Line Vaaben - Inaugural lesson of the Journalism School of Sciences Po

Line Vaaben - Inaugural lesson of the Journalism School of Sciences Po

by Line Vaaben

Humanities, Social Sciences & Thought Media & Information JBCTMedia studiesJBCT4Media studies: journalism
🎙 Line Vaaben 👥 68K 📅 September 28, 2025 ⏱ 61 min 👁 234 📄 expert opinion 🧭 2026-08-15
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

narrative journalismEuropean storytellingexistentialismhuman touchjournalism

Summary

In this inaugural lecture at Sciences Po’s School of Journalism, Line Vaaben, existential editor at Politiken, discusses the European art of storytelling. She begins with a personal anecdote about her first assignment covering an oil spill, which taught her the importance of sensory details and human connection. She defines her role as existential editor, focusing on stories about what it means to be human, and provides examples of her work, including stories about femicide, suicide, and palliative care. Vaaben argues that such stories are not only meaningful but also perform well in terms of audience engagement, citing metrics showing that existential stories at Politiken have higher readership and reading times. She contrasts European storytelling with American models, emphasizing a less dramatic, more existential approach rooted in solidarity and democracy. She traces the roots of storytelling back to Aristotle and Kierkegaard, and references a study on the Agta people showing that storytellers are highly valued in their communities. Vaaben advises young journalists to go out, face the world, and report with all their senses, and she concludes with a Q&A session where she discusses trust and ethics in journalism.

188 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The talk provides valuable insights into the practice of narrative journalism, particularly from a European perspective. Vaaben’s argument that human-centered storytelling is both meaningful and commercially successful is supported by anecdotal evidence and references to metrics from Politiken. She effectively argues that in the age of AI, journalists must differentiate themselves by emphasizing their human qualities. The argumentation is coherent and persuasive, though it relies heavily on personal experience and selected examples rather than systematic research.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

Vaaben demonstrates a good understanding of the theoretical foundations of storytelling, referencing Aristotle and Kierkegaard, and she mentions a specific study on the Agta people. However, she does not provide detailed citations or links to these sources. The title accurately reflects the content, and the talk is well-structured. The speaker’s credibility as a journalist and author adds to the overall reliability, but the lack of verifiable sources limits the scientific rigor.

162 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content: an inaugural lecture on European narrative journalism.

Quality & Reliability

8/10

The speaker is an experienced journalist and author, and the talk is based on personal experience and research, but it is primarily an opinion piece with limited verifiable data.

Chapters

Cited Sources

  • Sciences Po LinkedIn — Official LinkedIn page of Sciences Po, mentioned in the video description.
  • Sciences Po Snapchat — Official Snapchat page of Sciences Po, mentioned in the video description.
  • Sciences Po App on Apple App Store — Link to the Sciences Po app on the Apple App Store, mentioned in the video description.

Concurring Sources

Contribution & Novelties

The talk offers a unique perspective on European narrative journalism, emphasizing existential themes and a human-centered approach. It provides practical examples from the speaker’s career and argues for the value of such journalism in engaging audiences. The speaker also introduces the concept of ’existential editor’ and discusses the importance of leaving a ‘human scent’ in stories to differentiate from AI-generated content.

Pour aller plus loin :

136 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows high scores in quality of information and global reliability, reflecting the speaker's expertise and coherent argumentation. The lower score in technical level indicates that the talk is accessible to a general audience, while the moderate quantity of information suggests a focused but not exhaustive treatment of the topic.

Reliability 7/10