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Project Financing of Media ‘a Challenge’ – BIRN Debate

Project financing is the way best way to distribute budget funds for the media – but the task will be a tough one, a BIRN conference on the New Media Economy heard in Belgrade on October 31.

The debate, which gathered around 40 participants, including media experts, journalists, professional associations, NGOs and representatives from Serbia’s government, followed BIRN Serbia’s presentation of a report on project financing of the media.

“The best way to distribute budget funds is through project financing – but all these projects should be implemented with greater professional standards,” Tanja Maksic, from BIRN Serbia, told the conference.

Project financing of the media means media outlets receiving state funds only via applications for projects under fair and transparent conditions.

Vukasin Obradovic, head of the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, NUNS, said project financing of the media was “a tough task,” especially for local media outlets.

“Local communities first need to make budgets for project financing of the media, form a specific commission and define what the public interest is,” Obradovic said, adding that this would take time.

Participants in the debate also addressed another important point – the privatization of the media, which should be completed by July 1, 2015.

“If media outlets are not privatised by that date, capital will be distributed free of charge to the employees,” Dusan Sutanovac, from Serbia’s Privatization Agency, told the conference.

According to the BIRN Serbia report, media financing through the state budget has so far been implemented in two ways: most of the funds were distributed directly (through public procurement procedures, directly from the budget or through direct contracting), while smaller amount of funds were distributed through open calls for content production.

The new media regulations, however, prescribe significant changes and introduce new practices in budgetary financing of media content under which open-call procedures are the only legal way of financing.

BIRN Serbia also presented analysis of the current practices of open-call procedures, earmarking potential pitfalls – lack of standards and criteria, lack of programme quality and lack of broadcasting possibilities.

The report has been presented at various regional centres in Serbia.

Albanian Press Praises BIRN Expose on Corruption

An investigation by BIRN Editor Lawrence Marzouk and local journalists in Albania and Serbia has received widespread republications and praise in the Albanian press and broadcast media.

The investigation ‘Albanian Telecoms Deal Cost ‘$1m to Buy Off Politicians’, Claim US Businessmen,’ uncovers how controversial Bosnian businessman Damir Fazlic, a fixer with powerful friends in Washington DC and the Balkans, requested $1m in ‘investment’ from its US partners for Albania’s Democratic Party, in order to secure a lucrative telecoms contract.

The investigation is part of a series of hard-hitting stories on Fazlic reported in the last few months by Marzouk and his team, focusing on the businessman’s ties to former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha and his family.

The last investigation received dozens of republications in the Albanian online, print and broadcast media and provided food for thought for local political commentators.

In an editorial in the daily Tema on October 23, publisher Mero Baze called for an official investigation by prosecutors based on the latest report published by BIRN.

“The prosecutors cannot turn a blind eye on the declarations made in a prestigious media by two American citizens,” Baze wrote.

“If the prosecutor’s office will not launch a probe…then it’s the prosecutor’s office that should be investigated,” he added.

The investigations on Fazlic are part of a project called “A Paper Trail to Better Governance”, financed by Austrian Development Agency to hone investigative journalism in the Balkans, hold officials to account and improve the implementation and use of freedom of information laws.

The stories published as part of the project have sparked political debate and led to calls for investigations of Albania’s former premier Sali Berisha and his family.

Reacting to a BIRN investigation which revealed how the inner circle around Berisha earned millions of euros from suspect land deals with Fazlic, Albanian Socialist MP Erjon Brace called on tax authorities to launch a probe.

“The tax and money-laundering authorities should verify the transactions of these oligarchs,” Brace wrote on his Facebook page.

“The new evidence is challenging and totally proves the allegations,” he said, referring to BIRN’s report.

BIRN Journalists Wins UNDP Award for Journalism Tackling Poverty

BIRN journalists Nektar Zogjani and Tinka Kurti were awarded the first prize for online investigative journalism about poverty by UNDP and the Journalists Association of Kosovo.

Their article “Misery of the Reconciliation Field Camp,” published in the portal Life in Kosovo, reflects the harsh life of the inhabitants of the“Pajtimi” neighborhood located on the outskirts of Prishtina.

Florent Zeqaj of Klan Kosovo won first prize in the TV category for his story “80 year old woman lives alone with her disabled son.” The second prize went to Merita Sekiraca from the TV program “I am Kosovo, too” on RTV 21.

In the category of printed media, the first prize went to Nexhat Toverlani from “Koha Ditore” with the article “The childhood this eleven-year-old is missing” and the second prize went to Saranda Ramaj also from Koha Ditore, with the article “45 former UCK soldiers committed suicide.”

For the best radio story the prize went to Ivan Miljkovic from “Radio 038 of Gracanica with the story “A tale about my mother.”

Xhemail Sllovinja from the newspaper Tribuna took first prize in the photography category.

