Managing Director of the Alliance de la Presse d'Information Générale, which brings together over 300 member titles. With over 12 years' experience at Orange, he notably held the positions of Deputy Director of Public Affairs (2015-2020), where he defended the Group's interests on digital and telecoms issues, and Chief of Staff to the Deputy CEO (2011-2015), coordinating divisions representing over 3,100 employees. Between 2007 and 2011, he was also in charge of regulations and institutional relations for Orange's Content Division. Prior to this, Pierre Petillaut worked at the Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel (2005-2007), where he was in charge of economics and competition.

  Conference program
  Pierre Petillaut will introduce students to the economic model of the general-information press: sources of revenue (advertising, circulation), origins of traffic, weight of public subsidies and diversity of titles.
  Above all, he will address the major challenges facing the sector today:
  - Neighboring rights and recent lawsuits against GAFAM
  - Complex relations with artificial intelligence players
  - Integrating environmental issues into the sector
  - The issue of trust in the media and the rise of misinformation
  A unique opportunity to understand the current challenges facing the news media through the eyes of an industry expert.

• December 2, 2025, Conference: Immersion in police-justice journalism

  

  On December 2, students in the Master of Journalism program met with two key players in the world of law enforcement:
  - Nicolas Bessone, Marseille public prosecutor
  - Jérôme Martin, interdepartmental director of the Var national police force.

  This radio session was entirely dedicated to the journalistic treatment of police-justice cases: how the institutions work, specific codes and vocabulary, relations with the media, and the challenges of covering police and judicial news.
  Christelle Marques, journalist and teacher at EJCAM, also offered a practical workshop on writing police-justice reports, with concrete examples and exercises.

  Immersive training to master the specificities of police-justice journalism.
  

• November 27, 2025, Conference: Is History Useful for Studying Digital Media Today?

  

  As part of its series of international meetings, EJCAM welcomed Professor Gabriele Balbi, Full Professor of Media Science at the Institute of Media and Journalism (IMeG), Faculty of Communication, Culture and Society, USI - Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland).

  The lecture was entitled: Is History Useful for Studying Digital Media Today?

  Professor Balbi has proposed a historical analysis of the evolution of digital media, and will show how this perspective provides a better understanding of current issues in media environments.

  Gabriele Balbi holds a B.A. and an M.A. in Communication Sciences from the University of Turin (2002, 2004), as well as a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Social History of Communication (USI, 2008), and is an international reference in the media field. He has been a lecturer or visiting professor at many prestigious universities, including Harvard, Maastricht, Columbia, Westminster, Oxford, Northumbria, Perugia, Augsburg, Concordia and Bologna.

• November 20, 2025, Conference: Does Trump's America hate the media and journalists?

  

  Author of "Cette Amérique qui nous déteste" (Ed. Nevicata, 2025), just published for the first anniversary of Donald Trump's second election, Richard Werly has experienced, on the ground, throughout his reporting in the United States, the detestation of the MAGA camp for the media, information and journalists. Is it real? Where are the islands of media resistance? What does the MAGA media universe look like?

  And, above all, is what's happening in the USA a harbinger of European media turmoil?

  Richard Werly is an international editorial writer for the Swiss media outlet Blick, based in Paris. He covers French and European news for the leading Swiss daily.

  He is the author of several books. The last three: "La France contre elle-même" (Ed. Grasset); "Le bal des Illusions - Ce que la France croit, ce que le monde voit" (Ed. Grasset - co-written with François d'Alançon) and "Cette Amérique qui nous déteste" (Ed. Nevicata). In the past, he has been based in Bangkok, Tokyo, Brussels and Geneva.

  Richard is a regular guest on LCI, France 24, France Info TV, LCP, Public Sénat, BFM and RTL.
  He produces the weekly newsletter Republic and the podcast Helvetix Café.

• October 16, 2025, "Working in Media" conference with Emeline Nsingi Nkosi

  

  As part of the International Master's program, under the supervision of David Goldie, we welcomed BBC presenter and producer Emeline Nsingi Nkosi for a lecture entitled "Working in Media".
  In front of our students, she shared her rich and international career path, at the crossroads of English- and French-speaking media.

  A career spanning three continents

  Of French-Congolese origin, Emeline grew up in the UK before moving to West Africa in 2016. A freelance presenter, producer and actress, she is best known for her BBC World Service reports and BBC Travel Show presentations. Before joining the BBC, she worked as a graphic designer, then as a presenter and producer at GHOne TV in Ghana, where she created and hosted two seasons of The Core.

  On the silver screen, she has appeared in several French and English-language productions and was named Best Supporting Actress at the Ghana Movie Awards. Today, split between Senegal and the UK, she works with media such as BBC Sports Afrique, CNBC and CANAL+ Group.

  A "public speaking" workshop

  Ahead of the conference, Emeline also led a workshop dedicated to public speaking, giving students in the International Master's program concrete tools for expressing themselves with ease and confidence in front of an audience.