Aleksandra Vrbica, Author at BIRN

Handbook on Reporting on Missing Persons in Bosnia Introduced

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

Standards on reporting on missing persons, which have been established in Bosnia and Herzegovina, may be applied worldwide, said participants in the promotion of “Media Reporting on Persons Missing Due to Conflicts in BiH 1992–1995” Handbook held at the Faculty of Political Sciences of Sarajevo University.

The Handbook on reporting on persons who went missing during the 1992-5 war is a result of cooperation between the International Committee of the Red Cross, ICRC, the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina, INO BiH, the State Prosecution, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BIRN BiH, as well as women and men journalists from all over the country.

The document, as said during its promotion, is intended to assist all journalists in their work: as an incentive for editors and directors of media outlets to bring these topics back to prime time; as a reminder for professors to offer their students practical examples in addition to theoretical lectures; and also for all students and future reporters and journalists.

It is also intended for victims’ families, so they would know what to expect and what obligations the media has, but also for all others willing to learn more about the missing and how the media covers this topic.

Elmir Camic, Head of the ICRC Delegation to Bosnia, said the Handbook was a very high-quality document, which had met a wide response among his colleagues in the Red Cross all over the world, because the question of the missing also concerns areas of the Middle East, Ukraine, Central Asia and South America.

“I am glad that in BiH we are creating new standards that will be applied worldwide in the process of tracing the missing persons,” Camic said.

He recalled that around 7,600 persons, who disappeared due to the conflict are still being searched for in Bosnia, and that the lack of new and credible information on locations of individual and mass graves poses the biggest obstacle to the search process.

“A very high degree of politicization of the issue contributes to that, setting aside the needs and rights of families of the missing persons and coming down to a cheap accumulation of political points at their expense,” said the Head of the ICRC Delegation to Bosnia.

BIRN BiH executive Director Denis Dzidic expressed satisfaction at the fact that his fellow workers, who had been reporting on the missing as one of the segments of transitional justice for years, had a chance to draw up the Handbook to serve as a road map not only to journalists in our country, but also worldwide.

“Last week, a Detektor and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network team went to Ukraine, where we trained a group of journalists on how to report on transitional justice processes and we had a chance to introduce this same Handbook to them. There is a huge interest because journalists around the world lack the experience which Bosnian journalists have in reporting on this topic,” Dzidic said.

INO BiH spokeswoman Emza Fazlic said the Handbook was a leap forward when it comes to reporting on missing persons due to the sensitivity of the topic and its importance in society.

“Regardless of the passage of time and the fact that the families are searching for their missing members for 30 years, many stories have already been told, but, unfortunately, many still remain to be told. Only by covering this topic in the media will the process be accelerated in a certain way,” Fazlic said.

She added that the issue of missing persons falls also within the 14 priorities set for Bosnia on its road to joining the European Union.

Lejla Turcilo, a professor at the Sarajevo Faculty of Political Sciences, also expressed satisfaction that such content could be included in faculty curricula, because it was important to develop responsibility and sensitivity for reporting at the Department of Communication Studies / Journalism, and for journalists to begin their journalistic practice as prepared as possible.

“The Faculty of Political Sciences of the Sarajevo University truly seeks to enrich with practical experience what we teach our students in theory, and this is a good opportunity for our male and female students to hear and get first-hand material from which they will learn on how to report on this important but also very sensitive topic,” Turcilo explained.

During the promotion of the Handbook, which she developed jointly with her fellow worker Lamija Grebo, BIRN BiH journalist Emina Dizdarevic Tahmiscija said the objectives were primarily to save stories from oblivion, but also to leave a trace so those who once lived and were now considered missing could be talked about.

“With this Handbook, we can significantly impact the conscience of people who potentially know the locations of mass graves, so they would reveal their whereabouts. Likewise, it will help journalists achieve communication with families of the missing,” Dizdarevic Tahmiscija said.

As part of the promotion, an expert panel was held on the importance of reporting on missing persons in Bosnia, at which participants presented information on problems and shortcomings facing INO BiH staff members, challenges facing journalists and the fact that a high percentage of families of the missing have expressed dissatisfaction with the reporting on these issues.

The Handbook is available here.

