Category: News and Events

BIRN Albania Publishes Data Journalism Manual

‘Getting Started in Data Journalism’ is a manual published by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania which aims to introduce journalists to data-driven reporting techniques that are essential to contemporary investigative journalism.

The manual was authored by BIRN editor Lawrence Marzouk and the investigative journalist Crina Boros.

As an editor for BIRN, Marzouk leads a cross-border team of journalists, sending huge volumes of freedom of information requests, scraping data and using traditional reporting methods to delve into high-level corruption in the Balkans and beyond.

Boros is an intrepid investigative journalist who reports on conflicts of interest, vulnerable groups, problematic policies and the use of public funds.

Over the past decade, data journalism has become a buzzword in media circles, grabbing the attention of traditional reporters and appearing on university syllabuses across the world.

Although universally accessible, ‘Getting Started in Data Journalism’ was written with Albanian journalists in mind. Its aim is to help reporters understand the power of harnessing data to deliver impactful story ideas which can hold power to account, expose corruption and highlight wrongdoing.

The manual aims to set reporters on the path of data journalism, but also be useful for the everyday work of journalists in general.

The whole manual is available here.

BIRN Albania Documentary Screened at Kosovo’s Dokufest

The BIRN Albania documentary ‘Free Flow’, which follows local resistance to the construction of hydropower plants in Albania, was screened on August 5 and 6 at Dokufest, the international documentary and short film festival in Prizren, Kosovo.

‘Free Flow,’ which was directed by award-winning film-maker Elton Baxhaku, is competing in the national documentary competition at Dokufest.

The film draws attention to the decades-long struggle of Albanian villagers, activists and civil society against hydropower projects which pose a threat to the environment and the local tourism industry.

In cooperation with Balkan Green Foundation and Kosovo Civil Society Consortium for Sustainable Development, BIRN Albania helped organise a panel discussion at Dokufest, called ‘Reflect the Green in You’, which focused on the harmful development of hydropower plant projects in national parks and downstream areas.

As well as the ‘Free Flow’ director Elton Baxhaku, among the panellists at the Dokutalks event held on August 6 at Prizren’s old hamam were BIRN Albania editor-in-chief Besar Likmeta,  Aleksandra Bujaroska from the organisation Front in Macedonia, Ena Bavcic from Civil Rights Defenders in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Fabian Techene from WWF Adria. The panel was moderated by Visar Azemi from the Balkan Green Foundation.

The next screening of the documentary will be held in Sarajevo on August 12.

Kosovo Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence Programme Launched Today

The application process for Kosovo Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence Programme 2018 is now open. The programme will begin in September 2018 and is based on the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, which has been running since 2007.

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – BIRN Kosovo and Associacion of Journalists of Kosovo – AJK invite all interested journalists to apply to the 6 months fellowship, provided by the European Union in Kosovo.

10 ambitious and daring journalists will be selected by a team of local and regional professionals to become part of this dynamic and enriching experience. Each fellow will be granted a 2,000 euro fellowship bursary for an in-depth research story covering issues such as public spending, local governance, public procurement, environment, energy, healthcare, culture, education, media financing, human rights, inter-ethnic cooperation, etc.

In addition, the selected journalists will receive mentorship by a team of highly-skilled BIRN Kosovo editors, who have extensive experience in producing and editing high quality reporting in Kosovo and the region; recognized for their excellence by several organizations and awarded for unbiased and professional reporting by the main media bodies in Kosovo.

At the end of the programme, fellows are expected to have produced an original research/investigative story. The format may vary from written articles, to TV reportages or content presented in a multimedia format. Stories of the selected fellows will be published in Albanian, Serbian and English. BIRN will ensure republication of fellowship articles in other local media in order to increase the outreach of the stories produced.

Are you interested in becoming part of this prestigious program?

Fill in the Application Form and submit your application by midnight on 24 August 2018, to [email protected].

Any questions regarding this programme or the application can be addressed to [email protected], by 17 August 2018 at the latest.

The proposals can be submitted in either Albanian, Serbian or English, the three working languages to be used during the fellowship.

Women and members of non-majority communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

U lansua programi i Bursës së Kosovës për Ekselencë në Gazetari

Procesi i aplikimit për Programin e Bursës së Kosovës për Ekselencë në Gazetari’ për vitin 2018 tani është hapur. Programi do të fillojë në shtator 2018 dhe është i bazuar sipas Bursës Ballkanike për Ekselencë në Gazetari, që ka filluar qysh në vitin 2007.

