What does the future of journalism look like? What are the trends and challenges of the profession? Should we accept the changes and adapt to new technologies, or not? Why is it important to know the legislation and ethics of journalism? These are the issues that Cristina Lupu, Program Coordinator at the Independent Journalism Center from Romania, has touched during a meeting with SAJ students and graduates, organized by the School.

First, Cristina was interested to find out why young people from Moldova are choosing to deal with journalism, what modern instruments they apply in their work and what they think about the prospects of the profession. Then, the discussion focused on the press itself and on the solutions which media managers should find in order to survive in a time when less people thumb through newspapers, listen to the radio or watch TV. "Journalism is a profession in which change is essential, and the only way to stay relevant is to think different. Only that will save the print media, and newspapers have to reinvent themselves," she said.

Under the expert’s guidance, participants of the training have tried to sketch the portrait of media consumers and to understand their preferences today when they are ever more hurried, and how we – the journalists – should adapt to their needs and expectations. "People look for the most accessible information. Video is the tool that will be increasingly used. Therefore, learn to think in images... ," Cristina said.

At the end of the meeting, Cristina Lupu came up with some recommendations and told the young people that, in order to survive in a world where information technologies are in constant evolution, the journalist has to adapt to market requirements, or, "those coming into this profession will have to learn everything – not only to write, but to film, edit, lay out, promote materials on various platforms using multimedia tools, create infographics and many other things." In fact, it is exactly what the School of Advanced Journalism deals with.