Author: Eleni Stamatoukou

Fellowship 2023: Call for Applications Open

We are awarding 10 fellowships to journalists from Central and South-Eastern Europe who have an idea for a story that needs dedicated on-the-ground reporting, in-depth research, generous funding and sustained editorial attention to do it justice.

Applications are solicited under this year’s theme, Security. Successful applicants will be selected by an independent committee to take part in our programme for professional development, culminating in the production of a compelling longform story to be published by BIRN and its media partners.

Our output takes the form of features, analysis and investigations, presented in depth for a global audience. We emphasise strong storytelling and rigorous, on-the-ground reporting – qualities traditionally associated with the best magazine journalism.

The Fellowship provides:

  • a bursary of €3,000
  • the chance to improve your reporting skills by working in close collaboration with world-class editors
  • ongoing mentoring and support from BIRN’s leading regional journalistic network, present in 14 countries of the Central and SEE region
  • the opportunity to participate in an introductory seminar in Vienna, May 13th – 16th , focused on reporting and storytelling techniques
  • the chance to win additional awards worth between 1.000 and 3.000 euros for the best three stories
  • worldwide publication of reports in local languages and English through our network of media partners
  • membership of the Fellowship alumni network, designed to support networking between fellows who have participated in the programme since 2007

This year’s call is open until March 28th. Please send us your proposal using the official application form.

To maximize your chances of a successful application read more about the programme including the tips from our editors

Here is what our editor, Neil Arun, has to say about this year’s topic.

Questions of security have dominated the news in a year that saw the return of large-scale war to Europe. But security takes many forms beyond protection from invading armies or soaring energy prices. In his famous “hierarchy of needs”, the US psychologist Abraham Maslow ranked the human requirement for security as utterly fundamental, superseded only by physiological needs.

The theme of this year’s Fellowship invites you to consider the many ways in which security – and its absence – are shaping your society. You could, for instance, examine some of the institutions around you that are entrusted to provide some form of security. What happens when they fail? What happens when they over-reach, abusing the trust placed in them? Who suffers? Who benefits? You can report on protection from violence, abuse and injustice. You can also report on economic security – or protection from poverty and exploitation. And then there is the protection of the environment from pollution to consider, and the protection of society from harmful technologies, and of essential supply chains from disruption. You can report on any of these things and you can, of course, also examine the impact of the war in Ukraine if you have a new and compelling story to tell about it.

The annual theme is always broad, in order to attract the broadest range of applications. If you want to apply for the Fellowship but do not have a story in mind, the theme should help you generate ideas. If you already have a story lined up, find a way of linking it to the theme. We will always value a strong application that is loosely linked to the theme over a weak application that is tightly linked to the theme.

About the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence

The Fellowship has been providing journalists with editorial guidance and funding to pursue agenda-setting stories for more than 15 years. Aimed at promoting the development of a robust and responsible press, the programme has helped shape journalistic standards across the region while boosting the careers of participating reporters.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and Erste Foundation set up the Fellowship in 2007 with a view to encouraging in-depth cross-border reporting in south-eastern Europe. In 2020, the programme was expanded to include four central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

To read our stories and find out more about the Fellowship please visit the Fellowship official page.

 

 

BIRN Celebrates Media4All’s Success at Project’s Final Conference in Tirana

BIRN celebrated the success of the project Media4All during the regional training conference “Independent Journalism Matters” held in Tirana from 9-10 March.

The conference gathered journalists and young people interested to become journalists, media workers and organisations from the Western Balkans involved within the project’s activities to talk about new trends in journalism, fact-checking and the importance of support and cooperation in journalism.

Representatives from BIRN involved in the project participated in the conference and shared success stories from its implementation in the past six months.

Together with representatives from the local media outlets supported for engaging in citizens reporting and for using the ECR tool developed by BIRN, they highlighted the importance of mentorship and support provided for local media for the production of quality fact-checked news. The need for continuous capacity building as an approach to countering disinformation was also highlighted.