Rrjeti Ballkanik i Gazetarise Hulumtuese – BIRN Kosova dhe Asociacioni i Gazetarëve të Kosovës – AGK ftojnë të gjithë gazetarët e interesuar që të aplikojnë për këtë bursë 6-mujore, të ofruar nga Bashkimi Europian në Kosovë.

10 gazetarë ambiciozë dhe të guximshëm do të zgjidhen nga një ekip profesionistësh lokalë dhe rajonalë për t’u bërë pjesë e kësaj përvoje dinamike dhe të pasur. Secili anëtar do të përfitojë bursë prej 2,000 euro për një storie të thellë hulumtuese që mbulon çështjet si shpenzimet publike, qeverisja lokale, prokurimi publik, mjedisi, energjia, shëndetësia, kultura, arsimi, financimi i mediave, të drejtat e njeriut, bashkëpunimi ndëretnik etj.

Përveç kësaj, gazetarët e përzgjedhur do të përfitojnë mentorim nga një ekip redaktorësh të kualifikuar të BIRN Kosova, të cilët kanë përvojë të gjerë në prodhimin dhe redaktimin e raportimit të cilësisë së lartë në Kosovë dhe në rajon, si dhe janë vlerësuar për ekselencën e tyre nga disa organizata dhe kanë fituar çmime për raportim të paanshëm dhe profesional nga organet kryesore të mediave në Kosovë.

Në fund të programit, bursistët priten të kenë prodhuar një storie origjinale hulumtuese/kërkimore. Formati mund të ndryshojë, nga storie të shkruara, në reportazhe televizive ose përmbajtje të paraqitura në format multimedial. Storiet e bursistëve të përzgjedhur do të publikohen në shqip, anglisht dhe serbisht. BIRN do të sigurojë ripublikimin e storieve të bursistëve në mediat e tjera lokale në mënyrë që të rrisë shtrirjen e storieve të prodhuara.

A jeni të interesuar të jeni pjesë e këtij programi prestigjioz?

Plotësoni formularin e aplikimit dhe dorëzoni aplikacionin tuaj deri në mesnatë më 24 gusht 2018, tek [email protected] .

Çdo pyetje në lidhje me këtë program ose aplikacion mund të drejtohet tek [email protected], më së voni deri më 17 gusht 2018.

Propozimet mund të dorëzohen në shqip, anglisht ose serbisht, që janë tri gjuhët e punës të cilat do të përdoren gjatë kohëzgjatjes së programit.

Gratë dhe pjesëtarët e komuniteteve pakicë inkurajohen fuqishëm që të aplikojnë.

DANAS JE LANSIRAN PROGRAM STIPENDIJA ZA NOVINARSKU IZUZETNOST NA KOSOVU

Proces podnošenja prijave za program Stipendija za novinarsku izuzetnost na Kosovu za 2018 je ovim otvoren. Program će početi u septembru 2018. i zasnovan je na Balkanskoj stipendiji za novinarsku izuzetnost, koja se sprovodi od 2007.

Balkanska Istraživačka Regionalna Mreža (BIRN) i Udruženje Novinara Kosova (AGK), pozivaju sve zainteresovane novinare da se prijave za šestomesečnu stipendiju, koju obezbeđuje Evropska unija na Kosovu.

10 ambicioznih i smelih novinara će izabrati tim lokalnih i regionalnih profesionalaca kako bi postali deo ovog dinamičnog i obogaćujućeg iskustva. Svaki stipendista će dobiti stipendiju od 2.000 evra za detaljnu istraživačku priču koja pokriva pitanja kao što su javna potrošnja, lokalna uprava, javne nabavke, životna sredina, energetika, zdravstvena zaštita, kultura, obrazovanje, finansiranje medija, ljudska prava, međuetnička saradnja itd.

Osim toga, odabrani novinari će dobiti mentorstvo tima visokokvalifikovanih urednika BIRN Kosovo, koji imaju veliko iskustvo u produkciji i uređivanju visokokvalitetnog izveštavanja na Kosovu i regionu; priznatih po njihovoj izvrsnosti od nekoliko organizacija i nagrađivanih za nepristrasno i profesionalno izveštavanje od strane glavnih medijskih tela na Kosovu.

