The Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) has rejected additional funding for the continuation of the Evangelical School of Journalism in Berlin. The board of directors had dealt with a new concept for the journalism school, said the council member responsible for finances Andreas Barner on Monday before the digital advisory synod of the EKD. There is “no possibility” to provide the community work of Evangelical Journalism (GEP) with additional funds for its realization.
The GEP is responsible for the school. The supervisory board of the joint venture had been informed about the decision of the council and is now examining what options there are within the budget to continue training and further education in journalism, said Barner. School operations at the Protestant School of Journalism are currently suspended.
The GEP, which also includes the central editorial office of the Evangelical Press Service (epd) and the magazine chrismon must reduce annual costs by EUR 1.9 million by 2024 as part of a restructuring process. Against this background, the future of the school had been called into question. The GEP is the central media facility of the EKD, its regional churches and works as well as the Protestant free churches.