Author: birnEU

BIRN Holds Workshops in Skopje on Media Resilience and AI in Western Balkans

On November 13 and 14 in Skopje, BIRN organised workshops on the wellbeing of journalists and on AI in media as part of the Western Balkans Media for Change project.

Daniel Fieller, Deputy Head of Mission at the British embassy in North Macedonia, opened the event  in Skopje on November 13, thanking the media outlets that the Western Balkans Media for Change project supports.

“You serve your societies by amplifying the voices of those unheard in the region,” he said, adding that BIRN has been his main source of information since living in the region and that it has been a privilege to work with organisations such as BIRN and Thomson.

Milka Domanovic, BIRN’s Regional Director, said she was proud that the project team has been able to adapt to different circumstances over the years and listen carefully to the needs of the people BIRN is supporting. “This project also created very stable connections between media professionals in the region,” she said.

Larisa Halilovic, Team Leader at the Western Balkans Media for Change project, emphasized that the project currently works with over 100 media professionals in the region.

After the opening, journalists joined a workshop on the wellbeing of journalists led by Emma Thomasson from The Self-Investigation Foundation.

Through interaction with each other and different exercises, they were motivated to think about workplace factors that lead to burnout, which include unfair treatment at work, unmanageable workloads, unreasonable time pressure, lack of role clarity and lack of communication and support from the manager. The workshop also covered tools for building resilience in the workplace and conflict management.

On November 14, participants heard about the main findings of the Global Index on Responsible AI in Southeastern Europe (GIRAI), a multidimensional tool measuring progress towards responsible use of AI in 138 countries and jurisdictions.

Ivana Jeremic, BIRN’s Digital Rights Programme Content Lead and GIRAI Southeast Europe Research Team Leader, explained that the Balkan region is an emerging AI governance hub with varied progress levels across different countries. “Most countries in the region lack comprehensive policies for AI safety, accuracy and reliability,” Jeremic said.

Journalists also learned about using AI in newsrooms with Damjan Dano, a Tech entrepreneur. The workshop covered AI tools and solutions that journalists can implement in their media outlets, as well as an evaluation of those tools and a discussion on AI’s limitations and the role of human oversight. The participants also discussed ethical challenges and legal and copyright issues when using AI for content creation.

Finally, at the event closure, participants heard directly about achievements from the media outlets that were supported through the project and about the change and impact achieved with BIRN and Thomson assistance and mentorship, from Armela Toska from Monitor (Albania), Amna Mehmedspahic from Radio Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Maja Ravanska from Lice v lice (North Macedonia), Rina Gurgule from Telegrafi (Kosovo), Dusan Cicmil from Vijesti (Montenegro) and Aleksandar Minic from TV Forum (Serbia).

BIRN Albania Holds Roundtable on Local Government

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania on September 17 held a roundtable in Tirana on local government with journalists and experts from civil society organisations.

Two dozen reporters and civil society activists discussed corruption, impunity and abuse of office in local government in Albania.

The roundtable was moderated by Rigels Xhemollari, executive director of Qendresa Qytetare, a civil society watchdog group of active young professionals.    

The roundtable, which was supported by the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA, aims to strengthen ties between investigative journalists and civil society and inform an upcoming call for investigative grants for mid-career reporters.

The call will fund reporting grants for journalists that investigate corruption and abuse of office in local government, with a particular focus on the topics highlighted during the roundtable.   

Topics discussed during the roundtable included:

  • The lack of implementation of integrity and anti-corruption plans, particularly on the elements of ethics and conflict of interests in municipalities and municipal councils.
  • Nepotism and clientelism in the human resources of municipalities
  • Transparency of budgets, public procurement procedures and public contracts awarded by municipalities
  • The appointment of people with a criminal background to public inspectorates and their role during elections
  • Corruption with waste management contracts
  • Lack of budgets to address children in street situations
  • The lack of representation of rural areas at municipal level
  • Lack of sewage and sewage treatment plants
  • Problems of urban development, building criteria, parking, garbage bins, etc
  • Corruption cases in the treatment of solid waste

The roundtable will inform BIRN Albania’s upcoming call for investigative reports on local government.

Call for Journalists and Researchers on Electoral Integrity and Political Discourse in Albania

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania (BIRN Albania) is announcing an open call for applications, offering grants to local journalists and researchers to produce in-depth articles on electoral integrity and political discourse in Albania.