Na kraju programa, očekuje se da stipendiste naprave originalnu ispitivačku/istraživačku priču. Format se može razlikovati od pisanih članaka do TV reportaža ili sadržaja prikazanog u multimedijalnom formatu. Priče izabranih stipendista biće objavljene na albanskom, engleskom i srpskom jeziku. BIRN će obezbediti ponovno objavljivanje članaka stipendista u drugim lokalnim medijima kako bi se povećalo pokriće izrađenih priča.

Da li ste zainteresovani da postanete deo ovog prestižnog programa?

Popunite obrazac prijave i pošaljite vašu prijavu do ponoći 24. avgusta 2018, na [email protected].

Sva pitanja u vezi ovog programa ili prijave mogu se poslati na [email protected], najkasnije do 17. avgusta.

Predlozi mogu biti podneti na albanskom, srpskom ili engleskom jeziku, a ova tri radna jezika će biti korišćena tokom stipendije.

Žene i pripadnici nevećinskih zajednica se snažno ohrabruju da se prijave.

BIRN Albania Documentary Screened in Valbona

The BIRN Albania documentary ‘Free Flow’, which follows local resistance to the construction of hydropower plants in Albania, was screened on Saturday in the village of Valbona, part of the Valbona Valley National Park where two of a planned 14 power plants are being built.

Directed by filmmaker Elton Baxhaku, the documentary follows villagers, activists, scientists and artists as they try to draw attention – in court and on the streets – to the threat posed to the environment and the local ecotourism industry.

Villagers from nearby Dragobia attended the screening, fresh from a sit-down demonstration last month on a road that traverses the valley, in protest at quarry explosions conducted by energy companies.

The next screening of ‘Free Flow’ will be on August 5-6 at Dokufest – the annual international film and documentary festival held in Prizren, Kosovo. It will then be shown in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo on August 12.

BIRN Romania Launches Reporting Project on Moldova

The Black Sea Trust For Regional Cooperation (BST), a project of the U.S. German Marshall Fund, has awarded BIRN Romania a journalism grant aimed at fostering mutual understanding between the peoples of Moldova and Romania via a series of human-interest stories (print and audio) on what it means to be citizens of these countries, separate states but yet so close in terms of history, culture and language.

Between September 2018 and May 2019, a total of at least ten journalists from Moldova and Romania will produce around 20 long-form, in-depth stories to be published locally and internationally. A selection of the stories will be published as an e-book for stakeholders and the general public.

“Despite many historical, cultural, linguistic and economic ties linking Moldova and Romania, most people from both countries still have little knowledge of one another. Media interest in daily issues is relatively high, but often characterised by unethical and unprofessional reporting”, says Marian Chiriac, director of BIRN Romania.

“In such a context, there is a clear need for human stories behind the official narratives, for fair, balanced, sensitive and educational long-form coverage to encourage greater understanding of one another.”

BIRN Recognised for Investigative Reporting in Montenegro

A prominent Montenegrin anti-corruption watchdog has named a BIRN investigation into financial abuses by local chiefs in the Montenegrin town of Ulcinj the best story using freedom of information requests in 2018.

The winner was announced on July 24 in Podgorica by The Network for Affirmation of the NGO Sector, MANS.

The award aims to highlight the achievements of investigative journalists and support and promote quality investigative journalism in Montenegro.

The article – Local Chiefs’ Financial Abuses Blight Montenegrin Costal Town – written by Sanja Rasovic and published in November 2017 on BIRN’s regional publication Balkan Insight, was part of the ‘Investigate for ME and EU’ project, which is being implemented by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) and BIRN.

Strengthening investigative reporting and the capacities of investigative journalists in Montenegro, as well as the quality of media coverage of EU negotiation chapters, are the focus of this EU-supported project that began in February 2017.

16 Applicants Receive Awards from BIRN’s EU-Funded Grant Scheme

Out of 41 applicants, including institutions, organisations and individuals, 16 were selected as beneficiaries of BIRN’s Medium and Small Grant Scheme, which is funded by the European Union

Out of 41 applicants, including institutions, organizations and individuals, 16 were selected as beneficiaries of BIRN’s Medium and Small Grant Scheme, which is funded by the European Union.

