Author: birnEU

BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting Kicks Off

Leading journalists and trainers from all over Europe have gathered in the Serbian town of Novi Sad to take part in the first BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting.

The one week programme kicked off on Monday with introductory speech of Gordana Igric, BIRN’s regional director, and guest trainers who are renowned investigative journalists including Don Ray and Drew Sullivan.
“We are pleased with the candidates and very excited to be organising this programme for the first time. I hope this school will become our annual tradition,” Gordana Igric said. 
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Don Ray, who is a multi-media producer, writer, author, journalist and lecturer has then tried to define investigative reporting – what makes it different from other types of journalism. This has been shown in a case study presented by Besar Likmeta, the editor for the BIRN in Albania, who has been talking about his investigative story named World Bank Demolished Albania Village.
Further insight on the investigative process – from getting a lead, formulating the investigative hypothesis to writing the story, fact and legal check, airing and publishing the report, follow up – has been given by Don Ray with Randall Joyce explaining how to do it for TV. 
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The OCCRP team has started its four-day programme on organised crime and corruption in order to show what are the schemes and scams that mark organised crime’s plunder of Balkan regions.
Meanwhile, another group of participants have uncovered a new world of Microsoft Excel while being trained in computer-assisted investigative journalism by Luuk Sengers.
With main focus on reporting on organised crime and corruption for print and broadcast media, the BIRN summer school is also aimed at covering the changing face of Balkan media ownership and violence against media professionals.

Radio Justice Marks One Year Anniversary

Over the past year BIRN BiH has produced and broadcast 50 weekly episodes of the Radio Justice magazine show.

The programme began on August 14, 2009 with the aim of presenting Justice Report articles to a broader group of people interested in trials conducted before the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The show is distributed to about 100 radio stations around Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the Diaspora. It is also available on the web page www.bim.ba every Friday.

 

“The public has to be sensitised about justice and war crimes issues. BIRN is the only media outlet systematically working towards achieving this goal. For as long as these issues are open, the weekly Radio Justice magazine will be a valuable media product. The shows are comprehensive, articulated and well designed,” said Emir Habul, editor-in-chief of informative programmes at BH Radio 1.

 

The 10-minute programme features an overview of the most important trials before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as topics and analyses related to war crimes processing in the country. It broadcasts audio recordings from the courtrooms as well as comments from experts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.

 

Over the past year, Radio Justice featured interviews with Meddzida Kreso, President of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina; Patrick Robinson, President of the Hague Tribunal; Milorad Barasin, Chief State Prosecutor; James Rodehaver, Chief of the OSCE’s Human Rights Department; Sonja Biserko, President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia; Vesna Terselic, Director of “Documenta” from Zagreb; and Mirsad Tokaca, President of the Research and Documentation Center in Sarajevo.  

 

Local media stations are important partners for the Radio Justice project. Mirsada Cosic, Editor of Informative Programmes at Konjic Radio, says the work of Justice Report journalists is important for the general public in Bosnia and Herzegovina. 

 

Dragana Sivonjic, Editor-in-Chief of the Vitez radio station, agrees Radio Justice is important.

 

“BIRN Radio Justice and the daily reports enable us to follow the trials, which we would otherwise not be able to follow due to the lack of journalists and the distance between Vitez and Sarajevo,” said Sivonjic.

 

 The Radio Justice Report team intends to continue implementing its projects in the next year with the aim of collaborating with radio stations and reaching to an even broader audience.

Life in Kosovo debates on the decrease of birthrate in Kosovo

This Thursday, Life in Kosovo debates on the birthrate decline in Kosovo.

Is birthrate decreasing in Kosovo? What is causing the fall of the number of newborn babies; modernization, the impossibility to raise children as desired, or problems with maternity-leave?

To discuss these and other issues related to birthrate in Kosovo, guests of Edona Musa in the studio will be:

Fehmije Gashi – Bytyçi,
Besa Ismaili – Ahmeti,
Xheraldina Pufja,
Valdete Daka,
Shpresa Hasimja.

After the debate, BIRN will broadcast a documentary on the Kosovar pilot James Berisha and his project “I fly for Kosovo” where you will learn about his lobbying, the hardships of the process, and the problem he had during a flight.