“The ECR tool has helped us be closer to our audience. It supported us in establishing a sustainable two-way communication street with our audience.” Geri Emiri from Amfora, an ECR grantee from Albania, said.

Eleven mentors/editors from BIRN supported 28 local media outlets and enhanced the local journalists` skills in engagement journalism and raised their editorial standards, with a focus on storytelling, data analysis, verification and fact-checking, contributing to the fight against misinformation and disinformation.

Journalists from 46 media outlets included in the project were given training in fact-checking skills intended to combat misinformation and boost independent reporting.

“BIRN`s editors/ mentors provided comprehensive support for local media outlets for engaging citizens in their reporting, thus enabling direct communication with them and production of quality content. Through BIRN’s developed ECR tool, during the past six months, over 1,000 citizens from all Western Balkan countries were involved in the work of 28 local media outlets proposing topics of their interest and local importance that were further investigated and fact-checked by the local media outlets. Support for countering disinformation and misinformation and fact-checking was also provided through a set of training activities organised by BIRN,” Milka Domanovic, BIRN Network Regional Director, said.

The Conference agenda included discussions and presentations about gender and youth and discources on Digital Dis/Misinformation, Understanding Meta Algorithms and TikTok Distribution, Core Values as a Compass for Media Professionals, Gender Disinformation and other issues.

Key successes on using social media and engaging with audiences and relevance of the content were shared. Speakers also presented tips and tricks on why journalists should use TikTok, the strategy and context on TikTok, profiling the audience and the power of journalists’ creativity on TikTok and the importance of your community.

The Media for All project is being implemented in six countries in the region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. BIRN is working in partnership with the British Council, Thomson Foundation and Intrac on the project, which is funded by the UK government, with special attention to engaging the public in reporting and fighting fake news.

 

Tech Company Algorithms Changing Serbia’s Media for Worse, BIRN Report Finds

Visibility is replacing public interest as editors’ priority, while the media landscape is becoming ever more fragmented due to media drives to accommodate tech-companies’ algorithms, BIRN Serbia report finds.

The production and distribution of news and other media content in Serbia is changing in order to adapt to the platform environment of social networks and algorithms managed by large global tech companies such as Google and Meta – which also affect the economic viability of the media in the country – a new BIRN Serbia report, Algorithms, Networks and Media Sustainability: a Game of Big Numbers, finds.

The digital environment managed by a small number of global tech companies is the source of various negative phenomena in the media; the media are expected to produce large amounts of content that adapts to the logic of algorithms, and not always and necessarily to the public interest in information, according to the report. .

Journalistic practice is changing in the direction of producing as much content as possible, with little information value, and headlines are designed to cause psychological reactions in the audience and increase the number of “clicks“ and views.

This type of journalism turns out to be most profitable for generating money from digital advertising. Only a small number of media can follow the trends of the “big numbers” and make money from digital advertising, while the rest of the media still rely on government and other forms of donations, the report says.

Some of the key findings of the report are:

  • Platformization of journalism, which implies complete dependence of the media on the infrastructure of global social network platforms, as well as the mirroring of economic relations in the media sector.
  • Favouring the production of a large number of texts, of low-quality and “clickable“ content, which “feeds“ the algorithms with quick changes and contributes to greater virality and visibility. This content is of low quality, does not contribute to public information, and at the same time normalizes “clickbait” journalism as a legitimate product of an algorithmic environment.
  • Creating a gap between a small number of large media companies that can withstand the race for “big numbers” and the rest of the media that do not have the capacity or resources to adapt to this environment. There is also the creation of a concentration of a small number of publishers who can ensure sustainability from digital advertising, while other media continue to rely on government and other donations.
  • Media surrender their editorial role, relying on metrics and statistics in the selection of topics, while the public interest remains in the background.
  • In strategic and other relevant documents, the idea of “techno-solutionism” (the use of technology for economic progress) prevails, without critical reflection on its negative consequences, while the development of alternative models of sustainability that will not threaten the public interest in information is absent.

