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Minority Media Training and Reporting Project

07 11 2006  The Minority Media Training and Reporting Project aims to improve standards of journalism in areas of Serbia with substantial minority populations and to improve understanding of minority issues among the mainstream population, thereby challenging the current mood of suspicion and misunderstanding.

Our long-term aim is to advance Serbia’s political, social and economic transition through provision of information, training and public dialogue.

The prevailing political climate in Serbia and unresolved issues of its borders continue to frustrate integration of estranged minority ethnic groups and other marginalized segments of society.

Media need to play a pivotal role in creating dispassionate discourse to expose human rights and democratisation problems. But they are instead burdened by sensationalistic, tabloid-style journalism, lack of professional and ethical standards and fierce competition for advertising revenue, prejudices and politicisation. Both minority and majority ethnic communities in marginalised areas of the country, and their issues are, therefore, often overlooked by the mainstream media. Local journalists and media outlets lack knowledge about human rights reporting, the skills and abilities needed to properly communicate their message to a broader audience.

Minority Training and Reporting Project seeks to rectify this situation by developing lasting networks of reporters and analysts able and willing to pursue and report on these sensitive topics professionally.

BIRN Serbia, with the support of the British Embassy in Belgrade and US National Endowment for Democracy, is, over a period of three years, offering the primary level journalism course, followed by advanced level training and investigative courses, to a selection of minority journalists from Vojvodina, eastern Serbia, northern Kosovo, Sandzak, southern Serbia, Montenegro and south-eastern Serbia.

Combining media theory with extensive practical reporting experience, throughout the training programme each journalist produces a series of articles dealing with the issues in their own regions. Their work is published on the BIRN website and BIRN’s on line publication Balkan Insight; and is offered free of charge for dissemination and
republication in local and international media.

BIRN Serbia is also organizing public debates that are tackling some of the key issues that minorities in Serbia are facing, inviting key public figures, minorities representatives and experts to participate. In this way we are raising interest of citizens and relevant institutions and helping them to get the insight in these topics.

Course graduates are invited to join the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, with a long-term aim to create investigative teams throughout Serbia that will be linked to the wider BIRN network in the Balkans. They will work together on issues common to many Balkan states such as war crimes, EU integration, democratic reforms, corruption and other issues.