News and Events

International Press Institute, and Media Freedom Rapid Response condemn cyber-attack and false copyright claims against BIRN’’s flagship website Balkan Insight.

BIRN Kosovo published the report titled “The Justice System’s Handling Cases with Terrorism and Corruption Charges in 2023”, which is based on the monitoring of the justice system and presents a detailed analysis of how cases of terrorism and corruption are handled by the justice system in Kosovo during 2023.

As climate change and environmental disasters increasingly dominate the concerns of Western Balkan countries, a significant need remains to raise awareness of future sustainable development.

On December 28, 2023 BIRN Kosovo has published a report titled “Conditional Release and Supervision of Persons Convicted of Terrorism” based on its direct monitoring of the advantages and disadvantages of the management of the process of the release of individuals convicted of terrorism.

Aleksandar Djordjevic has worked as a journalist since 2009, mainly covering politics and public finance.

In a joint X Space event, BIRN and Freedom House digital rights research teams reported a worrying a spike in digital rights violations in the region this year, comprising different types of online threats and methods.

The handbook ‘Media Reporting on Persons Missing Due to Conflicts in BiH 1992–1995’ was promoted at the Political Sciences Faculty of Sarajevo University.

BIRN organised four online training sessions to give journalists and journalism students from across the Balkans the most important tips and tools for staying safe in the digital environment.

The Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) database for North Macedonia, with information about 11 television channels, five radio stations, 13 online media outlets and five newspapers, was launched in Skopje on December 14 by the non-governmental organisation Global Media Register, GMR and BIRN Macedonia.

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Montenegro on Friday presented a register of media owners in Montenegro compiled through a regional project of monitoring media ownership done in collaboration with the Global Media Registry, GMR.

On December 14, BIRN held a conference in Kosovo to launch a report, “Victims of Injustice”, which covers the performance of institutions such as the judiciary and the Labour Inspectorate in handling workers’ rights in Kosovo.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina presented a multimedia research into Serbia’s role in the Bosnian war through international tribunal verdicts – with reference to the verdict against former Serbia State Security officials Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic.

Kosovo has not established the necessary mechanisms and legal framework to prevent the concentration of media ownership in the hands of a single business or individual. This finding was determined through research conducted by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Kosovo).

BIRN invites journalists and editors from six Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) to take part in its exclusive one-month regional exchange programme during 2024.

Findings reveal worryingly high level of concentration and a lack of transparency over who owns and controls what.