The report primarily deals with the media system of Serbia and its capacity to adapt to the digital and platform environment. It was created on the basis of in-depth interviews with digital platform experts and representatives of the media and advertisers.

“These findings, as well as the entire report, should be read through the prism of the situation in the media information system in Serbia, which has been burdened with a lack of media freedom for decades, captured by political structures and under constant economic pressure,” said Tanja Maksić, co-author of this report.

“Adapting to the conditions dictated by a small number of powerful tech companies, the media took over the design and logic of the platforms and subordinated the distribution of media content to platforms and search engines, and thus consequently also their economic viability, which increasingly depends on the policies and decisions of the tech companies,” she added.

The legislative framework in Serbia only somewhat regulates the position of online media and digital advertising, usually taking over the regulatory mechanisms of traditional media.

Current Law on Public Information and Media recognizes online media as one of the forms of public information and reflects almost all the rights and obligations of traditional media to those in the digital sphere.

The same happens with the Law on Advertising, which treats digital advertising equally to all other forms of advertising, making no distinction between an advertising message in traditional or online media.

The media strategy devotes an entire chapter to the development of the media in the digital environment. The proposed measures are primarily concerned with raising the digital competencies of journalists. Without an adequate response, however, issues such as content distribution, billability and removal of content from platforms remain.

This as well as previous similar reports BIRN Serbia makes available to the media, experts and decision-makers, in order to advance the debate on media policies and on the quality of information and the change in professional standards in the digital environment.

 

 

BIRN Kosovo Holds Training for Media on Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism and Reintegration and Resocialization Reporting

On February 20, BIRN Kosovo held one training for central and local media to increase their capacities on R&R (Reintegration and Resocialization) and P/CVE (Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism) reporting.

More specifically, the training focused on the problems that have arisen when reporting on violent extremism and terrorism in Kosovo, including the importance of ethical reporting, media outlets’ hesitation to report on these matters, and how to fight narratives in the battle against violent extremism and terrorism as well as raise public awareness instead of spreading fear, hatred and stigmatization.

The training was delivered by Kreshnik Gashi, editor-in-chief at KALLXO.com, and brought together Mensur Hoti, Director of the Department for Public Safety at the Ministry of Interior, and 11 participants, of whom six were women.

The participants represented different media outlets in Kosovo, including public and national TV, national radios and national portals, such as KOHA, Gazeta Express, Insajderi, Radio Kosova, Demokracia.com and Paparaci, as well students of journalism from the University of Prishtina “Hasan Prishtina”.

The training was organized as part of the “Resilient Community Program”, a project that is funded by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF).

 

BIRN Kosovo Hosts Debate on Impact of Fake News and Misinformation on Economy

Over 20 high school students of Hasan Prishtina Economy High School of Prishtina municipality participated in the debate organized by BIRN Kosova on the “Impact of fake news and misinformation on economy”, which took place at this school.

The activity kicked off with the screening of educative reportage “MISINFORMATION IN ECONOMY” and  continued with the presentation and discussion of the panel composed by Kreshnik Gashi, Member of the Kosovo Press Council, correspondent of Reporters without Borders for Kosovo and managing editor of KALLXO.com; Lamir Thaçi, Information Officer at Food and Veterinary Agency of Kosovo; Visar Prebreza, Managing Editor at KALLXO.com

The highlight of the debate raised by the panelists comprised of a set of points starting with the fact that the businesses are among the biggest producers of fake news. Whether the news is that the products are dangerous or successful is part of propaganda aimed at increasing or decreasing the purchase of certain product, they said.

The fake news on the economy circulating in recent years in Kosovo included the possible bankruptcy of banks, the danger from some food products and that the market will lack supplies. The fake news was intended to boost sales and harm competition

With the start of the war in Ukraine, fake news intensified and citizens were bombarded with information of a fuel crisis.

Young participants in the debate were advised on how to verify the accuracy of information by identifying which actors are competent to give information on products and other methods that assure deep research and bring true information.

Participants were instructed to share with their peers the knowledge they reached during this activity of reportage followed by a panel discussion.