This is the ninth year UNDP is giving out awards in Kosovo for journalism focused on poverty.

BIRN Serbia Debates Project Financing

BIRN Serbia held a public debate on the prospects of new models of budgetary financing for the media with NGO and media representatives in Novi Pazar, southwest Serbia.

Guests and panelists of the debate on Friday agreed that the local media face turbulent times next year, when all budgetary supported media will be privatized and local governments will have to get used to allocating budget money exclusively through projects.

Panelists included: Dragan Janjic, NUNS vice-president, Denis Mavric, director of the Regionalna TV Novi Pazar and Tanja Maksic, from BIRN Serbia. The moderator was Slobodan Georgijev, also from BIRN Serbia.

The debate was also a chance for BIRN Serbia to present its report on budgetary financing, looking into practices of 2013.

The report highlighted several issues that are not in line with good governance principles in terms of allocating budget money.

The main issues are: too much discretionary power is given to local governments to allocate funds; the criteria for grading projects are unclear; project proposals written by media are often substandard; programs produced enjoying budget support, while thematically diverse, routinely lack critical insight into economic, political and social problems.

Panelists at the debate concluded that while the new media laws present a good base for reform of the media sector, closer attention to their execution is needed.

Thirrje për artikuj investigativë në fushën e edukimit

Thirrja organizohet nga Rrjeti Ballkanik për Gazetarinë Investigative në Shqipëri (BIRN Albania), me mbështetjen e Fondacionit Shoqëria e Hapur për Shipërinë, Balkan Trust for Democracy dhe National Endowment for Democracy.2014-10-24

Nëpërmjet këtij konkursi tre (3) gazetarë investigativë do të përzgjidhen për të prodhuar artikuj investigativë në fushën e edukimit, në bashkpunim me shoqërinë civile. Fituesit do të përzgjidhen nga një juri e pavarur e përbërë nga gazetarë me eksperiencë dhe ekspertë në fushën e edukimit.

Aplikantët e përzgjedhur, të cilët do marrin një bursë prej 1,200 USD ($1,080 + $120 taksë të ardhurash personale), do kenë në dispozicion një periudhë dy-mujore për të përfunduar investigimin e tyre dhe përgatitjen e artikullit për publikim.

Kandidatët fitues pritet që të angazhohen dhe të përmbushin të gjitha detyrimet në lidhje me investigimin, siç janë: takimet e shpeshta (javore) me redaktorin, publikimi i tekstit në faqen e BIRN Albania Reporter.al dhe gjithashtu në BalkanInsight.com, si dhe respektimin e standardeve të gazetarisë investigative dhe etikës profesionale.

Kandidatët duhet të formulojnë një propozim të detajuar për konkursin. Propozimet duhet të kenë për qëllim ekspozimin e korrupsionit, abuzimit me pushtetin, pandëshkueshmërisë dhe mungesës së zbatimit të ligjit në fushë e arsimit.

Prioritet në përzgjedhje do i kushtohet propozimeve të cilat përfshijnë një nga temat e mëposhtme, të sygjeruara si prioritare gjatë një tryeze të rrumbullakët midis gazetarëve dhe përfaqësuesve të shoqërisë civile në fushën e edukimit të organizuar nga BIRN Albania:

Korrupsioni dhe shkeljet ligjore në arsimin parashkollor dhe/ose parauniversitar;
Keqmenaxhimi i fondeve në fushën e arsimit nga institucionet lokale dhe ato qendrore;
Mosfunksionimi i mekanizmave publik të monitorimit dhe kontrollit të cilësisë së arsimit në nivele të ndryshme të tij;
Mosbarazia në akses dhe cilësi në arsim për grupe të ndryshme vulnerabël (aftësi e kufizuar, komuniteti rom, familje në nevojë, etj);
Problematika e burimeve njerëzore në arsim (kualifikimet e stafit arsimor, shpërndarja dhe mënyra e përzgjedhjes);
Keqmenaxhimi i buxhetit në arsim për infrastrukturë, materiale didaktike dhe tekste shkollore;
Kostot, tarifat studentore dhe menaxhimi i fondeve në arsimin universitar dhe pasuniversitar publik dhe privat;
Demokracia dhe vendimmarrja në institucionet e arsimit të lartë publik dhe privat.

Aplikantët mund të dërgojnë më shumë se një aplikim, por vetëm një propozim për kandidat do të përzgjidhet.
Të drejtën për të aplikuar e kanë të gjithë gazetarët në Shqipëri, të punësuar apo në profesion të lirë.