BIRN Holds Digital Security Training for Balkan Journalists

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 Balkan Investigative Reporting Network held four online digital security training sessions on December 14 and 15 for around 20 journalism students and journalists from media outlets in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

The goal of the sessions was to equip participants with practical tips and tools on how to stay safe online. They were told how to protect a computer and how to create strong passwords, as well as how to avoid surveillance, how to counter malware attacks, how to safely communicate with sources and how to handle devices in courts, airports and public spaces. They were also taught about ethical considerations in the digital sphere.

The trainer was Milica Stojanovic, an award-winning BIRN journalist and digital security expert. She has also been running digital security sessions at BIRN’s Summer School of Investigative Reporting since 2022.

Stojanovic talked about the importance of using secure communication channels that have end-to-end encryption as standard default mode, meaning communications are completely secure.

She also warned participants about dangerous behaviour on social media that can endanger both journalists and their sources.

“If you are traveling for work, especially to meet sensitive groups of people, you should never post photos on social media, especially not with the location, name of hotels, etc. You are journalists, not celebrities, and dangerous behaviour on social media can endanger not only you but your sensitive sources and others you interview as well,” she said.

Stojanovic also introduced the participants to browsing security and document security, urging them to respect some ground rules such as regularly backing up devices and having several copies of important documents on at least two different devices.

BIRN has been training journalists across south-east Europe about these topics for several years to raise awareness about the importance of staying safe online and about the concepts of secure internal communications and safety while searching and browsing the internet. BIRN also has daily coverage of cyber security across south-east European countries.

This workshop is part of BIRN’s project ‘Paper Trail to Better Governance’, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation since 2013. Among other things, the project aims to increase the capacities of journalists, media outlets and journalism and communications students in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

BIRN Macedonia Launches Media Ownership Monitor Database

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.

The database covering media in North Macedonia is available in English and Macedonian, and will soon be available in Albanian too.

Over the past six months, BIRN’s team, with the help of experts and in cooperation with GMR, collected publicly available data and financial information about the media outlets and their owners, as well as details of the owners’ business connections.

The database findings mapped high, medium and low-risk areas for media pluralism. They indicated that there is a high risk that media ownership, audiences and readerships and markets are overly concentrated.

The findings also showed a noticeable gender imbalance in the industry.The most influential Macedonian media are mainly run by men, for whom the media they own is often not their main business.

David Geer, the EU ambassador to North Macedonia, opened the event with a speech emphasising the public’s right to know who owns the media that produces the news they consume.

This was followed by a discussion moderated by Ana Petruseva, BIRN Macedonia’s director. The speakers included Olaf Steenfadt, GMR’s founder and managing director, Snezana Trpevska, co-founder of the Resis Institute, Dragan Sekulovski, the director of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, ZNM, and Magdalena Dovleva, a representative from the Agency for Audio and Audiovisual Media Services.

They spoke about the key problems facing the country’s media industry, the legal changes that will bring back state advertising in the media, subsidies for print media and the dilemmas surrounding the announced regulation of online media.

MOM was initiated by the German branch of Reporters without Borders with the aim of defending freedom of the media, as well as the right to inform and to be informed everywhere in the world.

In 2019, the project grew into the Global Media Registry, GMR, an independent non-profit organisation registered under German law. In Western Balkan countries, GMR cooperates with BIRN. Along with North Macedonia, MOM databases have been published by BIRN in Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is funded by the EU.

BIRN Launches Media Ownership Monitor in Montenegro

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.

It is available here.

Montenegro is one of the few countries that lacks publicly available basic information about its media market. This information is crucial for objectively assessing the size of the media market and determining who holds a key share in it.

Currently, no state authority, independent regulator or independent institution has data on the size of the media market, especially the advertising market, which is essential for planning the further development of the media community in Montenegro.

There is no independent and objective institution or organization measuring the audience, readership or listenership of media in any format. While some telecommunications operators measure the viewership of certain television programs, these data are not publicly available, are owned by companies, are based on samples exclusive to those companies, are not publicly validated and cannot be considered entirely independent and objective.

There is no publicly available unified metric for online media, forcing citizens to use various internet tools that do not guarantee the accuracy or credibility of the obtained data. Radio stations and newspapers lack any measurement of listenership and readership.

On the other hand, Montenegro is a country with significant foreign ownership of domestic media. Most key media in the country are majority or entirely owned by foreign owners. Simultaneously, the media market in Montenegro is highly exposed to media from neighbouring countries, due to a shared or similar linguistic area. This situation raises significant concerns.