Thewactivity was carried out within the UNMIK-supported project “Addressing disinformation through fact-checking journalism”.

 

 

Media as a means to improve the transparency of the justice system and the fight against terrorism and violent extremism

BIRN Kosovo

The project aim is to contribute to making justice institutions in Kosovo more transparent and accountable, thereby increasing public demand for the enhancement of their performance.

In the frame of this project, which is a continuation of the Italian MFA-funded project “Media Strengthening the Rule of Law in Kosovo”, BIRN Kosova will implement activities such as monitoring and analysing court hearings on corruption and terrorism cases, and writing and publishing articles to increase public awareness and institutional facilitation of education and training programs for convicted fighters returned from war zones.

Summary:

The judicial system in Kosovo has made tremendous improvements to its work and management. However, challenges remain, especially when it concerns the transparency and accountability of judicial institutions. These lack an open approach towards citizens; protracted court proceedings, unskilled judges and ongoing struggles with backlogs of cases make for an inefficient system that does not deliver to citizens.

BIRN has identified a number of shortcomings in the justice system’s handling of corruption cases, including frequent postponements of court hearings, overdue processes, sentences that do not align with penal policy, changes of witness statements and the evaluation of evidence in a selective manner.

Some of the challenges identified during the monitoring of cases of terrorism and violent extremism include lack of a clear punitive policy when it comes to the resolution of these cases, lack of a vision as to whether or not punishments help in the resocialization process of returnees, and a lack of supplementary and conditional punishments which would condition convicts to follow educational and training programs while they remain incarcerated, etc.

The project aims to ensure the transparency of the judicial system, promoting the rule of law and representing the public interest by monitoring court hearings on corruption and terrorism, as well as providing institutions with follow-up recommendations, promoting accountability and raising awareness by accurately informing the public on the respective court cases with regard to corruption and terrorism.

It also aims to inform the public of the importance of education and training programs for the resocialization of convicted fighters returned from war zones, while also contributing to increased demand from respective institutions to implement such programs.

Donor:

Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation through the Italian Embassy in Pristina

Main Objectives:

Objective 1: Increase public demand for delivering rule of law commitments by Kosovo’s judicial institutions, including the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cases of corruption, terrorism and violent extremism.

Objective 2: : Increase the responsiveness of judicial institutions implementing their rule of law commitments owed to the citizenry of Kosovo.

Objective 3: Increase public awareness and institutional facilitation of education and training programs for convicted fighters returned from war zones.

Main Activities:

  1. Monitoring at least 20 court hearings related to cases of corruption
  2. Monitoring at least 10 court hearings related to cases of terrorism and extremism
  3. Participating in meetings with the drafting committee to follow up recommendations
  4. Publishing 30 short news items based on the monitoring of 50 court hearings on corruption terrorism and extremism
  5. Publishing an analytical report based on the findings of the monitoring of cases of corruption, terrorism and extremism
  6. Broadcasting one (1) TV program based on the findings of monitoring related to cases of corruption, terrorism and extremism
  7. Monitoring five (5) cases in which the parole panel has released people convicted of terrorism-related charges prematurely
  8. Monitoring five (5) cases related to terrorism and extremism to ascertain the success rate of the resocialization process
  9. Publishing an analytical report based on the findings on the monitoring of the above-mentioned cases

Target Groups:

  • Public officials of Justice institutions of Kosovo
  • Returnees from war zones
  • Citizens of Kosovo

Main implementer:

BIRN Kosovo

 

 

BIRN Holds National SEE Digital Rights Network Meeting in Serbia

BIRN organised the first National SEE Digital Rights Network meeting for network members from Serbia in Belgrade on February 20.

The event focused on knowledge-sharing and brought together 13 participants from various organisations who explored the possibilities of new partnerships and collaboration in the field of digital rights.

In the first session of the meeting, SHARE Foundation presented the  work that the network has implemented so far, including collaborative activities in preparing digital rights-related reports and conducting campaigns such one in October 2022 focusing on cybersecurity.

