Author: birnEU

The EU Investigative Journalism Awards in the Western Balkans and Turkey awards ceremony for Turkey was held in Ankara on August 28, hosted by its local partner, the Association of Journalists.

The Austrian head of the EU Delegation to Turkey, Ambassador Christian Berger, attended the ceremony, marking his last event in Turkey, as his term in the country ended on August 31.^. 

In his opening remarks, Berger stressed the importance of supporting quality journalism through different programs and awards and underlined the importance of cooperation between the EU Delegations in different countries and local partners.

“Journalists are a very important component of a living and vibrant democracy. Please keep writing, and we keep reading and watching what you dispatch from Turkey,” he said.

The president of the Association of Journalists, Nazmi Bilgin, in turn thanked Berger for his support over the years and congratulated the finalists.

Vice President of the Association and jury head Yusuf Kanlı said a total of 53 applications were received this year and the high number and diversity of applicants had given the jury the chance to evaluate a wide array of successful investigative journalistic endeavours.

Ten applications on various topics were shortlisted and three women journalists received awards.

First place went to Zehra Özdilek of Cumhuriyet newspaper for her story, “Zindaşti Bomb”, which unearthed the ties between the drug trafficker Naci Zindaşti and Burhan Kuzu, a former MP of the current ruling party. During her acceptance speech Özdilek said she was accepting her award “on behalf of all imprisoned journalists”.

Second place went to Hale Gönültaş of Gazete Duvar news site, whose story, “Yezidi Hadiya’s Fight for Justice”, raised nationwide and international awareness about the Yezidi genocide in the Middle East and about a Yezidi woman Hadiya’s struggle to become the legal guardian of her two siblings.

During her acceptance speech Gönültaş said she wished to “accept this award on behalf of women who are victims of genocide, refugee women and those who fight for justice”.

Third place winner was Burcu Karakaş of Deutsche Welle’s Turkish Service, for her story, “Abortion in Turkey: Practically banned”. Her meticulous research portrayed the way abortion has become practically inaccessible in Turkey, even though it is a legal right guaranteed since 1983. Karakaş said she dedicated her award to “journalists who work under difficult circumstances and to women who do not give up on their rights”.

The ceremony continued with a reception. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the events were held outdoors with limited attendance. Among those who attended were diplomatic representatives from various Balkan and EU countries, the president of the Journalists’ Union of Turkey, Gökhan Durmuş and journalists representing various media outlets.

The award fund in each country in 2020 (for achievements in 2019) is 10,000 EUR. The first prize will be 5,000 EUR, the second 3,000 EUR, and the third will be 2,000 EUR.

Individuals or groups of journalists are eligible to apply in all journalism forms (print, online, radio and TV) published or broadcast in the media in each country in official, minority or international languages.

Articles eligible for submission must appear in print, online, radio and TV media outlets during the 2019 calendar year.

The call was postponed in early March, but all applications previously received will be taken into consideration.

The application deadline is September 18.

EU Investigative Journalism Awards in the Western Balkans and Turkey aim to celebrate and promote the outstanding achievements of investigative journalists as well as improve the visibility of quality journalism in the Western Balkans and Turkey.

The awards are a continuation of the ongoing regional EU Investigative Journalism Award in the Western Balkans and Turkey and part of the ongoing project ‘Strengthening Quality News and Independent Journalism in the Western Balkans and Turkey’, funded by the European Union.

The project partners involved all have extensive expertise in the field of media freedom and have been recognised locally and internationally as strong independent media organisations.

The jury for the EU Award comprises media experts, some of them from the project consortia. Others are drawn from the extensive network projects that the consortium members have, such as editors, members of academia and journalists with merits.

The awards will be given annually in all six Western Balkan countries and Turkey.

For more details, deadlines and guidelines please download packages for individual countries below.

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To download all necessary documents for Montenegro click here

In our changing world, many media outlets are supporting their independent work by applying to calls for projects targeting different aspects of journalism. Implementing projects brings numerous benefits to the media organisation; not only does it help to cover the costs of production, but builds the organisation’s skills outside of the production set.

