Author: Aleksandra Vrbica

She has expertise in project management in the media sector and high analytical skills.

Katarina is also a mentor in the Western Balkans Media for Change project. Find out more about this important role in strengthening Bosnia and Herzegovina’s media landscape.

1. What support do you offer media outlets?

Over the years, I was tasked to help journalists in the use and implementation of the ECR tool (training, assistance) as well as in story production. My main goal is to educate and empower journalists to use the ECR tool in their work, to help them understand all the benefits it can offer and to guide them on how to reflect received information from their readers in their stories.

2. What does the mentorship process look like?

At the beginning of each cycle, the first task is to introduce and explain the ECR tool to each media. Beside training, I like to give them simple examples from everyday life, so they can understand the tool, its parts, as well as convenient tricks they can use to make their life easier.

The next phase is the so-called preparation phase, working on detecting topics that are of interest to their community and readership. It usually means that we are focusing on burning issues and problems in their local environment and trying to foresee what they could do to change the current situation with information received through ECR.

Next, a questionnaire is developed, making sure that the potential answers can be used for further development of the story. One more important step is helping the media to process the received data; sometimes they receive just a few answers but once we faced over 1,500 received answers, which was quite a challenge to operate with.

After organising the received data, the next phase is what I call the “digging phase,” where journalists proceed with obtaining information from institutions, archives and literature, but also from experts and, if needed, more details from the people who shared their stories through ECR, reaching for more details. After receiving a draft of a story, my task is to read it and give possible guidelines on how to improve it, check if anything is missing, if there is equal representation of both genders, etc.

3. What have been the biggest successes achieved through this type of mentorship?

Besides the concrete results that several media managed to achieve with their stories, it is very important to emphasize that this project has managed to empower journalist to strive for more and to show them that their job can change communities and resolve problems. I recall that many smaller, locally based newsrooms, with just a few people involved in production, were quite skeptical at the beginning that they could change anything. But over time and practice, we saw the impact of their stories, the positive reactions from the people and local-based authorities who actually heard them, and, more importantly, the heard people who raised their voices using their platforms i.e. the media. There are many newsrooms that continue to use the ECR after finalizing the grant. I think this is the best indicator of how one tool, which has been developed to serve journalists, can completely change their perceptions and approach to work.

4. What reactions did you receive from the media outlets supported through this process?

Reactions were different through different phases – there was frustration with challenges in receiving information from official institutions, there was happiness to see the impact, and excitement when readers shared their stories with the potential to grow into something bigger. It is never boring, since each phase of this journey comes with its challenges but also with lots of satisfaction, after seeing the final result.

The Western Balkans Media for Change project is funded by the UK government and implemented by the British Council in partnership with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Thomson Foundation and The International NGO Training and Research Centre, INTRAC.

On July 18 and 19, over 40 journalists participated in this engaging online training, a key component of the Western Balkans Media for Change project’s learning circles.

Representing media outlets from Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, the journalists honed skills crucial for modern newsrooms. This training empowered them to launch their own podcasts and foster discussions on sensitive and impactful topics.

The training was led by Wojciech Oleksiak, Katz Laszlo and Zeljko Crnjakovic. Laszlo, a producer and reporter for The Europeans, weekly independent podcast focusing on the affairs over the continent, specializes in narrative podcasting, focusing on climate change and the intersection of politics and personal lives from her base in Amsterdam.

Oleksiak, a Warsaw-based producer, sound designer and reporter for The Europeans, created the English-language podcasts Stories From The Eastern West and The Final Curtain. He brought expertise in human rights issues and sound design for narrative episodes.

Crnjakovic, an internet entrepreneur and founder of Solutium, a digital audio and video production agency, is a seasoned podcast author and producer who coordinates the Inspirahub coworking centre and contributes his knowledge to the Thomson Foundation.

Day one focused on launching a podcast. Topics included podcast launchpads, recording and narration techniques, crafting engaging audio stories, and practical steps to bring podcast ideas to life. Laszlo presented narrative techniques for addressing gender-sensitive and underreported topics.

The second day covered the podcasting toolbox, guiding participants from concept to global audience. It explored different podcast formats, technical essentials for starting a podcast, tools for seamless online recording, postproduction tips and strategies for distribution and promotion.

Albina Vickovic, Director for Development and Innovation at RTV Slon, showcased their successful podcasts Tuzla Calling and Taboo Show. She shared insights on their inception, the ideas and topics they cover, and monetization possibilities.

The training highlighted the importance of careful planning in podcast production, topic and guest selection, and ensuring audience engagement. The use of the Engaged Citizens Reporting tool, developed by BIRN through the Media for All project, was emphasized as giving added value, bringing citizen voices into podcasts. The potential of podcasts as a medium for covering gender-sensitive topics and under-represented communities was also discussed.

The Western Balkans Media for Change project, funded by the UK government and implemented by the British Council in partnership with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Thomson Foundation, and The International NGO Training and Research Centre (INTRAC), supports the work of media outlets and individual journalists across the Western Balkans.