However, media in Montenegro in audio-visual formats (television and radio stations) are under the jurisdiction of the regulator, the Agency for Electronic Media, and so must adhere to all laws and rules applicable in Montenegro, regardless of the owner’s origin.

In this unregulated media market, Montenegro has many media outlets in various formats, with internet portals dominating in terms of quantity. Although there are over 180 registered media outlets in the country, the media themselves often emphasize that survival in the market is impossible without significant state support, even for the largest media. All of this raises concerns that the number of media outlets in Montenegro is disproportionate to what the market can sustain. On the other hand, it is unquestionable that citizens of Montenegro must have access to diverse and pluralistic media content.

Research data indicate that, concerning several media owners in Montenegro, because basic public data is unavailable, it is difficult to assess whether they are the actual owners, or if someone is using them to conceal their real ownership.

The risk indicators compiled through the research on media ownership and the market show that the overall media scene in Montenegro requires serious reforms. The collected data and conclusions from the research can serve as a foundation for changes in media legislation and policies that the European Union, in its latest progress report on Montenegro, has called for.

BIRN Publishes 2023 Report on Handling of Workers’ Rights Cases in Kosovo

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 report is drawn from direct monitoring of workplace accidents and an analysis of records archived in both the Labour Inspectorate and the Kosovo courts.

The findings reveal that the authorities and the judiciary have made little progress in addressing issues related to labour rights, especially related to safety at work regulations, while fatal accidents in the country continue to increase.

Between 2021 and 2023, a total of 33 workers died from 763 accidents at work. The statistics for the first half of 2023 alone reveal nine workplace fatalities, indicating an increase in worker fatalities as a result of workplace accidents.

The conference started with speaker notes from Jeta Xharra, Executive Director at BIRN Kosovo, and Johannes Madsen, Head of Cooperation at the EU in Kosovo.

Madsen said that “the protection of labour rights is not an option, it is a commitment to the principles that define a just and humane society”.

The findings of the report were presented by Kreshnik Gashi, Managing Editor at KALLXO.com and Jetlira Buzhala, a monitor and researcher at BIRN. Afterwards, the report was also discussed by a panel, including different actors from public institutions and civil society.

The panel included: Hekuran Nikçi, Chief of the Labor Inspectorate, Eros Gashi, Advisor at Ministry of Justice, Adnan Konushevci, Head of the Civil Department at the Basic Court of Prishtina, Fahret Vellija, Member of the Kosovo Judicial Council and Arif Kadriu, Project Manager at Solidar Suisse.

A total of 51 participants took part in the conference, 19 of whom were women.

The report was published under the “Protection and Promotion of the Labour Rights of Vulnerable Groups in the Labour Market” Project, financed by the European Union Office in Kosovo.

This aims to improve the working conditions for vulnerable categories of workers in Kosovo, especially within the private sector, including health and safety in the workplace for women and men, through the promotion of social dialogue between workers and duty bearers.

The overall report can be found at these links:

Report in English language

Report in Albanian language

Report in Serbian language

BIRN BiH Presents ‘Verdict against Stanisic and Simatovic’ Digital Narrative

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.

BIRN BiH Deputy Editor Dzana Brkanic pointed out in her opening remarks, that, besides presenting a digital narrative, the conference held in Sarajevo also aimed to start a discussion on whether there were potential implications for Serbia in the verdict – such as the possibility of payment of compensation to victims, and how facts from the verdict could be used to face the past and future processes.

“The page we are presenting today will also remain as an excellent source of facts for future students and researchers but also as a tool for combatting crime denial and glorification of criminals,” Brkanic said, recalling the tough and long-term journalistic work on the character of the conflict in the country through international verdicts.

Journalist and author of the research on “Serbia’s Role in the War – A Jigsaw Puzzle Through Court Verdicts” Haris Rovcanin, said that the initial Hague verdicts had addressed the question of whether the war in Bosnia was a conflict of international or internal character, primarily due to the role of the Yugoslav National Army, JNA, and its participation in the war.

“Some chambers determined that the war was of international character up until mid-May 1992, but only in a certain area, while some determined that it was of international character throughout the period covered by a specific indictment, usually the entire 1992,” he noted.

