With social media, citizens obtained access to alternative flows and sources of news and information – and also the option of becoming contributors to this flow. Furthermore, social media platforms allow for direct dialogue with sources and news providers. As professional providers of news and information, journalists are challenged to contribute to raising the quality of the news, information and stories on social media. Dialogue is a key concept in both traditional journalism and in the process of identifying and concluding on options of solutions.

Constructive journalism is an emerging and growing trend in journalism based on traditional critical and investigative journalism and engaging citizens in finding solutions to problems in society. To unfold these potentials, journalism must engage on social media as journalists do in general. Dialogue as a key modality of social media thus calls for developing dialogue based journalism both as a tool to enhance the connection between journalism and citizens in general and to enhance the solution oriented components in constructive journalism.

DIALOGUE is a project by Danmarks Medie- og Journalisthøjskole (DMJX) in Aarhus (Denmark), Stichting Christelijke Hogeschool Windesheim in Zwolle (Netherlands) and Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart (Germany).