Category: News and Events

BIRN Kosovo, KCSS, Train Students in Prizren to Recognise and Counter Disinformation

On September 17, students from the Prizren region in Kosovo attended a training session aimed at combating growing foreign and religious disinformation in Kosovo.

Led by experts from the Kosovo Centre for Security Studies (KCSS) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Kosovo), the event focused on equipping the participants with practical tools to identify and counter false narratives.

Skënder Perteshi, a researcher at KCSS, opened the training by discussing the strategic aims of radical religious organisations that use disinformation as a tool to undermine democratic institutions. Perteshi highlighted that these actors often target vulnerable audiences by spreading narratives designed to erode trust in secularism, democracy and the rule of law.

The second part of the training, led by Labinot Leposhtica, from BIRN Kosovo, shifted the focus to Russian and Chinese disinformation in Kosovo.

Leposhtica emphasized the global disinformation tactics used by these foreign actors to destabilize regions and influence public opinion. He presented several cases of how Russian and Chinese narratives have infiltrated media platforms in Kosovo.

The training was designed to be more than just a theoretical discussion; participants were actively involved in discussions. They were encouraged to question the information they consume and were provided with methods to fact-check and validate sources.

In addition to combating disinformation, the session underscored the importance of promoting a free and independent media in Kosovo. Perteshi and Leposhtica emphasized the need for ongoing vigilance, especially as foreign actors continue to exploit digital platforms to spread misleading information.

Students underlined that the need for these trainings is critical, as they are increasingly exposed to disinformation from various media channels. Such sessions help equip them with the skills to critically analyze information, identify false narratives and understand the strategies used by foreign and radical actors to manipulate public opinion.

This training was held by BIRN Kosovo and KCSS within the project “Increasing public awareness on Russian, Chinese influence and religious disinformation and equipping media students and journalists with the necessary tools to identify, analyze, and combat disinformation”, supported through the Digital Activism Program by TechSoup Global.

BIRN Albania Holds Roundtable on Local Government

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania on September 17 held a roundtable in Tirana on local government with journalists and experts from civil society organisations.

Two dozen reporters and civil society activists discussed corruption, impunity and abuse of office in local government in Albania.

The roundtable was moderated by Rigels Xhemollari, executive director of Qendresa Qytetare, a civil society watchdog group of active young professionals.    

The roundtable, which was supported by the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA, aims to strengthen ties between investigative journalists and civil society and inform an upcoming call for investigative grants for mid-career reporters.

The call will fund reporting grants for journalists that investigate corruption and abuse of office in local government, with a particular focus on the topics highlighted during the roundtable.   

Topics discussed during the roundtable included:

  • The lack of implementation of integrity and anti-corruption plans, particularly on the elements of ethics and conflict of interests in municipalities and municipal councils.
  • Nepotism and clientelism in the human resources of municipalities
  • Transparency of budgets, public procurement procedures and public contracts awarded by municipalities
  • The appointment of people with a criminal background to public inspectorates and their role during elections
  • Corruption with waste management contracts
  • Lack of budgets to address children in street situations
  • The lack of representation of rural areas at municipal level
  • Lack of sewage and sewage treatment plants
  • Problems of urban development, building criteria, parking, garbage bins, etc
  • Corruption cases in the treatment of solid waste

The roundtable will inform BIRN Albania’s upcoming call for investigative reports on local government.

Call for Journalists and Researchers on Electoral Integrity and Political Discourse in Albania

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania (BIRN Albania) is announcing an open call for applications, offering grants to local journalists and researchers to produce in-depth articles on electoral integrity and political discourse in Albania.

BIRN is offering three grants for journalists and researchers to cover their expenses while conducting investigations and writing stories on topics related to electoral integrity and political discourse in Albania, as well as mentoring by experienced editors.

The call is part of the project “Evidence-Based Monitoring of Local Public Spending during Electoral Processes”, co-funded by the European Union and implemented by Qëndresa Qytetare in partnership with BIRN Albania.

The project aims to contribute to the enhancement of integrity, transparency and equal competition in Albania’s electoral processes by addressing some of the fundamental challenges and deficiencies, particularly those in relation to:

  • Misuse of public funds and public administration in relation to electoral processes;
  • Electoral crimes and the work of law enforcement bodies;
  • The impact of elections on the public administration and its politicization;
  • Transparency of political parties’ finances during election campaigns;
  • Involvement of persons with a criminal past in political parties and electoral processes;
  • Misuse of digital/social media or Artificial Intelligence and prevalence of hate speech in the political discourse;
  • Barriers encountered by women and youth toward political participation, etc.