BIRN is offering three grants for journalists and researchers to cover their expenses while conducting investigations and writing stories on topics related to electoral integrity and political discourse in Albania, as well as mentoring by experienced editors.

The call is part of the project “Evidence-Based Monitoring of Local Public Spending during Electoral Processes”, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by Qëndresa Qytetare in partnership with BIRN Albania.

The project aims to contribute to the enhancement of integrity, transparency and equal competition in Albania’s electoral processes by addressing some of the fundamental challenges and deficiencies, particularly those in relation to:

  • Misuse of public funds and public administration in relation to electoral processes;
  • Electoral crimes and the work of law enforcement bodies;
  • The impact of elections on the public administration and its politicization;
  • Transparency of political parties’ finances during election campaigns;
  • Involvement of persons with a criminal past in political parties and electoral processes;
  • Misuse of digital/social media or Artificial Intelligence and prevalence of hate speech in the political discourse;
  • Barriers encountered by women and youth toward political participation, etc.

The awarded journalists and researchers will receive a scholarship of 1,500 euros gross (minus personal income tax). They will have around three to five months to dig deeper and research their ideas. They will also have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as mentors to guide them through the process of writing in accordance with BIRN standards.

We encourage the submission of proposals for the production of relevant journalistic content by individuals or teams. We support various forms, including investigations, data-rich stories and papers.

The call only applies to journalists and researchers from Albania with previous experience on this topic.

All applicants must be independent and free from conflicts of interest in the responsibilities they undertake.

Applicants may submit more than one application, but only one proposal per candidate will be selected.

Interested candidates should send their proposals in Albanian language by email to: [email protected], including: completed application form (Click here to download the form); a CV and two examples of their previous work.

Application Deadline: September 23, 2024.

BIRN Webinar: Addressing Biometric Surveillance Issues in Europe

Join us for a webinar on September 24, 2024, at 1:00 PM CET, where experts will delve into the pressing issues surrounding biometric surveillance in Europe. This event will offer valuable insights into the current legal landscape, practical tools for advocacy, and the role of journalism in shaping public discourse.

Sign up here to attend the webinar.

Date: September 24, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM CET

Featured Speakers:

Ella Jakubowska, EDRi’s Head of Policy
Ella Jakubowska will provide an in-depth analysis of the AI Act, focusing on:

    • Key provisions of the AI Act
    • Identifying its limitations and gaps
    • Existing legal protections against biometric surveillance
    • Practical guidance for opposing biometric surveillance, including legal tools and strategies for engaging with policymakers and collaborating with civil society.

Apostolis Fotiadis, Investigations Editor at BIRN
Apostolis Fotiadis will share his expertise on impactful reporting related to biometric surveillance. His presentation will cover:

    • Effective strategies for reporting on biometric surveillance
    • Insights from his investigations, including major EU surveillance programs and their implications.

Registration:

Sign up here to attend the webinar.

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with leading experts on biometric surveillance. Applications are open until September 20, 2024.

The webinar is a must-attend for policymakers, journalists, civil society members, and anyone concerned with the implications of biometric surveillance.

Reporting Digital Rights and Freedoms – Sub-Grants 2024

Empowering Journalism in the Digital Age – Enhancing digital safety and capacities of media and CSOs in the Western Balkans.

Call for Applications Open

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) is announcing an open call for Digital Rights and Freedoms sub-grants 2024. The call is open for media and civil society organisations from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) which are already researching and reporting on, or have an interest in getting dedicated to, digital rights and freedoms and their respective violations occurring throughout the region, or which are impacted by global internet governance developments through their scope of work.

Awarded media and CSOs will gain an opportunity to collaborate closely with BIRN editors and our specialized digital rights team as well as to benefit from technical assistance throughout the grant duration.

Awardees will also have the opportunity to publish their work on some of BIRN’s regional platforms, such as Balkan Insight and local BIRN flagship media, which will enable them to inform and engage a wide regional audience.

Grants Overview

Digital rights and freedoms are under increasing threat, including in the Western Balkans. There is a growing need for as many responsible media and engaged CSOs as possible to become more informed and vigilant and explore internet-related topics more broadly from a multistakeholder perspective and in an in-depth manner. The digital world that we live in offers us new dimensions to exercise our freedoms. At the same time, those freedoms online are shrinking both online and offline as a result of invasive and restrictive policies, or misuse of technological developments.