This was followed by the presentation of an upcoming campaign called ‘Cyber Intimacy’.

The second session featured presentations of the work of network members from Serbia in the digital rights field.

The network members that attended were Partners Serbia, CRTA, YUCOM, Civil Rights Defenders, Share Foundation. They were joined by representatives of potential new members of the network, the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia, Belgrade International Law Circle and BIRN Serbia.

Afterwards, all the participants discussed future steps for the network and tried to find common denominators among members for potential collaborative opportunities.

The participants expressed great interest in contributing to forthcoming network activities and shared their views and recommendations for upcoming collaborations and internal capacity-building.

The meeting ended with an agreement about several activities that will be implemented within the network on the national level in Serbia, while follow-up meetings, including those with regional members of the network, were also announced.

Established in 2020 by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, and Share Foundation, SEE Digital Rights Network aims to respond to the challenges of the growing and fast-evolving use of advanced technologies and address data protection concerns and online violations.

This activity was carried out as part of the Mapping Digital Rights Violations and Fighting Disinformation in Central Europe Region project and made possible through support from the UN Democracy Fund.

 

 

Supporting CSOs and/or media to advance investigative journalism and increase high-quality media content on procurement and public finance irregularities

BIRN Kosovo

This project aims to increase transparency and accountability from local governance institutions by producing and publishing stories on public spending abuses, institutional wrongdoings and corrupt affairs. It aims to help build the capacity of journalists and journalism students to monitor and report about corruption, public procurement and public expenditure.

Summary:

In 2021, through public procurement, 160 different institutions in Kosovo signed 9,892 contracts worth over €429.6 million. The main source of funding for public tenders was the state budget, which accounted for about 80 per cent of them. The value of the signed contracts was about 17 per cent of Kosovo’s total budget. The European Commission’s 2022 report on Kosovo said the country remains in the early stages of preparation for the fight against corruption. Yet there is little media coverage of irregularities in public procurement procedures, even though it is one of the fields most vulnerable to corruption.

Local media in Kosovo mostly stay in their comfort zones, using traditional reporting methods and resisting adaptation to new technological trends. Most local journalists continue to engage almost exclusively in protocol journalism and reporting from events rather than conducting publicly beneficial or investigative journalism.

A lack of subject specialisation also hinders journalists. A report published by the National Democratic Institute in July 2022 said limited resources at news outlets mean journalists are obliged to cover a wide range of topics and areas, often without knowledge or expertise. A journalist might cover the economy and national security one week and justice affairs the following week. International reports and journalists in Kosovo have identified the overextension of journalists as a significant challenge to their professionalism.

The project “Contribute to Strengthening Independent, Investigative and Publicly Beneficial Journalism and Freedom of Expression in Kosovo”, which BIRN implemented in 2018-20, mentored and financed 20 individual journalists through fellowships. A sub-granting scheme also provided support to 48 grantees, including 26 individual journalists (of whom 12 were women) and 22 media organisations (16 of which were based in non-majority communities).

The project’s beneficiaries produced around 440 pieces of journalism that were republished in media across Kosovo and the region, often resulting in behavioural change from authorities. In an era where Russian-produced propaganda is affecting the entire Western Balkans — a phenomenon that has intensified since the invasion of Ukraine — BIRN Kosovo will build on this previous experience to further improve the resilience of Albanian and Serbian media in Kosovo to resist fake news and fight for a journalism that does not only report on the world but fights for a better one.

The people involved in this project will be learning from the best. In 2021 alone, BIRN’s investigative journalists and camera operators won eight awards for their stories on corruption, public procurement and the environment. In its 2021 Investment Climate Statement on Kosovo, the US State Department listed BIRN as a resource for reporting corruption for the second time in a row.

BIRN Kosovo has an experienced team of editors, journalists, legal advisors, procurement and financial experts, camera operators, audio and video editors, designers and producers, who work tirelessly to produce impactful written journalism and televised programmes.