We are offering you our Project Cycle Management course, tailored especially for journalists, editors, producers and, in general, media organisations. The goal of this training is to show you the benefits of projects, to help you better understand project cycles and introduce you to the elements of project management which can be the most beneficial.

We are sure you have heard sentences like: “I am not interested in projects, but in journalism; let me do my job”, or “I do not understand project logic, its strange language; it is just empty words”. 

Our specifically tailored PCM training targeting media professionals follows a four-day programme and offers a contemporary learning experience through group work, presentations and two-way interactions. It will show you how a simple idea, that you may have over a coffee with a colleague, develops into something more meaningful and worthwhile, which complements your work rather than disrupts your routine.

The course is tailored to suit all levels of previous knowledge; it is well balanced and is not set to repeat information for those with more knowledge, but will not overwhelm those who are receiving this kind of information for the first time.

Having had first-hand experience with the struggle and resistance media organisations have with project cycles, our lead trainer Dusica Stilic, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network’s Head of Regional Operations, has used her knowledge of the PCM and the media to develop this unique course. She has also worked as a journalist and understands how you might first feel about project management (because, she did, too!). Dusica has a pedagogical background in education and practice, which making her one of the most engaging and systematic trainers in the region. For more information see Dusica’s bio here.

Who can apply?

Media outlets’ representatives (including journalists, editors, project coordinators, project assistants) and freelance journalists from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia without required previous knowledge of PCM, who currently work on project implementation, or wish to do so in the future.

Please apply observing the information provided in the application form.

The number of participants is limited and we will give advantage to younger journalists, with less experience in the described field.

Only one individual per media will be admitted.

Minimum 12 and maximum 20 participants.

How to apply?

Applicants should complete and submit only one application that is attached to this CfA. All applications should be submitted in English to: [email protected] along with the applicant’s CV.

DATE OF TRAINING: October 12-16

TRAINING VENUE: Tirana, Albania, HOTEL Rogner**

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: Download here

APPLICATION FORM: Download here

DEADLINE: September 13, at midnight Central European Time

REMARKS:

* For confirmed training participants, transportation and accommodation costs are provided, if required.

** Training should take place in Tirana, Albania, but due to the possible changes in travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemics, and with respect to the health recommendations, organisers keep the right to hold the online training instead.

Against a backdrop of democratic backsliding and the erosion of media freedom, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, last year continued its rigorous and award-winning coverage of political developments, corruption, human rights violations, environmental neglect and the legacy of war, according to BIRN’s 2019 annual report.

By reporting on and investigating governments and individuals, public and private companies, BIRN has contributed to the fight for accountability and good-governance by providing the people of South-East Europe with the information they need to take decisions, the report says.

The report highlights the political and media landscape in which BIRN operates, its expansion into Central Europe, the investigations and stories that mattered most, the donors who supported them and the impact made.

“In an era of disinformation and controlled media, people also recognised the importance of uncompromising investigative journalism that holds governments accountable and exposes wrongdoings,” BIRN Regional Director Marija Ristic wrote.

“We at the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network are proud to have revealed numerous corrupt deals, instances of nepotism and abuse of power and many human rights violations.”

Ristic highlighted the fact that in 2019 BIRN expanded into Central Europe with the aim of connecting journalists from the Balkans with other colleagues in Europe, to tackle together the challenges facing democracy and monitor digital rights and freedoms across the wider region.

While democracy is being eroded in the region, 2019 also brought an increase in civic activism, protests and demands for accountability and change, Ristic wrote.

Local communities took the streets to demand clean rivers and less air pollution, women spoke out and united against powerful abusers, while citizens came together to offer assistance to refugees and asylum-seekers.

Click here to read the full report.

Nineteen organisations from Southeast Europe have joined forces in a newly-established network that aims to advance the protection of digital rights and address the growing challenges posed by the widespread use of advanced technologies in society.

Initiated by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, and SHARE Foundation, the SEE Digital Rights Network is the first network of its kind focused on the digital environment and challenges to digital rights in Southeast Europe.