This BIRN grant aims to help and engage media and CSOs with financial support, mentoring and continuous technical assistance so they can navigate, explore and deliver complex internet and human rights-related issues and (policy) developments to the public at large.

What We Offer

  • Grants of up to EUR 15,000 for media and civil society organisations to support up to twelve (12) months of activities, including but not limited to written content (research, investigations, analyses), audio-visual content, policy papers and reports, focused on in-depth coverage related to digital rights and freedoms in the Western Balkans region
  • Continuous support of the BIRN technical assistance and specialized digital rights team

Who Can Apply?

  • Media and civil society organisations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

Application Process

To apply for Digital Rights and Freedoms sub-grants 2024, please download the Grant Proposal Application Form and Budget proposal sheet.

Download the Guidelines for application as well.

The following documents need to be sent to [email protected] with the subject email “BIRN RDRF sub-grant application 2024”

  • Grant proposal application (in PDF format)
  • Budget proposal (in excel format)
  • Supporting documents: certificate of registration, fiscal number certificate, business registry document if applicable, registration with the tax administration, bank account information, membership of press council if applicable, or list of relevant references for implemented projects (attached in the email in ZIP format)

*please note that we will not accept documents sent via any cloud platforms (for e.g. WeTransfer)

All selected grantees will sign a grant contract with BIRN, aimed at affirming the authenticity of your proposal application and your commitment to the ethical standards.

Submission Deadline: September 19, 2024

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

  • Relevance and significance of the proposed activities
  • Feasibility, originality and potential impact of the proposed application
  • Financial quality of the offer towards activity
  • Team potential and previous experience

A committee established by BIRN’s digital rights experts, editors and project management staff will review the proposals.

Contact Us

For more information and to submit your application, please use [email protected].

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

SEE Digital Rights Network Members from Kosovo, Croatia, and Greece Meet Online

BIRN gathered SEE Digital Rights Network members from Kosovo, Greece, and Croatia to share their most recent digital rights-related projects and initiatives and talk about the future work of the SEE Digital Rights Network.

 

The meeting was held online on September 4, 2023, and was attended by representatives of seven organisations who shared recent experiences working in the digital rights field and showcased their plans. Representatives opened the dialogue to underline recent shared successes through the work with other SEE Digital Rights Network members, testifying about the Network’s collaborative and supportive spirit.

SCiDEV, actively working in Albania and the region, is currently working on its youth-oriented digital rights ERASMUS+ funded project by developing capacity-building programs tailored for the young from rural areas and disadvantaged groups. The project is implemented by SCiDEV and four other regional and EU-based organisations.

The organisation has its sights set on the future, hinting at upcoming collaborations with regional counterparts. While they praised the Network’s strides, they also called for enhanced communication via modern tools like Slack and a strengthened group identity.

The IPKO Foundation from Kosovo said it is excited about shaping the future of tech through its yearly event, DOKU.TECH, and empowering women and girls in the cyber world with their initiative, “Reshaping the Future”. Their ideas highlight the importance of regional meetings for generating new project ideas.

Levizja FOL, with its support for amplifying citizens’ representation in public discourse, shared insights from their recent dive into Kosovo’s cybersecurity and cybercrime landscape. They said that they focus not just on research but also advocate for tangible change, especially regarding anti-corruption measures and legal frameworks.

While YIHR Kosovo takes a broader view in its critical work in the human rights field, its partnership with the SHARE Foundation, which, together with BIRN, co-founded the SEE Digital Rights Network, has concentrated on strengthening the capabilities of activists in the digital age.

Politiscope from Croatia focused on privacy concerns, with an emphasis on protecting the nation’s youth. Its projects are charting new territories, especially in AI’s application in Croatia and Serbia. As newcomers to the Network, they’re open to mentorship and eager to share successful methodologies with fellow Network members.

Greece’s HOMO Digitalis spoke about their mission to shield digital rights. Through cooperation with EDRi and their diverse campaigns, HOMO Digitalis’ work encompasses advocacy, litigation and education in protecting digital human rights. In a spirit of unity, they proposed a shared map of all Network activities and the pooling of member publications.