Empowering Journalism in the Digital Age

Awarded journalists will have a unique opportunity to collaborate closely with BIRN editors and our specialized digital rights team. As part of the fellowship, you will gain access to BIRN’s comprehensive monitoring database along with other valuable resources to support your investigative work. This collaboration is designed to equip you with the tools and knowledge necessary to delve deep into digital rights issues and produce impactful journalism. Ultimately, your written content, upon editors’ approval, will be showcased as a long-form investigative piece on one of the BIRN channels – including but not limited to Balkan Insight, BIRD and local BIRN websites – offering a platform for amplifying your work with the aim of informing and engaging a wide audience.

Fellowship Overview

In an era where digital rights and freedoms are under increasing threat, the need for vigilant, informed and courageous journalism has never been more crucial. From the misuse of algorithms and the spread of hate speech to breaches of privacy and unchecked surveillance, digital spaces are becoming battlegrounds for rights and freedoms. The Digital Rights and Freedoms Project Fellowship aims to equip journalists with the financial support, mentoring and training they need to navigate and report on these complex issues, fostering an informed public discourse.

What We Offer

• Grants of 1,000 euros for individual journalists or collaborative teams, intended to support six months of research focused on in-depth storytelling related to digital rights and freedoms.
• On-the-job mentoring from BIRN editors and our Digital Rights Support Team, plus a two-day online training session to hone your investigative skills.
• Networking opportunities with like-minded journalists and tech researchers across the region, building a network of professionals dedicated to safeguarding digital rights.

Who Can Apply?

• Professional journalists and tech researchers, both individuals and teams, from media outlets from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.
• Previous participants in BIRN trainings are especially encouraged to apply.
• We welcome cross-border team applications, to foster regional collaboration.

Application Process

To apply for the Digital Rights and Freedoms Project Fellowship, please use this Google Form to submit your application. Ensure you include:

• A detailed proposal outlining your intended story or investigation, focusing on its relevance, originality and potential impact.
• Your professional CV, with an emphasis on your past work in journalism or digital rights research.
• A declaration form, affirming the authenticity of the information provided and your commitment to the project’s ethical standards.

Submission Deadline: August 6, 2024

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

• Relevance and significance of the proposed story
• Feasibility and originality
• Applicant’s professional qualifications and experience

A committee established by BIRN’s editorial team and an external professional will review the proposals.

Contact Us

For more information, please contact [email protected].

Join us in our mission to defend digital rights and freedoms. Apply now for the Digital Rights and Freedoms Project Fellowship 2024!

1. What type of support do you offer media outlets?

As a mentor, I provide support in the development of capacities, skills, sustainability, innovation in creating more interesting, high-quality and gender-sensitive content, for the media that are part of the Western Balkans Media for Change. This mentorship is in line with the project`s overall aim, to support independent media and journalists. I work with the media in the selection of topics, ensuring that they are of importance to minorities, women, the elderly, people with disabilities, or youth.

In my role as mentor, I guide media outlets to use Engaged Citizens Reporting (ECR), to reach a larger and different target audience. Sometimes, I also advise how they can analyse data collected for their stories. I also share editorial suggestions with them on how to further improve their texts or articles, as well as contacts of interlocutors and other colleagues with whom I can collaborate on joint domestic projects or regional stories.

Through our monthly meetings, I discover other challenges they face and propose solutions based on similar experiences I had in my work as a journalist and editor. My support does not interfere with their editorial work. My role is advisory and focused on supporting the media in coming up with solutions, and taking a more inclusive approach, aiming to positively influence changes in our society.

2. What does the mentorship process look like?

The process begins with the media and the mentor getting to know each other, which usually takes time. You have to understand the media outlet, the way their newsroom breathes, their needs, capacities, and capabilities and get the best out of them, providing them with experiential and best practices based on your personal experience. It is really important that the mentored newsrooms accept me as a part of their team. I am an outsider with whom they share ideas, thoughts, but also difficulties and challenges.

Monthly meetings are mandatory, but with members often showing a desire for greater development, these meetings turn into more frequent gatherings, invitations, exchanges of materials, mutual compliments, and, I can safely say, friendship.

Through being a mentor, I am also learning a lot. One of the most important lessons is to have a greater understanding of others, which I believe I now possess to a greater extent. Mentoring is also a trust, a mutual development, networking, sharing, learning to listen and helping someone in choosing and achieving goals, and then sharing in the happiness brought by the results of work.

3. What were the biggest successes achieved through this type of mentorship?

The biggest success for me is the impact of the stories we came up with together. For example, when there is a reaction from the authorities or institutions after an irregularity has been discovered, when laws are changed after writing in the media where I was a mentor and others. Then, success is seeing the increasing confidence of the newsrooms where you are a mentor, more professional work, selection of topics and interlocutors with special empathy towards marginalized groups, and improved content. Success is seeing them search for new goals themselves, striving for them, and achieving them.

4. What reactions have you received from the media outlets supported through this process?

The reactions of the media with whom I have collaborated so far have been really positive. Most of them have focused on the support provided by the project in their work and development, as well as financial sustainability. I am happy to see reactions that I was for them during the process – and that my advice helped and improved their ideas.

The Western Balkans Media for Change project is funded by the UK government and implemented by the British Council in partnership with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Thomson Foundation and The International NGO Training and Research Centre, INTRAC.