All the chambers determined, and it was not disputed by parties to the proceedings, that an armed conflict existed and that the crimes committed were related to that conflict, Rovcanin said.

During the research, Rovcanin spoke to victims who expressed readiness to sue Serbia for reparations should an opportunity arise, for the sake of the truth and future generations, also saying that while no verdict or punishment can bring back their loved ones, this type of satisfaction would suffice.

Klaus Hoffmann, prosecutor in the Stanisic and Simatovic case, who only spoke in a private capacity at the conference, stated that the final verdict against the former leaders of Serbia’s State Security Service was of great importance, as the two men are the only Serbian state officials convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Bosnia and Croatia during the wars that followed the collapse of Yugoslavia.

Although dissatisfied with the level of the prison sentences, Hoffmann determining the role of Stanisic and Simatovic in crimes was of extreme importance.

As he explained, the State Security Service of Serbia, under the leadership of its former head, Stanisic, played a crucial role in the wars in Croatia and Bosnia.

He added that the State Security Service was directly or indirectly heavily involved in the formation of Serbian units in both countries, in the training and equipment of those units, as well as their financing and coordination.

“Evidence has shown that there was an overall plan and a system to set up training camps and to install Serbian units in the targeted areas to become part of Greater Serbia and to expel non-Serbs from these areas. These units were made up of local Serbs, but always trained, equipped and led by members of the Serbian State Security, or at least on its behalf,” said Hoffmann.

He recalled that this included special units such as the infamous Scorpions, the Red Berets and Arkan’s Tigers, as well as units directly led by Simatovic, so-called Frenki’s Men.

In Hoffmann’s opinion, much of the war and many of the crimes would have not been possible without the support and contribution of the State Security of Serbia. It all followed an overall plan to create a “Greater Serbia”, which was shared by the two accused and other key players in Serbia.

He also reflected on the definition of the conflict, pointing out that the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, ICTY, was not per se a truth commission, to present a full historical record. But he said it was important to understand that many of the early verdicts of the ICTY rendered findings on the existence of the armed conflict and its nature, as well as regarding general historical and political facts.

“In the present case, the evidence therefore did not focus on the nature of the armed conflict but rather on the personal role and contributions of the two accused with regard to the specific crimes as indicted. There was no dispute about the existence of an armed conflict as such. There was also no real dispute about some of the crimes committed in various locations in the two countries,” he said.

The core challenge for the Prosecution in this case, according to Hoffman, was to show that both accused were personally liable for those crimes, although no one ever alleged that either of the accused personally killed any of the civilian victims or committed any of the charged crimes on the ground.

“The fact that the Appeals Chamber after the retrial finally confirmed the charges and the personal responsibility of the two accused as perpetrators shows that the Prosecution team after all was successful in its work over many years,” he said.

As part of the conference, a panel discussion on “What next? – Potential implications of the verdict and impact on facing the past” was held.

This identified the fact that one of Serbian officials was convicted of participating in a joint criminal enterprise aimed at removing the non-Serb population from parts of Bosnia and Croatia as one of the most important facts of this verdict.

Nenad Golcevski, of the Serbian Fund for Humanitarian Law, said the verdict demonstrates the most direct possible connection of Serbia with the war, but also the social importance.

“The conclusion on the character was secondary for the Chamber, but for us it is equally important as the role of Serbia,” he said.

Golcevski pointed out that the facts about Serbia’s involvement in the wars can no longer be disputed, adding that silence had reigned in Serbia after this verdict.

“Not a single official from Serbia said a word about this verdict. That is Serbia’s reaction,” he said, adding that Serbia stopped for a moment only when a video of the Scorpios was published.

He also reflected on the possibility of reparation, stating that victims have the right to compensation because Serbian law recognizes the verdicts of international courts, but that such verdicts must also contain their names.

As he noted, the final verdict against Stanisic and Simatovic named one victim only.

“The Serbian prosecution should prosecute lower ranked perpetrators and then it will be possible to name victims and seek compensation,” he said. He added that this could be done either through criminal or civil proceedings. Civil proceedings are much more exhausting for victims, however, as they must go through traumas again.

Sarajevo-based attorney Sabina Mehic highlighted that the verdict was important both from the social and legal aspect, and that it could contribute to case law for using certain standards.

