As a regional publisher — and like many local employers — we face several challenges shared due to the rapid pace of technology advancements.

In an age dominated by social media and fake news, it’s tough to get Gen Z interested in reliable, independent news from local sources. Employers are expressing growing concerns that young people lack awareness of current events, are uninformed in customer interactions, and show little interest in local news.

Let’s be honest — regional newspapers aren’t usually their go-to for information. But fact-based reporting and local news are essential for young professionals.

In an era marked by threats to democracy and rising radicalisation, including at the regional level, we are committed to fulfilling our mission of providing non-partisan, fact-based reporting and promoting democratic values among the next generation. They will later play a crucial role in shaping democracy and actively contribute to the development of our society.

Recognising this, we decided to start a project with Bremen’s largest employer, which has decided to cover the cost of digital subscriptions for over 700 apprentices.

Facing the challenges

As a member of the regional newspaper association ZVVB and a regional publisher, we have launched a media project in collaboration with the federal state of Bremen. This initiative offers more than 700 young professionals a free digital subscription to their preferred daily newspaper for one year, providing unrestricted access to all digital content.

Participants can choose from the following newspapers with dedicated Bremen coverage: Weser-Kurier (Bremen), Nordsee-Zeitung (Bremerhaven), and taz.

The project is funded by the federal state of Bremen, which recognises the value in strengthening media literacy among its junior staff. Trainees, including administrative personnel, police officers, firefighters, educators, and IT specialists, learn to critically evaluate news, verify sources, and develop informed opinions. We also offer regular online quizzes to help reinforce their learning.

We support the project by offering a 50% discount on digital subscriptions.

Building on an established project

Our idea was built on an established project: For over 10 years, we have successfully operated the “azubi WK” project, which has involved more than 30 companies and over 1,000 trainees from Bremen and the surrounding region.

The project’s goal is to provide trainees with free access to the Weser-Kurier, offering them a reliable and independent news source. Participating companies cover the subscription costs, thereby fostering media literacy and critical thinking skills among their future workforce.

Initial successes

We successfully secured funding for the project from the Bremen state government. The average revenue per subscription amounts to approximately €20 per month.

Communication with the new young professionals began in December 2024, and within the first weeks, more than 60 trainees had already signed up for the media project.

To achieve long-term success, our focus is on attracting new participants through targeted outreach efforts such as personalised e-mail campaigns for apprentices. We aim to engage the full pool of approximately 700 potential participants and to maintain ongoing cooperation with the federal state of Bremen in the coming years.

Additionally, we plan to acquire new partner companies by running targeted advertising campaigns in our media products.

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