Also, at the end of the show, BIRN will broadcast an interview by Jeta Xharra with Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, head of the Madrid Office in the  European Council on Foreign Relations. In the interview, Torreblanca talks about why Spain does not recognize Kosovo as a state, and the perception of Kosovo in Spain.

 

 

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20

Life in Kosovo Debates the Management of Courts in Kosovo

This Thursday, Life in Kosovo will broadcast a debate on the management of courts in Kosovo in light of a new manual which dictates how they should be run.

What are the challenges and what is new in the court manual? When will the manual come into force? Are there any budgetary implications? Are the changes in the manual in harmony with the new draft law on courts which will enter into force in 2011?

In order to discuss these issues, and others related to the management of courts, the following guests will join Fation Ademi in the studio:

Enver Peci, head of the Judicial Council of Kosovo,
Murat Pacarada, administrator at the economic court in Prishtina,
Avdi Haxhaj, head of the municipal court in Drenas,
Ismail Haziri, administrator of the municipal court in Vushtri.

In the section Justice in Kosovo, a report by journalist Genc Nimoni will be broadcast on the new Palace of Justice, looking into how the construction is progressing and questions over land ownership.

During the show, BIRN will also broadcast an investigative reportage by the journalist Alban Selimi on whom in the QKUK, University Central Clinic of Kosovo, is against the establishment of a new emergency department.

 

In addition, Jeta Xharra’s interview with Kosovo artist Sislej Xhafa will be broadcast.

 

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20

Life in Kosovo Debates the Privatisation of PTK

Tonight, Life in Kosovo will broadcast a debate on the privatisation of Post and Telecommunications of Kosovo.

Should PTK be privatised? Why did the opposition boycott the privatisation strategy in parliament? How much is PTK worth? What will Kosovo benefit from this privatisation? Has the privatisation process been transparent until now?

 

How will PTK’s assets be divided? Why is 75 per cent of these assets been sold? What will happen to PTK employees? How will the recent investigations into PTK impact on potential investors?

To discuss these and other issues regarding the privatisation of PTK, Muhamet Hajrullahu’s guests in the studio will be:

Liridon Mavriqi, political advisor at the Ministry of Economy and Finance
Alban Hashani, from RIINVEST Institute
Avni Zogiani, from ÇOHU organisation
Naim Rrustemi, independent MP

After the debate, BIRN will broadcast an interview with Milazim Alshiqi, head of the PTK workers’ union, who talks of the position of the union with regards to the privatisation process.

In addition, BIRN will broadcast an interview by journalist Alban Selimi with the head sanitary inspector of Kosovo, Iliriana Zymberaj, who speaks about the violations of the law on smoking.

Meanwhile, in the Justice in Kosovo section, researcher Petrit Kryeziu looks at Kosovo’s international legal agreements.

Finally, BIRN journalist Jeta Xharra interviews the Albanian ambassador in the United Kingdom, Zef Mazi about the image of Albanians in Britain and the relationship of Albania and Kosovo with the UK

 

 

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20

BIRN BiH visits Der Erste Stiftung

BIRN – Justice Report journalist Denis Dzidic visited the offices of the foundation Der Erste Stiftung in Vienna as part of a journalist exchange program which the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network is implementing with Austrian newspaper Der Standard.

Dzidic visited Vienna between from July 26-29 where he met representatives of the Der Erste organization who introduced him to their educational projects in central and south-eastern Europe.

The exchange program started in April of this year, organized by Der Erste
Stiftung, and will include journalists from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia. One will travel to Vienna each month.

Dzidic also held meetings with representatives of associations of Bosnian citizens in Austria including the Center for Contemporary Initiatives in Linz, and the Association of Bosnian Authors of Upper Austria.

He also met with the BiH ambassador to Austria, Haris Hrle, and representatives of the Austrian  ministry of internal affairs, with whom he talked about migration processes from BiH to Austria.

Life in Kosovo Debates the Issue of Headscarves in Public Schools

This Thursday, Life in Kosovo discusses the issue of wearing headscarves in public institutions.

 

Who is worried by the use of headscarves? What are the administrative orders regarding headscarves based on? Does anyone encourage women to wear the veil? Does the ban on headscarves in public schools violate human rights?

To discuss this issue, Edona Musa has the following guests in the studio:

Besa Ismaili – Ahmeti,
Fehmije Gashi – Bytyçi,
Zana Beqiri and
Xheraldina Pufja – Rexhepi.

