Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
Milan Aritonovic, the SNPK candidate for the mayor of Ranilug, encouraged citizens to stay united during a “Life in the Municipality” run-off debate in November 2013.
“We are minority. Very few Serbs are left in this area. That’s why people should be united,” he said. “I guarantee that not even a single person will be left without income from the republic of Serbia,” he said.
He characterized the electoral process as tense.
The CIS candidate for mayor of Strpce, Ivan Redzic, declared during a “Life in the Municipality” run-off debate in November 2013 that the election was full of pressure.
In this municipality the sewage is discharged directly into the Lepenc River. Redzic blamed the municipal government for permitting the pollution of the river. He said that he has already a strategic plan to clean this river.
BIRN’s film ‘The Majority Starts Here’ was shown at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London on Tuesday.
BIRN regional director Gordana Igric, BIRN Kosovo director Jeta Xharra, BIRN Kosovo director and Balkan Insight managing wditor Ana Petruseva participated in a debate after the screening hosted by Bojan Alekson, lecturer in south-east European history.
Among the other guests were Lirim Greiçevci, Kosovo’s ambassador to London, a representative of Amnesty International and students of Slavonic and East European studies at UCL.
BIRN documentary is available to buy at: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/page/dvd-documentary-majority-starts-here
Jeta Xharra, country director of BIRN Kosovo, was invited to the morning programme of Klan Kosova on Feb. 25 to discuss the 2014 programme for the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence.
Xharra described the programme and encouraged journalists to apply for it. This year the programme’s theme is “Generations”.
“The journalists that apply for this fellowship are privileged because their articles will be published in different international media, and they will be guided and mentored by a group of experienced local and international journalists and editors”, Xharra said.
“The ones who win the fellowship will investigate and write about this particular topic for the whole year. Journalists will not only write and investigate the topic within Balkans; they will have the possibility to go to EU countries and investigate the topic there”, Xharra continued.
Journalists will be provided with 2,000 euro for trips to EU countries and 2,000 euro for the story. The individual who wins first place will receive a prize of 4000 Euro.
Find more at: http://klankosova.tv
BIRN’s road-movie documentary ‘The Majority Starts Here’ had its British premiere on Monday at SEESOX (South East European Studies at Oxford), part of the European Studies Centre at the University of Oxford.
The producers of the film, BIRN regional director Gordana Igric, BIRN Kosovo director Jeta Xharra and Balkan Insight managing editor Ana Petruseva, were in Oxford for the screening and took part in a panel discussion afterwards chaired by professor Kalypso Nicolaidis.
Gordana Igric explained that the main idea behind the film was to discover how much young people knew about the past and gauge the prospects of them becoming the creators of a better future. The production team said they only realised during the screenings of the movie how little knowledge there is in the region about the suffering of other ethnic groups, which is a major obstacle in overcoming the experiences of the war.
Regarding the actual making of the movie, Ana Petruseva said that the production team simply wanted to see “what is going to happen when six people from these six countries end up stuck in a minivan for several weeks”.
Jeta Xharra explained that only the participant from Kosovo was over 25 because it was necessary to find someone older who understood at least some Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian so that they would not feel like an outcast among the others who shared the same or very similar languages.
Muhamet Hajrullahu, managing editor of BIRN Kosovo, was invited to the morning programme of the national broadcaster, RTK, on February 27 to talk about the 2014 Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence.
This is the eighth time that BIRN in cooperation with the ERSTE Foundation and the Open Society Foundation is providing 10 journalism fellowships in Balkans. The annual theme for this year’s programme is “Generations”.
Hajrullahu said this is a great opportunity for journalists to apply for this fellowship and to create new contacts in the region and beyond. Hajrullahu also explained this year’s fellowship has expanded to include journalists from Greece – in addition to those from other Balkan countries.
“Every journalist from different Balkan countries has the possibility to present their work/proposals and in the end they will be selected by professionals on a board of experienced journalist and editors”, Hajrullahu said.
Following the close of the call for applications to the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, the selection committee is set to choose 10 journalists to participate in this year’s programme.
More than 160 journalists from 10 eligible countries applied for the 2014 fellowship programme under the topic of GENERATIONS.
The decision on participants in the programme will be reached based on the following criteria:
Article proposal – Relevance/ Feasibility/ Originality
Candidate – Professional qualifications/ Motivation/ Journalistic approach
The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence partners thank all applicants for their interest in the programme and the effort invested in the application process and are also grateful to everyone who helped spread the word about the fellowship across the region.
The results of the selection will be announced on March 28 on the Balkan Fellowship programme web site.
Balkan Insight journalist Elvira Mujkic Jukic was one of five guests on a Huffpost Live cast about the Bosnian protests that was aired on March 5.
Mujkic Jukic spoke about what was needed Bosnia, emphasising the necessity of reforms that can be implemented in the immediate future.
“These reforms are in the economy, in making the environment easier for investments or starting a company and creating new jobs that could probably satisfy some of the demands of the protesters. If we put the focus on reforms of the constitution, that could take years, while there are many other things that can be done now,” she said.
Other speakers included Muhamed Sacirbey, former foreign minister and ambassador to the UN for Bosnia and Herzegovina , Aldin Arnautovic, activist and freelance journalist, Haris Alisic, new media analyst at Al Jazeera Media Network and Nadja Skaljic, senior fellow for Europe at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs.
The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network has appointed Kristina Voko as country director of its newly established office in Albania, which officially opens in April 2014.
“I am excited to be joining an organisation with a great reputation and excellent journalists, and look forward to expanding the network’s activities in Albania,” Voko said.
Voko has years of experience in organisational development and program cycle management in the IGO and NGO sectors.
Through the new office in Albania, BIRN plans to apply its signature media development and journalism training programmes in a country where freedom of expression and information, quality of journalism and a general lack of funding and support for the media remain important issues.
“BIRN’s presence in Albania answers a demand from local journalists who have been involved in its regional projects and appreciate the hands-on approach to training, publishing and media freedom,” said BIRN editor Besar Likmeta.
The editor of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, Neil Arun, has been shortlisted for the European Press Prize 2013.
The nomination, in the category of Investigative Reporting, was made for stories produced by the Fellowship, an annual bursary for analytical and investigative journalism. The stories covered themes ranging from corruption to the legacy of conflict and communism.
Ten journalists are selected for the Fellowship every year to receive funding and professional guidance to help them report on topics that are central to the region and to the European Union. Applications for the 2014 round of the Fellowship are currently being sought.
The programme is managed by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, with the support of ERSTE Stiftung and the Open Society Foundations.
Arun was also shortlisted for the 2012 edition of the European Press Prize. Having completed two years with the Fellowship, he is now leaving the programme to pursue new opportunities.
He will remain involved with the Fellowship as a member of its selection committee, and with BIRN as a special projects editor.
“The credit for this nomination must be shared,” he says. “This is recognition for those who have reported for the Fellowship, and for those whose hard work and generosity have supported it.”
The awards were created by the representatives of seven European media foundations in order to reward excellence in journalism across 47 European countries.
Each award carries a prize of 10,000 euros, to be spent on a project that may enrich the practice of journalism.
The winners will be decided by a panel of judges, chaired by Sir Harold Evans. The prize giving ceremony takes place in London on March 17, 2014.