The awarded journalists and researchers will receive a scholarship of 1,500 euros gross (minus personal income tax). They will have around three to five months to dig deeper and research their ideas. They will also have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as mentors to guide them through the process of writing in accordance with BIRN standards.

We encourage the submission of proposals for the production of relevant journalistic content by individuals or teams. We support various forms, including investigations, data-rich stories and papers.

The call only applies to journalists and researchers from Albania with previous experience on this topic.

All applicants must be independent and free from conflicts of interest in the responsibilities they undertake.

Applicants may submit more than one application, but only one proposal per candidate will be selected.

Interested candidates should send their proposals in Albanian language by email to: [email protected], including: completed application form (Click here to download the form); a CV and two examples of their previous work.

Application Deadline: September 23, 2024.

Meet the Mentors Strengthening Albania’s Media Landscape: Aleksandra Bogdani

Aleksandra Bogdani is an investigative journalist for BIRN Albania. She has more than 20 years of experience as deputy editor-in-chief of daily newspapers in several newsrooms in Albania.

She is a lecturer in Investigative Journalism at the Department of Journalism and Communication at the University of Tirana. Aleksandra won the first prize of the EU Investigative Journalism Award in 2014 and the CEI-SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism in 2015.

She’s also a mentor in the Western Balkans Media for Change project and has been involved as a mentor in the project Media for All.  Find out more about this important role in strengthening Albania’s media landscape.

1. What type of support do you offer to media outlets?

Engaged Citizens Reporting (ECR) is an innovative approach to journalism in the Balkans, particularly in terms of involving women, youth, and vulnerable communities. Our role as mentors is to offer our support and expertise to media organisations implementing this method. Specifically, we collaborate with media outlets to develop their activity plans, select topics, prepare callouts and questionnaires, distribute and promote calls, analyse data and content production. 

2. What does the mentorship process look like?

We prefer to start the process with an open meeting with editors and journalists from the media outlets to jointly assess their editorial capacities and needs concerning the projects they wish to undertake. In my experience, open discussion helps establish a trustful relationship between us. Based on these needs, we develop individual mentoring plans for each media outlet, focusing on the exchange of knowledge and expertise that BIRN has built over the years concerning ECR. The process then includes continuous communication through both face-to-face and online meetings throughout all phases, from topic selection to story publication.

3. In your opinion, what are the biggest successes and results achieved through this type of mentorship?

The greatest success in this process has been engaging diverse individuals and communities to produce high-quality journalistic content on topics that genuinely interest these communities. Through this method, partner media outlets have given a voice to the challenges faced by women and youth in entrepreneurship, patients with severe illnesses, parents of children and adolescents struggling with bullying, and vulnerable communities that are often overlooked in the fast-paced news cycle driven by politics and click-driven needs. Another advantage is the strengthening of ties between media outlets and these communities, which enhances their credibility and impact.

4. What are the reactions you receive from the supported media outlets through this process?

The media outlets we are currently mentoring have been surprised by both the number of individuals engaged through ECR and the quality of the information received from them. This has not only supported their reporting, but, in some cases, has turned them into reference point for other media outlets in the country.

The Western Balkans Media for Change project is funded by the UK government and implemented by the British Council in partnership with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Thomson Foundation and the International NGO Training and Research Centre, INTRAC.

BIRN Webinar: Addressing Biometric Surveillance Issues in Europe

Join us for a webinar on September 24, 2024, at 1:00 PM CET, where experts will delve into the pressing issues surrounding biometric surveillance in Europe. This event will offer valuable insights into the current legal landscape, practical tools for advocacy, and the role of journalism in shaping public discourse.

Sign up here to attend the webinar.

Date: September 24, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM CET

Featured Speakers:

Ella Jakubowska, EDRi’s Head of Policy
Ella Jakubowska will provide an in-depth analysis of the AI Act, focusing on:

    • Key provisions of the AI Act
    • Identifying its limitations and gaps
    • Existing legal protections against biometric surveillance
    • Practical guidance for opposing biometric surveillance, including legal tools and strategies for engaging with policymakers and collaborating with civil society.

Apostolis Fotiadis, Investigations Editor at BIRN
Apostolis Fotiadis will share his expertise on impactful reporting related to biometric surveillance. His presentation will cover:

    • Effective strategies for reporting on biometric surveillance
    • Insights from his investigations, including major EU surveillance programs and their implications.

Registration:

Sign up here to attend the webinar.

Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with leading experts on biometric surveillance. Applications are open until September 20, 2024.

The webinar is a must-attend for policymakers, journalists, civil society members, and anyone concerned with the implications of biometric surveillance.