Donor:

USAID

Main Objectives:

Objective 1: Contribute to an increase in transparency and accountability from local governance institutions by producing and publishing stories on public spending abuses, institutional wrongdoings and corrupt affairs.

Objective 2: Build the capacity of journalists and journalism students in monitoring and reporting about corruption, public procurement and public expenditure.

Main Activities:

Activity 1. Draft and compile an investigative journalism handbook.

Activity 2. Organise one (1) Public Procurement School with journalists and journalism students, and publish 20 stories.

 Activity 3. Publish four (4) investigative analyses on best practice in public finances and public procurement.

 Activity 4. Organise three (3) Chatham House-style community meetings

Target Groups:

Journalism students

Journalists

Municipalities

NGOs

Institutional officials

Procurement institutions

Citizens of Kosovo

Implementer:

BIRN Kosovo

 

 

Supporting CSOs to monitor procurement activities in the USAID KMI Phase 1 municipalities and Ministry of Health

BIRN Kosovo

This project aims to contribute to an increase in transparency and accountability in local government institutions by monitoring procurement activities at local and central levels and publishing a report on public spending abuses, institutional wrongdoings and corrupt affairs.

Summary:

According to the European Commission’s 2022 report, Kosovo is still in the early stages of preparation in the fight against corruption. Civil society engagement and media coverage of irregularities in public procurement procedures is limited, particularly at local level. Local media in Kosovo mostly remain within their comfort zone, utilizing traditional methods of reporting and resisting adapting to new technological trends and touching on the interests of contracting authorities or economic operators.

Even when civil society or the media do report on corruption affairs, due to limited exposure of the findings, public institutions often do not address the reported issues or take any remedial actions, especially when this reporting relates to corruption among public officials.

The phenomenon of corruption enables the powerful and the corrupt to maintain their power, acquire wealth from the state and avoid punishment. Ordinary citizens pay the price through livelihood loss, poor public services, limited opportunities and by losing trust in democracy, as they witness government institutions serve private interests. According to a Transparency International report, this happens at all levels of government in the Western Balkans, including in Kosovo – from local to national level – where chains of loyalty and mutual benefits lead officials to abuse their office and tighten the grip of a few networks on these countries.

In 2021, through public procurement, 160 different institutions in Kosovo signed 9,892 contracts worth over €429.6 million. The main source of funding for public tenders was from the state budget – about 80 per cent. The value of the signed contracts equaled about 17 per cent of the total budget of Kosovo.

Kosovo municipalities also lack civic activism and face general apathy, especially when it comes to oversight of works and services delivered by the municipalities. A limited number of citizens attend budget hearings held during the process of drafting municipal budget, which consequently sees projects being funded that do not necessarily represent the actual needs, priorities or concerns of citizens. Similar apathy is also noted in the implementation of public contracts. Few citizens possess information on details of the project, the obligations of the contractors and building standards, which in turn sees many projects lacking the desired quality, as was initially contracted. Unfortunately, this often goes unreported as media, which, when they do not have the necessary information, cannot report or demand corrections when something is wrong in the public contracts.

To respond to some of these issues, Democracy Plus, D+ and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN Kosovo, have joined efforts to design a response to the Terms of Reference. This proposal brings a triangular approach that connects direct monitoring on the ground, comprehensive thank-tank reporting based on research and media reporting to generate public pressure and response once remedial action is needed or good practices are identified in need of promotion.

D+ and BIRN Kosovo bring a combined past performance of excellence in the areas required by this ToR, a team experienced in project management, quality assurance, procurement and financial experts, with policy analysts, editors, journalists, legal advisors, camera operators, audio and video editors, designers and producers, who work to produce impactful written journalism and TV programmes.

Civil society in Kosovo often plays an important role in promoting integrity, exposing wrongdoing, providing recommendations for public institutions and fighting corruption. The vast experience of D+ and BIRN Kosovo in monitoring public procurement processes at the central and local level will ensure the success of this project.