“It is significant from the aspect of involvement of officials from Serbia in a joint criminal enterprise and units that directly committed crimes,” she said.

She added that the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina should put more focus on compensation for non-material damage.

A video of Berizeta Pitarevic, sister of Sidik Salkic, one of the six men from Srebrenica killed in Godinjske Bare, was played at the panel discussion.

BIRN BiH has analyzed how verdicts delivered by the ITYCY and International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, as well as International Court of Justice, defined the character of the war in Bosnia with reference to the verdict against Stanisic and Simatovic.

Stanisic and Simatovic were found responsible for participating in a joint criminal enterprise and crimes committed in Bijeljina, Zvornik, Bosanski Samac, Doboj and Sanski Most, as well as murders of men from Srebrenica near Trnovo in BiH and on mount Dalj in Croatia.

The verdict also showed the role of Serbia in the war, which is of particular importance as different narratives about the war in Bosnia have co-existed for three decades.

The Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation supported this research and project.

You can find the multimedia page on this link.

Media Ownership Monitor Kosovo published by BIRN

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).

Since 2015, the Media Ownership Monitor (MOM) has been in development as a publicly accessible database mapping tool, and it is consistently updated to include all media outlets. The database allows for quality contextualization and analysis within the country where it is implemented, providing assessments of the market and the pertinent legal environment.

The research supported by the EU Office in Kosovo indicates that the media market in Kosovo has been diversified for a considerable period, providing numerous opportunities for individuals and companies to wield their economic and political influence in the creation and establishment of various cable and online media outlets. However, the presence of an inadequate legal framework has allowed many media organizations to conceal their revenues from public scrutiny.

Media, often referred to as the fourth pillar of government, holds significant importance in modern democracies. Thus, those who control the media often shape public opinion. Consequently, media ownership must be transparent, accessible, and known to the broader public.

“Political influence on media funding is another challenge that deserves attention. The Media Ownership Monitor underscores a concern regarding the association between individuals who previously held political positions and are currently involved in the media industry. This connection between politics and the media poses a potential risk to the independence and impartiality of the media,” stated Tomas Szunyog, Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, during the launch conference of the Media Ownership Monitor in Pristina, which took place on Wednesday.

The website of the Media Ownership Monitor in Kosovo, launched in Pristina on Wednesday, represents the first comprehensive effort to thoroughly research and monitor media ownership in Kosovo, providing detailed information on media ownership in one database. The research reveals that the majority of media outlets in Kosovo do not disclose their sources of funding. Additionally, changes in ownership have been identified, particularly during the pandemic. Other data highlights the presence of former political officials working in the media sector, and it underscores gender discrimination in media ownership. Out of the 44 media outlets examined, only eight are owned or managed by women.

“This report is being drafted for the first time in Kosovo. This means that the report we are launching today is part of an organization that has been compiling a global database of media ownership for several years. This organization is known as the ‘Global Media Registry’ and is registered in Germany. Its representative is here with us today,” said Jeta Xharra, Executive Director of BIRN Kosova.

Speakers at the conference emphasized the importance of establishing secure information environments for media consumers, ensuring that citizens are well-informed, and promoting transparency in the media industry.

“When we began our work in 2015, media ownership transparency was not as significant of an issue as it is today; it has now become a matter of national security,” said Olaf Steenfadt, Project Director at the Global Media Registry.”

“Transparency is of utmost importance because the audience needs to be aware of the individuals or entities that own the media or the platforms which they consume content and information from. Owners have a significant impact on the transparency and editorial policies of specific media outlets, and I doubt whether the listed owners represent the true or ultimate owners,” stated Ardita Zejnullahu, Executive Director of the Association of Independent Media in Kosovo (AMPEK).

During the panel discussions, the significance of media market diversification was highlighted, but it was also stressed that market expansion does not always guarantee quality and trustworthiness for the audience.”

“The licensing process was initially quite stringent, but now it has become more accessible, allowing almost anyone to obtain a license. I don’t want to come across as unsupportive, given my extensive advocacy for the media sector in Kosovo. However, I do not endorse the idea of granting licenses solely based on meeting technological criteria, especially when this sector lacks appropriate regulation” – said Aferdita Saracini from RTV 21.

