I am a London-trained journalist with 26 years of professional journalism experience, from agency news and war reporting to magazine publishing and independent investigation. For two decades, I led Germany's largest English-language magazine as Editor-in-Chief. Today, I teach journalism and critical media and I coordinate a transitional investigation into the European media and Gaza. Check my portfolio here.

News, editing, investigation

My journalism journey took off at London's City University and landed in Russia where I began my career as a staffer for AFP News Agency. It was in Moscow that I truly cut my teeth, learning the ropes of news-making and reporting. My commitment to the ground led me to spend a significant amount of time investigating pieces for the English press, including the Moscow Times. In 2000, I embarked on a clandestine trip, war reporting into Chechnya. The Russian government had banned journalists from accessing the small embattled republic, following allegations of war crimes committed by Russian troops. In February, just after the siege of Grozny, I sneaked and reported from the ground, hiding among OMON special forces. My articles and broadcasts for ZDF and France 2 and the public Danish TV2, led to my being blacklisted by Putin’s regime as an “enemy of the state” and expulsed from the country.

London-Moscow: from news to undercover war reporting, and my expulsion from Russia

In 2002, I co-founded Exberliner Berlin's iconic English-language magazine for reportage, culture, and politics. Over two decades as Editor-in-Chief, I enforced a “no bullshit” standard. Exberliner earned accolades, including being named “Europe’s best Expat magazine” by The Guardian – a nod to our dedication to and reputation for original reportage-based features, deep-dive interviews, and uncompromising reporting. Editorial freedom slowly ended when a local media group took over in 2021, shifting the focus from bold independent journalism to lifestyle content. By 2023, my time with Exberliner had come to an end.

I discovered teaching as a political sociologist on a Sorbonne PhD fellowship in Moscow, lecturing in Politics and Sociology at two Moscow universities (MGU/MGIMO) in 1995-96, and again while coaching, briefing, and editing staff and journalists — an essential and most rewarding part of my job as Editor-in-Chief for 21 years. Today, my Journalism workshops and masterclasses focus on training aspiring writers and other media professionals in solid reporting practices. I'm also a co-founder of the Berlin Journalism Academy, a collective of international journalists committed to share and spread a deeper understanding of media and bold critical practices conducive to enlightened professionalism.

NADJA VANCAUWENBERGHE

Politics and education: panels, events and a journalism school

Exberliner magazine: on the independent publishing front

Cross-border investigation

Since 2025, I've been coordinating a cross-border collaborative investigation : "The European media and Gaza: anatomy of a disputed coverage. The case of Germany, France and Italy. A collaborative transborder Investigation of the Western media at grips with Israel’s war in Gaza since Oct 7 2023: data and analysis." Bringing together journalists, data experts and researchers, our investigation aims to give a dispassionate and fair assessment of how mainstream media outlets of three big EU countries have (mis)informed their audiences about Israel’s war in Gaza, and to explore the reason why.

Since 2023, I've been putting my journalism and academic backgrounds to new use. I curate and moderate film evenings, Q&As and political panels, teach international students, and mentor young journalists.