Donor:

USAID

Main Objectives:

 Objective 1: Contribute to an increase in transparency and accountability in local government institutions by monitoring their procurement activities and publishing a report, op-ed and infographics on public spending abuses, institutional wrongdoings and corrupt affairs.

Main Activities:

Activity 1. Direct monitoring of 27 tenders at the pre-tendering, tendering and contract management phases in the municipalities of Gjakovë/Djakovica, Gjilan/Gnjilane, Lipjan/Lipljan, Pejë/Peć, Pristina, Rahovec/Orahovac, Suharekë/Suva Reka, Vushtrri/Vučitrn, and the Ministry of Health

 Activity 2. Publication of one comprehensive monitoring report generated from the direct monitoring and research

 Activity 3. Roundtable for publication of the monitoring procurement report

 Activity 4. Publication of one op-ed, and three infographics which visualize the findings

Target Groups:

Municipalities

NGOs

Institutional officials

Procurement institutions

Citizens of Kosovo

Main implementer:

Democracy Plus

Partners:

BIRN Kosovo

 

 

Addressing Misinformation through Fact-checking Journalism

BIRN Kosovo

This project aims to contribute to combating the spread of fake news and disinformation in Kosovo by raising awareness and promoting fact-checking reporting among the people of Kosovo and supporting fact-checking journalism. The project aims to increase public awareness on fake news and disinformation, especially among marginalized groups such as women, the young and members of non-majority communities.

Summary:

In a multi-ethnic, post-conflict society, misinformation has the potential to adversely impact conditions for sustained peace and coexistence among communities and create political strife, apart from having many of the same consequences that fake news has across the globe.

The project comes at a critical time, as Kosovo witnesses an upward trend in the spread of fake news and disinformation. Media outlets lack the capacity to report on these issues and uphold professional fact-checking standards, while consumers are not well equipped to spot fake news stories and debunk them.

With this project, BIRN Kosovo will continue its work of increasing public awareness of fake news and disinformation, especially among marginalized groups such as women, the young and members of non-majority communities. Through training workshops, short videos, fact-checking articles, TV programmes and other related activities, BIRN will seek to provide objective facts and information to all Kosovo citizens, educating them on how to identify, analyse and debunk fake news misinformation and disinformation.

Donor:

UNMIK

Main Objectives:

Objective 1: enhance media literacy: Youth across Kosovo will gain necessary knowledge of fact-checking and accurate reporting, subjects fundamental to journalistic ethics and skill development, which otherwise have no formal educational training.

Objective 2: increase public awareness of fake news and disinformation relating to areas such as security, health, the economy and culture, creating more discerning consumers of news and reducing the susceptibility of local populations to misinformation and how this phenomenon affects the lives of citizens.

Objective 3: improve knowledge of people across all communities on fake news and disinformation as well as the impacts of these phenomena in society; Increase public awareness of unfolding situations through accurate, timely and objective media reporting.

Objective 4: raise awareness among Albanian and Serbian-speaking communities in Kosovo of fake news relating to inter-ethnic issues, therefore reducing inter-ethnic strife and advancing sustainable peace.

Main Activities:

  1. Organise three (3) training workshops on fact-checking journalism with young journalists and students from different communities in Kosovo.
  2. Produce five (5) short videos on fake news and disinformation, aimed at increasing public awareness of and public vigilance towards fake news and disinformation.
  3. Screen short videos in high school across different municipalities in Kosovo.
  4. Publish 60 articles that debunk fake news or misinformation circulating across various platforms in Kosovo.
  5. Provide fact-checked real-time, accurate reporting during crisis situations.
  6. Broadcast two (2) TV programmes on the impact of fake news on society.
  7. Establish an anti-disinformation partnership with local Serbian-language media.
  8. Publish ten (10) articles debunking fake news as a result of this partnership.

Target Groups:

  • Members of all ethnic communities in Kosovo, particularly Albanians and Serbs
  • Students and journalists of local media from different ethnic backgrounds
  • Citizens of Kosovo

Main implementer:

BIRN Kosovo

Project associates:

Gracanica Online