Reporting Digital Rights and Freedoms – Sub-Grants 2024

Empowering Journalism in the Digital Age – Enhancing digital safety and capacities of media and CSOs in the Western Balkans.

Call for Applications Open

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) is announcing an open call for Digital Rights and Freedoms sub-grants 2024. The call is open for media and civil society organisations from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) which are already researching and reporting on, or have an interest in getting dedicated to, digital rights and freedoms and their respective violations occurring throughout the region, or which are impacted by global internet governance developments through their scope of work.

Awarded media and CSOs will gain an opportunity to collaborate closely with BIRN editors and our specialized digital rights team as well as to benefit from technical assistance throughout the grant duration.

Awardees will also have the opportunity to publish their work on some of BIRN’s regional platforms, such as Balkan Insight and local BIRN flagship media, which will enable them to inform and engage a wide regional audience.

Grants Overview

Digital rights and freedoms are under increasing threat, including in the Western Balkans. There is a growing need for as many responsible media and engaged CSOs as possible to become more informed and vigilant and explore internet-related topics more broadly from a multistakeholder perspective and in an in-depth manner. The digital world that we live in offers us new dimensions to exercise our freedoms. At the same time, those freedoms online are shrinking both online and offline as a result of invasive and restrictive policies, or misuse of technological developments.

This BIRN grant aims to help and engage media and CSOs with financial support, mentoring and continuous technical assistance so they can navigate, explore and deliver complex internet and human rights-related issues and (policy) developments to the public at large.

What We Offer

  • Grants of up to EUR 15,000 for media and civil society organisations to support up to twelve (12) months of activities, including but not limited to written content (research, investigations, analyses), audio-visual content, policy papers and reports, focused on in-depth coverage related to digital rights and freedoms in the Western Balkans region
  • Continuous support of the BIRN technical assistance and specialized digital rights team

Who Can Apply?

  • Media and civil society organisations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

Application Process

To apply for Digital Rights and Freedoms sub-grants 2024, please download the Grant Proposal Application Form and Budget proposal sheet.

Download the Guidelines for application as well.

The following documents need to be sent to [email protected] with the subject email “BIRN RDRF sub-grant application 2024”

  • Grant proposal application (in PDF format)
  • Budget proposal (in excel format)
  • Supporting documents: certificate of registration, fiscal number certificate, business registry document if applicable, registration with the tax administration, bank account information, membership of press council if applicable, or list of relevant references for implemented projects (attached in the email in ZIP format)

*please note that we will not accept documents sent via any cloud platforms (for e.g. WeTransfer)

All selected grantees will sign a grant contract with BIRN, aimed at affirming the authenticity of your proposal application and your commitment to the ethical standards.

Submission Deadline: September 19, 2024

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on:

  • Relevance and significance of the proposed activities
  • Feasibility, originality and potential impact of the proposed application
  • Financial quality of the offer towards activity
  • Team potential and previous experience

A committee established by BIRN’s digital rights experts, editors and project management staff will review the proposals.

Contact Us

For more information and to submit your application, please use [email protected].

Join us in our mission to defend digital rights and freedoms. Apply for the “Digital Rights and Freedoms grants 2024!

Meet the People Behind BIRN: Nino Bilajac

Nino Bilajac is an award-winning journalist working at Detektor.ba (BIRN BiH).

His main responsibilities include following developments related to corruption and crime in government institutions and public companies as well as malign foreign influence. Recently, Nino reported from Ukraine, where he wrote about the bombing of a children’s hospital, a story close to his heart having grown up in war-torn Sarajevo.

Let’s meet him. 

1. You started working at BIRN in 2022. What were your expectations back then? What has changed regarding your work since then?

It’s hard to look back on exactly what my expectation was, because everything happened so quickly. The work started immediately, but certainly new paths and opportunities opened up for me that I had not had before. Here I am specifically talking about work on foreign influence and work in other countries. Especially when we talk about that one type of war journalism, which has always been my wish and which I can say has finally come true. The big challenge was to move from working on mostly corruption to working on foreign influence.

2. Recently, you visited Ukraine. Can you tell us more about this trip?

Working in Ukraine was something completely new. The whole journey that took 34 hours in one direction, the uncertainty, the bombing, the testimonies of the victims… it would be a challenge for anyone engaged in this work. It’s a strange feeling as a child of war, after 30 years you again feel and see what was happening in your country, and writing the story about the bombing of the children’s hospital certainly evoked the greatest emotions in me. Ukraine was a special experience with a lot of mixed emotions, but also a sense of satisfaction that I had the opportunity to show the public what crimes are committed against innocent people.

3. What’s it like following developments in corruption and crime in government institutions, public companies, and malign foreign influence in Bosnia?