The European Union, through its regulations, has shown its commitment to matters of transparency, human rights, media, and digital rights. This commitment was exemplified by its proactive approach in Kosovo, where it provided support for this project, the first of its kind, aimed at mapping media ownership in the country.”

“During the website launch ceremony, the issue of insufficient cooperation with relevant media outlets and ministries regarding the collection and provision of data was emphasized.

Out of the 44 monitored media outlets, only 15 of them were willing to share their media ownership data. Consequently, our researchers had to invest over five months in diligent efforts through official channels, both within and outside the country, to obtain the relevant media ownership data,” highlighted Xheneta Murtezaj, Senior Researcher at BIRN.

Apart from transparency, this platform also aims to educate the public on the digital side, in order to enable citizens fair information and the possibility of choosing the news they receive.

At the launch ceremony, it was emphasized that media ownership and changes in media ownership are not solely a matter of updating information at the Kosovo Business Registry Agency. Instead, a series of steps must be followed.

“Currently, we have observed ownership changes that were not as prevalent in previous years, particularly over the last three years. There have been numerous requests for ownership changes, whether among family members, share allocations to different individuals, or the complete sale of businesses. However, the Independent Media Commission has not been adequately informed about these changes,” stated Jeton Mehmeti, Head of the Independent Media Commission.

Beyond its role in promoting transparency, this platform also seeks to educate the public in the digital realm, empowering citizens to access unbiased information and make informed choices about the news they consume.

This conference was attended by 68 participants, including 32 women.

To visit the Media Ownership Monitor, click here.

Call for Journalists From Western Balkans: One-Month Regional Exchange Programme

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.

About the Regional Exchange Programme

The One-Month Regional Exchange Programme is a capacity-building opportunity for media, editors and journalists from the Western Balkans. The aim is to facilitate the production of quality news and an investigative production environment by enabling both parties to engage in knowledge exchange, comprehensive mentoring and cross-border approaches.

Who is it designed for?

The exchange programme is designed for both media and editors/ journalists from the Western Balkan countries. This programme will create opportunities for the host media to share their knowledge with colleagues from other media in the Western Balkan region. On the other side, it will provide an opportunity for editors / journalists to spend one month immersed in a host media distinct from their country of origin while at the same time working together.

Who can apply?

Journalists/editors from six (6) Western Balkan countries are eligible to apply to this call.

To apply for the programme, journalists are required to meet the following criteria:

Be a resident of one of the six Western Balkans countries.
Have at least three years’ track record of working in journalism sector.
Demonstrate a strong motivation and commitment to participation in the exchange programme.
Be available to spend one month in a host media located in a Western Balkan country distinct from her/his country of residence.

BIRN has selected six host media: Citizens Channel from Albania, Kallxo, Prishtina Insight from Kosovo, eTrafika.net from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Storyteller.rs from Serbia, Koha from North Macedonia and CIN CG from Montenegro.

Benefits and logistics for the journalists/editors

BIRN will cover the travel, accommodation, and bursary costs for the selected journalists/editors.

How to apply?

Please fill in the application form in English language by January 26 (Friday).

More information about the call can be found here.

BIRN BiH Presents Media Ownership Monitor Database

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

Out of 39 media outlets covered by the Media Ownership Monitor Database, nearly 40 per cent of the most prominent media outlets in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not offer full transparency, a conference to present the Database organised by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BIRN BiH, heard.

Over the past few months, BIRN BiH, in collaboration with the Global Media Registry, GMR, collected data on publicly available information concerning ownership of the 39 most-watched, most-listened to and most-read media in BiH, including print, online, radio and TV stations, and tried to answer the question: who owns or controls these media?

According to the Database’s findings, the risk to media pluralism in Bosnia is high due to concentrations in television, print, online and media markets; the eight largest owners have a market share of over 70 per cent in different media sectors.

Of the 39 media outlets, women make up 37.6 per cent of the owners, but only in two is a woman the only owner. In all the others they share ownership with men, which also poses a risk for media pluralism.

Denis Dzidic, Executive Director of BIRN BiH, said the project was implemented according to GMR’s methodology and was a learning process for the newsroom, which focuses on topics like transitional justice and war crimes.

“In the next month, BIRN will publish such ownership databases in all countries in the region, so it will be interesting to compare the data,” Dzidic said.