Through the project, “Support to Civil Society and Media Initiatives”, BIRN and its partners aim to assist individuals and organizations in the media sector in their efforts to improve transparency, independence and accountability in Kosovo within the sector itself and in Kosovo broadly.

This grant scheme is designed to “Contribute to strengthening independent, investigative and publicly beneficial journalism and freedom of expression in Kosovo,” and will provide 14 applicants with small grants of 5,000 euros or less, and two applicants with medium grants, which range from 20,000 to 30,000 euros.

The total amount spent on the grant scheme is 121,267 euros.

The grantees were selected by a professional jury, which met for the first time on June 18 to evaluate the 41 applicants. Their decision was based upon the relevance of the proposed actions and activities, creativity, quality of the financial offer, the project team’s potential and previous experience of the applicant.

The jury met again on June 21 to discuss a shortlist of applicants and compiled the final list of beneficiaries after reviewing the first evaluation. The objective for the selected applicants will be to contribute to the strengthening and development of investigative journalism and freedom of expression, increasing the skills of media professionals in monitoring, fact-checking and accountability across Kosovo for the public benefit. The selected proposals provide a variety of activities including capacity building, investigative reporting, production of documentaries, usage of public documents and address issues related to freedom of expression and fake news.

14 applicants from the selected list were awarded grants from Lot 1, Supporting document-based reporting on themes related to good governance, education, healthcare, economy and human rights and encourage access to public documents, and two of the selected applicants were awarded grants from Lot 2, Improving internal governance of the PCK and/or its members organizations in respecting labor laws, respecting copyright and applying best standards of media legislation & improving legal assistance to the media & improving the legal protection for whistleblowers.

All applicants received individual replies about their application, which also included an evaluation form with points and comments from the jury.

Below is the full list of the successful applicants of the Call for Proposals for the Medium and Small Grant Scheme package to “Contribute to strengthening independent, investigative and publicly beneficial journalism and freedom of expression in Kosovo” project.

List of awarded grantees

BIRN dodeljuje novčana sredstva za 16 kandidata u okviru EU programa

Šesnaest  od četrdeset jednog prijavljenog kandidata, uključujući institucije, organizacije i pojedince, dobiće novčana sredstva u okviru programa malih i srednjih subvencija koje dodeljuje BIRN Kosovo, a finansijski podržava Evropska unija. Projektom „Doprinos jačanju nezavisnog, istraživačkog i novinarstva u interesu javnosti, kao i slobode izražavanja na Kosovu“, BIRN i partneri imaju za cilj da pomognu pojedincima i organizacijama u medijskom sektoru u njihovim naporima na poboljšanju transparentnosti, nezavisnosti i odgovornosti, kako u okviru samog sektora, tako i na Kosovu uopšte.

Ovi grantovi deo su projekta „Doprinos jačanju nezavisnog, istraživačkog i javno korisnog novinarstva i slobode izražavanja na Kosovu.” Četrnaest kandidata dobiće subvencije do pet hiljada evra, a dva  sredstva  u rasponu od dvadeset do trideset hiljada evra.

Ukupan iznos odobrenih sredstava iznosi 121.267 evra.

Dobitnike grantova odabrao je žiri koji se sastao  prvi put 18. juna kako bi ocenio sve projekte, a ocenjivani su značaj predloženih aktivnosti, kreativnost, finansijski okvir i potencijal projektnog tima, kao  i prethodna iskustava kandidata. Žiri se zatim sastao 21. juna kako bi porazgovarao o užem krugu kandidata i sastavio konačan spisak dobitnika finansijske podrške. Izabrani kandidati daće doprinos jačanju i razvoju istraživačkog novinarstva i slobode izražavanja, usavršavajući veštine medijskih profesionalaca u monitoringu, proveri činjenica i odgovornosti na čitavom Kosovu, u interesu svih građana. Izabrani predlozi uključuju raznolike aktivnosti, među kojima su  izgradnja kapaciteta, istraživačko novinarstvo, produkciju dokumentarnih emisija, korišćenje javnih dokumenata, kao i bavljenje pitanjima slobode izražavanja i lažnih vesti.