Lastly, the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies, KCSS, shed light on its Emerging Threats Program, designed to demystify and tackle modern security enigmas. Their recent focus has been on the cybersecurity needs of Kosovo NGOs and fostering a cyber-aware environment for marginalized communities.

As the meeting concluded, the members committed to navigating the digital challenges together. The meeting ended with an announcement of the next gathering in December 2023, which will mark the first regional meeting of the SEE Digital Rights Network.

BIRN Albania Publishes Report on Women’s Representation in the Digital Media

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania has published a new report on women’s representation in online and social media during the 2023 local elections in Albania.

The report uses both qualitative and quantitative data to analyse the coverage of women candidates in the 2023 local elections, in online media outlets and social media networks, including Facebook and Instagram.

It provides insight on ad spending on social media by women candidates and their portrayal in the media.

The report also provides a qualitative analysis of the coverage of women political candidates in online and social media during the campaign and the political discourse on women as voters.

The report aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of online media and social media coverage of the political discourse and portrayal of women, both as political candidates and as voters, during the 2023 local elections in Albania.

The report was co-authored by BIRN Albania staff and by Professor Izela Tahsini, lecturer at the Department of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Tirana.

The report made use of two social media listening tools for the data analysis, Sentione and Crowdtangle.

To download the Albanian copy of the report click here

To download the English version of the report click here

BIRN Albania Publishes Policy Brief on Data Processing for Journalists

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania has published a new policy brief on the regulatory framework on privacy and data processing for journalists.

 

The brief, written by the legal expert Emirjon Marku, covers the rules and regulations on the processing of personal data for journalistic purpose and on cases of exemptions, as well as providing a primer on the EU’s General Data Protection Directive, which Albania is in the process of transposing.

The policy brief introduces journalists and editors to the legal framework and aims to arm them with the knowledge to navigate those cases when the right to privacy outweighs freedom of expression or vice-versa.

This document aims to remind journalists, editors and media directors of the boundaries of co-existence of these constitutional freedoms and rights in Albania – to help them to understand how to achieve the necessary balance between these constitutional rights whilst exercising their profession.

The brief aims to offer guidance on approaching principles of data protection legislation, including ethical considerations.

For an Albanian copy of the policy brief click here

For an English copy of the policy brief click here

BIRN Albania Holds Roundtable on Human Rights in the Digital Sphere

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania on June 27 held a virtual roundtable with 30 journalists and representatives of local civil society organisations to discuss human rights in the digital sphere in Albania.

The aim was to introduce journalists, activists and representatives of local civil society organisations to a set of initiatives launched by BIRN Albania in the last month related to human rights in the digital sphere in the country, as well as discuss future steps needed in such regards.

During the event, BIRN presented its two latest awareness campaigns launched in June 2023. The campaigns aim to raise awareness on the spread of hate speech against women and members of LGBTQIA+ community in the digital sphere. The video messages filmed and produced by BIRN Albania have been distributed through its social media channels on Facebook and Instagram.

The first campaign was focused on gender bias in the digital sphere. The campaign titled “Ajonukhesht” (“She won’t be silenced”) includes video messages from activists and civil society leaders working on issue related to gender equality, the fight against gender-0based violence and women’s participation in politics and the public sphere.

They included Mirela Arqimandriti, head of the Gender Alliance for Development, Ines Leskaj, executive director of the Albanian Women’s Empowerment Network, Edlira Cepani, national coordinator of the network “Equality in Decision-making,” Armela Prevazi, from the National Democratic Institute in Albania, and Estela Bulku, program coordinator at UN Women.

The second campaign, titled “#Hapezemrën” (“Open you heart”), includes video messages from activists and civil society leaders fighting discrimination toward the LGBTQIA+ community in Albania. They included Alba Ahmetaj, from Pro LGBT, Arber Kodra, from OMSA, Edlira Mara, from Historia Ime, Xheni Karaj, from Alenca LGBT, as well as messages from participants in the last Pride March organised in Tirana in May 2023.

During the roundtable, BIRN Albania also launched two new publications related to digital rights and internet freedom: a new policy brief on the regulatory framework on privacy and data processing for journalists, and a research report on women’s representation in online and social media during the 2023 local elections in Albania.