Life in Kosovo will then broadcast Jeta Xharra’s interview with Noel Malcolm, one of the most renowned British historians and writers, also author of Kosovo: A Short History, a book that enlightened the global public on the circumstances that led to the Kosovo conflict. Malcolm talks about the history of Kosovo and the identity problems in the region.

BIRN then broadcasts a reportage from the researcher Faton Adem on the lack of standardisation of court certificates in Kosovo.

 

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20

Summer School Application Close on August 9th

Places are still available for the BIRN summer school for an all-inclusive course fee of €549, which covers tuition, accommodation, meals and activities. However, the August 9th deadline is approaching fast, so please submit your application without delay.

BIRN’s summer school includes a range of specialist programmes, exercises and round-tables covering the changing face of Balkan media ownership, violence against media professionals, and more. Internationally famous journalists, trainers and presenters Don Ray, Mark Hunter, Luuk Sengers, Gavin Rees, Milorad Ivanovic, Manuela Mareso and the OCCRP training team with Drew Sullivan, Rosemary Armao and Paul Radu make up the training team along with BIRN’s in-house experts.

 

The programme is intensive but there will also be some time to tour the beautiful orchards, vineyards, monasteries and forests of the nearby Fruska Gora National Park, with visits scheduled to the Grgeteg, Hopovo and Krusedol monasteries in Fruska Gora, wine tasting in a 300-year-old wine cellar, and honey tasting in the Museum of Honey.

For full details of the programme and to submit your application go to https://birn.eu.com/en/1/340/28746/

Life in Kosovo discusses the advisory opinion of the ICJ Tonight

Life in Kosovo will hold a live discussion on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s independence.

What is the ICJ’s opinion? How will this reflect on recognitions of the state of Kosovo? Does the Kosovo side have a strategy for the future? What do the local political parties and civil society say? What are the first
impressions?

To discuss these topics, live on air, Muhamet Hajrullahu will be joined in the studio by:

Jakup Krasniqi – Head of the Assembly of Kosovo
Arsim Bajrami – Professor of Constitutional Law
Blerim Shala – Vice-president of AAK
Haki Abazi – Rockefeller Brothers Foundation

Following this, Life in Kosovo will broadcast an interview with Ivan Vejvoda, a civil society member with a strong influence on the Serb opinion.

The journalist Alban Selimi has prepared an investigative report into suspicious medicine sold in Kosovo. How did Kosovar children consume 10 thousand doses of paracetamol without active substances?

How did the Ministry of Health buy this paracetamol? Who should be held accountable, or are the Ministry officials above the law in this case? Researcher Faton Ademi talks about the sewage that flooded a neighbourhood in Mitrovica.

 

 

Free Places for Balkan Journalists Still Available

Journalists from South East Europe still have time to apply for full scholarship to attend BIRN’s unique Summer School of Investigative Reporting from August 22 to 28 within the Petrovaradin Fortress, in the stunning Fruska Gora National Park.

The deadline to apply for a full scholarship is July 25, while those paying the full course fee have until August 9 to sign up. The course fee of €549 and is all-inclusive, covering tuition, accommodation, meals and extra-curricular tours.

BIRN is looking for mid-career journalists from the Balkans to apply for the scholarship..

BIRN is gathering leading journalists and trainers, both from the Balkans and internationally to provide informative, insightful and entertaining training focused on investigative, computer-assisted and organised crime and corruption journalism, in print and broadcast media.

Confirmed speakers include renowned trainers and presenters Don Ray, Mark Hunter, Luuk Sengers, Gavin Rees, Milorad Ivanovic, Maunela Mareso and the OCCRP training team with Drew Sullivan, Rosemary Armao and Paul Radu.

The summer school will offer a full programme including exercises and round-tables on the changing face of Balkan media ownership, violence against media professionals, and more.
All applicants selected to attend the Summer School will get BIRN’s newly published textbook “Digging Deeper: A Guide for Investigative Journalists in the Balkans” free of charge.

There will also be time to tour the beautiful orchards, vineyards, monasteries and forests in the Fruska Gora National Park.

Finally, all participants will receive a BIRN Summer School certificate.

BIRN will provide all necessary documentation and assistance for applicants that required visas or travel documents.