Četrnaest kandidata dobilo je subvencije iz Lot 1: Podrška  izveštavanju o dobroj upravi, obrazovanju, zdravstvenoj zaštiti, privredi i ljudskim pravima i podsticanje pristupa javnim dokumentima, a dva subvencije iz Lot 2: Unapređenje unutrašnjeg upravljanja PCK (Pravni centar Kosova) i/ili njegovih organizacija članica u poštovanju zakona o radu, poštovanju autorskog prava i primeni najboljih standarda sadržanih u medijskim propisima ii poboljšanje pravne pomoći pružene medijima, kao i poboljšanje pravne zaštite uzbunjivača.

Svi kandidati su dobili individualne odgovore o uspehu njihove prijave, uz obrazac procene i poene i komentare žirija.

U nastavku sledi potpun spisak odabranih kandidata.

Lista dobitnika subvencija

Film about Wives of Syrian Fighters to Screen at DokuFest

The film ‘Voices from Within’, produced under the Resonant Voices granting scheme, which aims to challenge polarising, inflammatory and radicalising narratives in the Balkans, will be screened at the upcoming DokuFest film festival, which is being held from August 3-11 in Prizren, Kosovo.

The short film presents the stories of two Kosovo women whose husbands went to fight in Syria, and who are now the sole providers for their families.

The film-maker is Lum Çitaku, a creative director, editor and producer in Pristina, Kosovo.

‘Voices from Within’ was made as part of the Pristina-based project Women of Resilience – an initiative aiming to change the balance in public discourse and policy discussions about foreign fighters, which is currently dominated by male voices and experiences.

It will be screened within DokuFest’s ‘Radical Reflections’ strand, which offers a selection of films looking at some of the most pressing issues of today, from the rise of right-wing populism to religious extremism.

Resonant Voices Initiative is a joint programme run by CIJA US, BIRN and the Propulsion Fund to challenge extremist narratives in public discourse throughout the Western Balkans – in particular those disseminated online.

BIRN Bosnia Wins Award for Corruption Investigation

BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday won the 2018 ACCOUNT award for the best multimedia investigation into corruption for a report on the purchasing of safe goalposts for Bosnian schools.

The investigation, entitled ‘Children Wait for Safe Goalposts Due to Typo’, was written by BIRN Bosnia’s journalist Semir Mujkic, and was awarded by the USAID-funded Anticorruption Network – ACCOUNT as the best article in the multimedia section.

Mujkic wrote a series of articles about problems in the purchasing of safe goalposts in the country, after a child died after being hit by an unsafe goalpost in a playground, which can be read here.

After a decade focusing on transitional justice and war crimes issues, BIRN Bosnia has for the past two years expanded into covering wider rule-of-law topics.

Mirna Buljugic, BIRN Bosnia’s director, said that she was honoured to receive the award for the best investigation as there were dozens of contenders.

“At the same time, this award is a huge motivation to continue writing stories on corruption and informing the public in Bosnia and Herzegovina and abroad about the problems in our country,” Buljugic said.

Former Decan judge accused of abuse of office is released, her son is found guilty

An earmarked case for visa liberalization, the abuse of office and bribery case against a Decani judge, her son, and a police officer, ends with a single guilty verdict.

The Court in Ferizaj freed former judge Safete Tolaj from all charges of abuse of office on Friday.

According to the verdict the court announced on Friday, the State Prosecutor failed to prove the allegation that former Judge Tolaj, who resigned her post in November, had abused her office.

Judge Tolaj was indicted of abuse of office last year,  after BIRN’s Drejtesia ne Kosove programme aired footage of her son, Fisnik Tolaj, receiving a bribe in exchange of influencing judicial proceedings.

Fisnik, who faced charges of fraud, exertion of influence, forgery and illegal possession, and use of weapons, was found guilty on all charges and has been sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison.

The third defendant on the case, the police officer Granit Shehaj was also found not guilty on allegations of abuse of office, since according to the verdict, the prosecution also failed to prove that Shehaj exercised influence by abusing his position as a police officer.

The Ferizaj Court has refused the prosecution’s request to permanently confiscate an apartment valued at 40,000 euros, which is owned by the spouse of Fisnik Tolaj, Blerina Vishaj. The court has assessed that this property is not connected to the criminal offense, since the amount of this property exceeds the amount that Tolaj was being accused off.

The case is one of the 40 something earmarked cases for the track record of fighting corruption, the last criterion for Kosovo to get a visa-free regime to Schengen countries.

Originally published on BIRN’s Prishtina Insight.