 

 

NGOs Fear EU Measures Against Kosovo Could Hit Civil Society Funds

Civil society organisations are concerned that the EU’s decision to suspend some funding for Kosovo until it complies with Brussels’ prescriptions for defusing tensions in the Serb-majority north could affect NGOs that depend on international grants.

Civil society organisations in Kosovo have expressed concern that their future sustainability might be affected by Brussels’ decision to temporarily suspend funds provided under the European Commission’s Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance, IPA until Pristina complies with the EU’s prescriptions for restoring stability in the country’s Serb-majority north.

Taulant Hoxha, executive director of the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation, KCSF NGO, which supports civil society development, told BIRN that such organisations’ funding could be affected “if these [EU] measures continue for months, and especially beyond 2023”.

Hoxha explained that “the natural cycle of IPA funds management is such that at least one to two years pass from programming to the practical implementation of funds”.

He said that the suspension of IPA 2024 funds, which the EU is threatening, would not affect already-funded civil society projects for this year and next year, but could affect NGOs’ work in 2025.

Kosovo has many civil society organisations – parliament’s website lists 84 – and they are highly dependent on EU, US and Swiss funds.

Zana Hoxha, the executive director of Artpolis, a human rights and arts NGO, told BIRN that the suspension of IPA funds by the EU might cause her organisation to reduce jobs or cut salaries by 30 to 40 per cent.

“We have been supported by IPA funds since 2008, for the promotion of women’s rights, youth engagement and art and culture, which is our mission,” she said.

She explained that financial resources for 2023 have been secured but the NGO planned to apply for IPA 2024 and if the funds were not available, it would make the organisation’s future uncertain.

She added that she believes that the suspension of IPA funds will cause “a general weakening of civil society organisations and civic engagement… The consequences will be difficult to repair.”

However, the director of BIRN Kosovo, Jeta Xharra, said she had received assurances on Tuesday that NGOs will not suffer as a result of the EU measures.

“I was in an online meeting today that the EU organised from Brussels on consultations on the IPA 2024 Multi-Country Programming Consultation with Civil Society in the Western Balkans and thankfully I was not the only one raising the concern that precisely because of the current tensions, there need to be more projects that encourage cooperation between Serbia and Kosovo, not less. This proposal came from a civil society activist in Serbia,” Xharra said.

“I also aired my thoughts on the matter, saying that punishing independent media and civil society for the actions of any government seems completely counterproductive as, in Kosovo especially media and civil society provide a regular critical counterpart to the government, scrutinising its actions, so weakening that resilience and criticism that the government faces every day from civil society and media would in fact have an opposite effect, it would make the life of the government much easier,” she added.

Xharra said that she asked if current and future funding for the civil society in Kosovo would be affected by EU measures against the Kosovo government, and was assured by the EU representatives that “no current or future multi-country projects for media and civil society would exclude Kosovo organisations. This is the situation as it stands.”

The EU is imposing measures to encourage Pristina to accept its prescriptions for defusing the tensions that flared up into violence recently in Serb-majority northern Kosovo.

Brussels is asking Pristina to immediately suspend police operations near municipal buildings in the north which have been the focus of unrest after police helped ethnic Albanian mayors elected in polls boycotted by Serbs to take office.

The EU wants the mayors to perform their duties in premises other than the municipal buildings, and for new elections to be held with the full participation of the Serbs.

“We cannot afford instability, tensions and violence. We have condemned the violence and continue calls for immediate de-escalation by both parties [Kosovo and Serbia],” an EU spokesperson told BIRN.

“Kosovo has regrettably not yet taken necessary steps,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said that the Kosovo authorities were informed on June 28 that measures including the suspension of the IPA funds were being imposed until the EU’s requests are fulfilled.

“These measures are temporary and fully reversible depending on the developments on the ground and decisions to de-escalate taken by the Prime Minister [Albin] Kurti,” the spokesperson added.

The EU spokesperson also said that in another measure imposed, proposals for funding submitted by Kosovo under the Western Balkans Investment Framework were not submitted for consideration by the WBIF board at the end of June.

From 2009 to 2021, the WBIF supported 30 infrastructure projects in Kosovo with a total cost of 1.8 billion euros.

Prime Minister Kurti has described the EU measures as “unjust”.

Kurti said that “we hope that these temporary measures will be very short” so that EU financial support can continue “and maybe even increase”.