Connecting Futures: Meet the Cohort

At a time when false information travels faster than facts, democratic societies face unprecedented challenges. Disinformation, foreign information manipulation, and rapidly evolving technologies are fundamentally reshaping the information environment and placing new responsibilities on those who inform, engage, and influence the public.
To address these challenges, Connecting Futures: Information Integrity in Europe’s Next Decade brings together twenty journalists, investigative reporters, fact-checkers, social media influencers, and digital content creators from all ten EU enlargement countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine). Together, they represent leading national media outlets, independent newsrooms, public broadcasters, and digital platforms, reaching a combined audience of more than 4.4 million people. The cohort reflects a remarkable diversity of expertise, spanning investigative journalism, media literacy, science communication, civic engagement, and digital storytelling, while sharing a common commitment to strengthening democratic resilience and fostering trustworthy information ecosystems.
Over the coming months, participants will engage in a program that combines strategic foresight, values-based dialogue, and cross-border exchange. Rather than focusing solely on today’s challenges, they will explore how information ecosystems may evolve over the next decade, identify emerging risks and opportunities, and develop alternative scenarios and communication strategies to strengthen information integrity and democratic resilience. Through four online sessions and a study visit to Berlin, the cohort will examine the political, technological, and societal forces shaping Europe’s information landscape in 2036.
Connecting Futures is a 2026 Aspen Global Fund project led by Aspen Germany in cooperation with Aspen Institute Central Europe, Aspen Institute Kyiv, Aspen Institute Romania, Aspen Institute UK, and Aspen Digital. By combining regional expertise, technological insight, and the Aspen tradition of values-based dialogue, the project creates a collaborative space where emerging media and digital leaders can learn from one another, build lasting cross-border networks, and develop innovative approaches to strengthening Europe’s information ecosystem.