Back to Newsgeist

Newsgeist 2026

Dates

Oct. 16–18, 2026

Location

Hamburg, Germany

Venues

Hamburg Media School & Der Spiegel

Two woman talking in front of banner featuring Newsgeist logo and sponsor logos.

Over three days and 48 sessions at Newsgeist 2026, the rooms at Hamburg Media School and Der Spiegel buzzed with ideas, curiosity — and a dash of unease about what lay ahead for news.

From Oct. 16–18, 160 journalists, technologists, business leaders and researchers from around the world tackled the most pressing questions facing journalism and the wider information ecosystem.

As always, the program was built by the people in the room. On the opening night, participants pitched the ideas and questions they wanted to explore, and those pitches became 48 sessions led by the people who proposed them, all held under the Chatham House Rule.

Between sessions, six speakers took the stage for Ignite Talks, delivering fast-paced, five-minute takes on everything from newsroom transformation to creator journalism. The full recap explores the themes that emerged and what they could mean for the year ahead in news.

Read Full Recap

A look inside Newsgeist 2026, from opening-night pitches and packed sessions to the conversations that carried on across Hamburg Media School and Der Spiegel.

  • Individuals sitting in chairs listing to a speaker talk at the front of the room.
  • Two men talking with a banner in the background that reads "newsgeist."
  • Groups of people standing in a front corridor and talking.

Hamburg Media School, 2026 Co-Host

Hamburg Media School logo

Founded in 2003, Hamburg Media School (HMS) is a Hamburg-based institution offering interdisciplinary, practice-oriented education for media managers, journalists and filmmakers.

Operating as a public-private partnership, HMS is backed by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the University of Hamburg, the University of Fine Arts and an HMS Foundation supported by around 60 digital and media companies, giving it strong ties to both academia and industry.

Visit Hamburg Media School

Ignite Talks

Five minutes, 20 slides, auto-advancing every 15 seconds. Watch these speakers share quick, candid takes on the forces reshaping journalism, then explore the full playlist.

Esra Dogramaci

The Fastest Way to Fail at Digital Transformation

Peter Erdelyi

Capital Stacks of Journalism

Emilio Doménech

Creator Journalists | Why the Moment is Now

Dmitry Shishkin

The Next Newsroom is an Action Centre

Selma Stern

Your Worst Alignment Nightmares

Katerina Abramova

Inside Meduza

View All Videos

Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors