Media Lab Bayern: From Start-ups to New Perspectives

Seeing the media world from the inside through our field trips really opened my eyes and gave me a fresh take on what journalism is today.

The media landscape is now adapting to the digital age, full of startups, creative labs, and tech teams building new tools and platforms. Media Lab Bayern has supported and funded initiatives in media for over 120 startups since 2015, with a creative team of around 20 people. They have program and marketing teams to not only communicate what they do, but also to show how they support media. Impressively, 87% of these start-ups are still active, which is much higher than average. 31% of the start-ups are founded by women, and every second team includes a woman, which proves that diversity is not just an ideal but a real strength in the innovation space.

One start-up that stood out to me was So Done, which uses AI to detect illegal hate speech in social media comments. As we all know, this is a major issue in today’s digital world, and So Done offers a smart solution. I found this idea interesting as not only helps platforms respond faster but also makes online spaces safer and more respectful. In a digital world, that really matters.

We also got to come up with our own media idea. My group decided to create an app to make news more interesting and easier for young people to follow. The app shows the most important stories of the day in a simple, easy-to-read way, since younger people often prefer quick updates and have shorter attention spans.

It also has a comment section so users can share their opinions, and all the articles are verified to help stop fake news and make sure the info is reliable. We added notifications and updates to keep users in the loop, and used clear, simple language so the news is easier to understand.

This idea is important because, from my many field trips and first-hand experiences, I noticed a common theme, which is that young people are not engaging with newspapers. To keep the future of news alive, we need to make journalism more accessible and appealing to younger audiences. At the same time, with AI on the rise, it’s just as important to ensure that the news they consume is trustworthy and verified, and making sure that every voice is heard.

Studying in Munich and visiting real newsrooms like TZ and Süddeutsche Zeitung has taught me a lot about how media works today. I saw how news is made, how quickly it can change, and how important it is to tell stories that people can trust.

I’ve learned that journalism is no longer just about newspapers, but it’s also about adapting to social media, AI, and changing reader habits. It was interesting to see how newspapers are experimenting with apps and games to stay relevant, especially for younger audiences.

Overall, this experience has taught me so much more than I ever expected, and I’m very grateful to have had the chance to learn something new, and have found an interest in Munich’s media landscape.