Kandidatëve u kërkohet që bashkë me formularin e plotësuar të aplikimit të dërgojnë një CV, dhe tre shembuj të punës së tyre me email në: [email protected]

Afati i Aplikimit: 31 Tetor, 2014

Kandidatët e përzgjedhur do të njoftohen deri më datë: 5 Nëntor, 2014

BIRN Albania Launches Call for Investigative Reports on Education

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania launched a call for investigative stories on October 23rd.
The call is part of the program ‘Exposing Corruption in Albania,’ supported by th Open Society Foundation in Albania (OSFA), the Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

In this call that closes on October 31, three journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story on issues related to corruption and impunity in education.

Journalists will have about two months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards.

More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 21 stories until December 2016. Topics for investigations of future calls will include: Health, Judiciary, Organized Crime, Local Government and Public Administration.
The call only applies to journalists from Albania.

Click for more information about the application procedure, with details in Albanian.

New Webpage Unmasks Balkans Energy Sector

Power Games, an unprecedented investigation into the murky world of energy deals in the Balkans, has been launched by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.

BIRN formed a team of six journalists covering Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia in November 2013 to investigate key companies, players and state officials involved in this lucrative, secretive, and critical sector of the economy

The reporters have been working over the past year not only to unravel the intricate links between politics and business in the energy market, but also delve into its inner workings.

The bespoke webpage www.balkaninsight.com/en/page/power-games includes the latest investigations, news, blogs, as well as an interactive in-depth section on how the energy sector really works.

The hard-hitting series of stories already published as part of the Power Games project has generated widespread interest across the region.

The revelations have hit the front pages of Albania’s newspapers, have been aired by leading television stations and have led to calls for a tax investigation to be opened into the family of former prime minister Sali Berisha.

The investigation was also picked up in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo, where it was republished in more than 20 media outlets.

Power Games is part of a project called “A Paper Trail to Better Governance”, financed by Austrian Development Agency to hone investigative journalism in the Balkans, hold officials to account and improve the implementation and use of freedom of information laws.

Lawrence Marzouk, the project editor, said: “The bespoke website which we launch today not only provides a slick forum for our brilliant investigations into the energy sector, but also ensures readers can consult the core, source documents and get a panoramic view of how this critical industry works.

“In the next few months, we will be publishing a range of new material, including interviews, comments and some more groundbreaking investigations.”

BIRN Albania Holds Roundtable on Education

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Albania organised a roundtable on October 21st in Tirana, bringing together journalists with civil society organisations working in the field of education.

It was the second in a series of seven roundtables, part of a programme called ‘Exposing Corruption in Albania’, which is financed by the Open Society Foundation in Albania (OSFA), the Balkan Trust for Democracy (BTD) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

The project aims to expose corruption cases in seven different sectors: the environment, the judiciary, education, public administration, local government, organised crime and health, by bridging the gap between journalists and CSOs, and by providing a solid basis for collaboration in exposing abuses of power.

About 22 representatives of non-governmental organisations and 10 journalists discussed different topics of concern regarding education in Albania, with a special focus on pre-university education.

The representatives of the NGOs listed a number of topics, ranging from access and quality of education for minorities and other marginalised groups, to the recruitment of teachers and the education budget, which merit special attention and coverage from the media.

The topics highlighted by the NGOs will be listed in BIRN Albania’s call for investigative stories in the field of education.

BIRN’s missing persons film gets US premiere

BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina will hold the US premiere of its latest documentary, ‘Missing You’, on Thursday October 23 at Columbia University in New York.

The movie will be screened for students of human rights and transitional justice and historical dialogue practitioners.

A discussion is planned after the screening because the movie, produced earlier this year, explores the issue of missing persons not only in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but in a global context too.

The documentary also raises important questions about what the search for missing persons entails for those who have survived, and what it means in terms of the practical challenges and DNA analysis that define these searches on a technical level.

The documentary produced by BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina was first screened in July in Sarajevo. This is its first US screening.

BIRN Kosovo Awarded for Investigative Journalism

The German government organization GIZ awarded Gazeta Jeta në Kosovë for investigative journalism about education.

BIRN Kosovo journalists Merita Krasniqi and Njomza Salihu were awarded third prize in GIZ’s competition for investigative journalism on the education. The prize was administered jointly by the Kosovo Association of Journalists, who monitored the selection process.

The article, titled ”Influential People Win State Scholarships,” showed that thanks to a state agreement with “City College” in Greece, political advisers, relatives of public officials and the PDK deputy Fadil Demaku won scholarships. Krasniqi and Salihu won a 1,000 EURO prize for their story.

Una Hajdari won second prize with her article “Minority disordered educational system” published inthe daily newspaper “Zëri”.

The first prize was given to three journalists of the newspaper “Koha Ditore.” Besnik Krasniqi was awarded for the article “Dodger Professors of UP, Vehbi Kajtazi with “Muj Rugova employed Esat Belajn and Gazmend Maliqi” and Salie Gajtani with the article “Ministry of Education Science and Technology makes a project for text messages at the expense of parents.”