Nafisa Hasanova and Lea Auffarth of GMR explained that the project has been implemented in more than 25 countries and that it was interesting to work simultaneously on databases in Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. They began working on the project eight years ago, when media ownership was not such an important topic.

Following the presentation of the Database, a panel discussion on “Ownership and Transparency of Media Ownership in BiH” was held.

Mediacenter’s Executive Director, Maida Muminovic, said the Database demonstrates the importance of regulation in the field of transparency of media ownership, noting that regulation is not an easy task, which is perhaps why it is being delayed.

She said no solution currently requires active transparency of the media in Bosnia and that while many newsrooms have no problem in sharing data, the ones that do have a problem are under no obligation to do so.

She recalled the Draft Law on Transparency of Media Ownership and Advertising from 2018, which was prepared by the BH Journalists Association, Mediacentar, Press and Online Media Council, and JaBiHEU organization, mapping areas that need to be regulated, which can serve as a good foundation for regulation.

She explained that the Draft Law would limit the concentration of ownership, propose the establishment of media records, define conflicts of interest and require transparency, as well as data about advertisers and donors.

“We call for careful consideration of the Draft Law on Transparency. It is important that we all take part in the process, precisely because of these situations that are happening. I think some newsrooms stand on the sidelines and keep silent for a reason, because this type of transparency isn’t in their favour,” Muminovic said.

Aladin Abdagic, member of the Governing Board of the Press and Online Media Council in BiH and editor-in-chief of the Center for Investigative Journalism, stated the importance of regulation in media transparency, as its absence has led to the current anarchy in the media.

He said the CIN collaborated with individual media, but in many cases they did not even know who they were communicating with. He said media ownership was being hidden, leading to abuse, mostly by online portals. He also said that many journalists did not respect basic journalistic principles – and that the fact that the media community in Bosnia was very much divided represented a problem.

Political advisor to the Special Representative of the European Union in BiH Danijel Kovacevic reflected on the Database, saying the investigation had demonstrated that not all commercial media represented a problem, but online media exclusively.

“We have over 400 online media, as shown in research from 2019, and active transparency exits in only 18 per cent of them, if we only speak about the most-read ones. This is worrying and it also concerns the importance of the road to the EU, where legislation plays a great role,” he said. The Draft Law on Transparency of Media Ownership was important, not only because of Brussels, but primarily because of citizens, he added.

Call for Applications: Reporting Democracy Grants for Journalists

Reporting Democracy is inviting journalists from Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe to submit proposals for compelling stories that shed light on democracy issues facing the region.

This grant opportunity aims to support analytical and investigative journalism, advocate for media freedom, and amplify voices addressing social justice, the rule of law, minority rights, equality, access to public services and other topics pertinent to human rights.

Journalists are encouraged to pitch story ideas on relevant subjects falling under the umbrella of Reporting Democracy.

Grants, each valued 2,000 euros, are available for professional freelance or staff journalists with proposals for investigative, analytical or feature pieces.

Reporting Democracy will provide editorial support and a platform for publishing and distributing selected stories.

The deadline for submitting applications is January 30, 2024.

Interested individuals can apply by filling out the application form available via this LINK.

General rules for the call for applications:

Grants are available to journalists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, Moldova, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Slovenia.
Formal applicants can be individual journalists (working as part of newsroom structures as well as freelancers) or teams (e.g., reporter, producer, photographer, video editor) with the designated team leader being the contract signatory.
A maximum of ten grants will be awarded in this cycle, and each applicant may submit only one application under this grant scheme.
The maximum amount per grant is 2,000 euros.
Cross-border approaches are encouraged
Eligible expenses include fees, travel expenses and various production costs (documents, videographer, photographer, etc).

How to apply:

Applicants should use the RD grants application form to submit the application [LINK].

The application form must be completed in English, and additional documentation can be submitted in an online format. Clarifications will only be requested when the provided information is insufficient for an objective assessment.

The deadline for submission is 23:59 CET on January 30, 2024.

For additional inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

Evaluation and selection:

Step I: Technical evaluation by BIRN staff to ensure applicants followed application procedures and submitted all required documents.

Step II: Evaluation by the editorial board to select applicants based on criteria such as:

Quality and originality of the proposed idea;
Feasibility of the proposed plan;
Ability to reach a broad public.

Step III: Notification of applicants.

Successful candidates will be informed within two weeks after the close of the call.