The network brings together 19 member organisations – from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia – dedicated to the protection and promotion of human rights, both online and offline.

Each is committed to advancing their work on issues of digital rights abuses, lack of transparency, expanded use of invasive tech solutions and breaches of privacy.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Central and Southeast Europe has seen a dramatic rise in the rate of digital rights violations, in countries where democratic values are already imperiled.

“This endeavour comes at a moment when we are seeing greater interference by state and commercial actors that contribute to the already shrinking space for debate while the exercise of basic human rights is continuously being limited,” said BIRN regional director Marija Ristic.

“The Internet has strong potential to serve the needs of the people and internet access has proved to be indispensable in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Our societies are becoming more digital, which presents a powerful incentive to increase the capacity of organisations dealing with digital developments and regulations in our region.”

During a first joint meeting, the members of the network agreed that the challenges posed by the fast-evolving tech solutions used by states have led to infringements of basic rights and freedoms, while false and unverified information is flourishing online and shaping the lives of people around the region. The online sphere has already become a hostile environment for outspoken individuals and especially marginalised groups such as minorities, LGBTIQ+ community, refugees and women.

“Digital technology is profoundly changing our societies as it becomes an important part of all spheres of our lives, so we see the diversity of organisations that joined this network as one of its biggest strengths,” said Danilo Krivokapic, director of the SHARE Foundation.

“We can learn so much from each other’s experience, as we have similar problems with governments using technology to exert control over society, especially in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. “It is also important that we act together when we are trying to restore the balance between our citizens and big companies (Facebook, Google etc) that hold enormous amounts of our personal data and through this exert significant power over us.”

The network’s aim is to build on the skills, knowledge and experience of its members to achieve common goals such as strengthening democracy in the region and protecting individuals in the digital environment.

While cherishing the values of safety, equality and freedom, the work of the SEE Digital Rights Network will be directed at achieving the following goals: to protect digital rights and internet freedoms, enable people to access accurate information, make the internet a safer place, detect and report hate speech and verbal violence online, especially against women and other vulnerable groups, identify online recruitment, which can lead to exploitation, take control of  personal data, work to prevent the implementation of intrusive surveillance systems, hold governments accountable for the use and abuse of technology and improve digital literacy in order to prevent violence and exploitation.

The network will aim to increase the level of understanding of complex and worrying trends and practices, trying to bring them closer to the general public in a language it can understand. By creating a common space for discussion and exchange, organisations and the media will be able to increase the impact of their individual efforts directed towards legislative, political and social changes.

For more information about the network please contact: [email protected] or/and [email protected].

Here you can find the full text of the SEE Digital Right Network Declaration. The Declaration is also available in BCS, Macedonian and Albanian.

The organisations that have joined the network are as follows:

1. A 11 – Initiative for Economic and Social Rights – Serbia
2. Balkan Investigative Regional Reporting Network (BIRN) – Bosnia and Herzegovina
3. Civic Alliance (CA) – Montenegro
4. Center for Internet, Development and Good Governance (IMPETUS) – North Macedonia
5. BaBe.hr– Croatia
6. Civil Rights Defenders (CRD)
7. Da se zna – Serbia
8. Gong – Croatia
9. Homo Digitalis– Greece
10. Open Data Kosovo (ODK) – Kosovo
11. Media Development Centre (MDC) – North Macedonia
12. Metamorphosis Foundation – North Macedonia
13. Montenegro Media Institute (MMI) – Montenegro
14. NGO Atina – Serbia
15. Partners Serbia – Serbia
16. Sarajevo Open Centre – Bosnia and Herzegovina
17. Share Foundation – Serbia
18. Vasa prava BiH – Bosnia and Herzegovina
19. Zašto ne? – Bosnia and Herzegovina

Check our in-depth coverage on these topics on the new Digital Rights focus page. Find out more about the latest digital rights developments, the use of invasive tech solutions, privacy breaches and other online rights violations in the countries of Central and Southeast Europe.