Media outlets in European countries like Hungary are being encouraged to take advantage of the dismantling of state capture of media and educational institutions to attract younger audiences by partnering with universities.
That was one of the key messages discussed at a dedicated training event for Hungarian LIMENet grantees during the Center for Sustainable Media’s launch of their new Capital Stacks of Journalism Project on September 30.
The message was re-enforced during a presentation and Q&A session by Belgian LIMENet grantee Apache’s editorial coordinator Kasper Nollet, who described the strategy behind building relationships with universities: working directly with students to improve content leads to an increase in youth engagement.
Nollet shared his experience from Apache’s LIMENet project “University Challenge” which aims to bring investigative journalism “closer” to younger and more diverse audiences.
By choosing topics that align with youth audiences, providing content on popular social media platforms, and establishing a 6-month paid traineeship for young journalists, Apache has increased youth audiences and subscribers.
When the project started in March 2026, Apache’s Instagram account had 13,000 followers. Reach has now doubled to 25,500. The media outlet also introduced TikTok content for the first time, gaining 2,000 followers. Each video attracts hundreds of thousands of views.
With a small team of two screenwriters and two editors, complex topics from investigative reports are transformed into attractive, plain and informative content that appeals to youth. Humour also plays a role in some of the content.
Nollet shared the key to Apache’s success: targeting different groups with different formats, topics and channels, and engaging directly with students. The project collaborates with university courses and student organisations, facilitating discussions and events.
“The numbers from Apache say it all,” said Media Diversity Institute Global Project Manager, Josh LaPorte who participated in the session. “The outlet’s increase in memberships, dramatic rise in social media followers and video views is impressive in any local media metrics context, but the collaboration with universities to find those elusive youth audiences is especially relevant in a post-Orban Hungary.”
LIMENet empowers local and independent media outlets by providing them with the support and necessary skills and resources to produce quality reporting while remaining economically viable. The aim is to foster collaboration and improve the resilience of local media in the face of challenges such as technological disruption and disinformation.