When someone asks me why I deal with these topics, I try not to go into the essence and explanation. This is simply what makes us one of the poorest countries. If there was no one to deal with it, they would do whatever they wanted, and we won’t let them. We will always follow them and we will not allow that minority to have a nice and comfortable life and the majority of my fellow citizens to have a bad life.

4. You and your colleague Tomas Madlenak were recently nominated for this year’s Slovak Journalistic Award in the ‘written investigative journalism’ category for the joint investigation by BIRN Bosnia and ICJKpublished last year. You discovered that two officials involved in an internal struggle within the Slovak police are now living in exile in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Tell us more about this investigation.

It was kind of a continuation of everything we were doing until then when we talk about foreign influence. At that time, we had a series of articles about Russian influence and Russian diplomacy in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Quite by chance, we found out that three high-ranking officials of the Slovak police and intelligence service escaped to Bosnia and Herzegovina from prison sentences for corruption, for which they were convicted in Slovakia. Unfortunately, the bigger problem for us was how the institutions of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina allowed this omission to happen and unfortunately no one took responsibility. It is unbelievable that people like them are allowed to enter BiH at all, and especially to live unhindered. The cooperation with colleague Tomas and colleagues from Slovakia was a fantastic example of how useful cross-border journalism can be and how necessary such cooperation is in exposing negative influence.

5. You received many journalistic awards, such as “Eco Journalist” 2022; European Union Award for Investigative Journalism in BiH 2021 – second prize; European Press Prize 2021 – selected in the top five; CEI SEEMO Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism 2018; Thompson Foundation – Finalist for the Young Journalist Award. What do these awards mean for you?

The awards are the culmination of what we spent a lot of time on, gave our best and went through a difficult path to arrive at a certain thesis. An interesting example is that almost all of my awards are international, because the societies and organisations that give out awards in BiH do not seem to appreciate enough what we do and how we do it, or they simply do not understand what we write about.

6. What are the main challenges in your work? Did you have any moment during your career when you thought you should change your job and switch from investigative journalism to some “safer” profession?

First of all, we must be clear that Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Balkans in general are some of the best places to engage in this type of journalism because it is exactly like that – a lot of corruption, crime and irregularities. Therefore, it would be somewhat pointless to deal with something other than what I am currently doing, together with my colleagues from BIRN.

7. What would be your message to young aspiring investigative journalists in the Western Balkans region?

Be brave, don’t let yourself be bought and don’t be a spokesperson for parties and political options, but have faith in yourself.

BIRN Summer School 2024 Closes with Investigative Story Pitches

Bringing to an end the week-long Summer School in Croatia, participants pitched cross-border stories, some of which will receive funding and editorial support from BIRN.

The 14th annual BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting closed on August 24 with participants from Central and Southeastern Europe, Ukraine, Georgia and Uzbekistan pitching investigative story ideas to BIRN editors.

A total of 19 pitches were submitted, focussing mainly on cross-border issues. BIRN editors will select the best for funding, editorial support and mentoring.

Blake Morrison, the Summer School’s lead trainer and investigative projects editor with Reuters in New York, said it was “exciting to hear the ideas and to see the collaboration of journalists from different newsrooms in different countries”.

“They’ve worked hard all week to develop powerful proposals for investigations, and I expect some great journalism as a result,” he said.

The topics included environmental neglect, organised crime and corruption and reproductive rights.

On Friday, the final day of training, participants heard from BIRN Albania editor-in-chief Besar Likmeta about ways of covering environmental issues, while BIRN investigations editor Apostolis Fotiadis talked about how to secure the best possible impact.

Over the week-long course in Mlini, on the Croatian coast, some 35 participating journalists heard from 15 trainers on a range of issues relevant to investigative journalism, from digital security to artificial intelligence, visual storytelling to covering war crimes, as well as how to best protect their mental health while on the job.

BIRN’s regional director, Milka Domanovic, thanked all the participants for their hard work and expressed her hope that they will continue collaborating “even after the school ends”.

“The Summer School is not only about polishing and learning new skills, but it is also about establishing long-lasting professional connections.”

More information about the lectures and panels can be found here: https://birnsummerschool.org/

BIRN Summer School Day 4: Visual Storytelling and Mastering the Pitch

Perfecting your pitch and how visual storytelling can offer a “new angle on already known events”.

The penultimate day of teaching at BIRN’s Summer School of Investigative Reporting focussed on pitching and visual storytelling, after picking up Wednesday’s thread of mental wellbeing and advanced data journalism.

Jakub Gornicki, reporter and co-founder of visual storytelling platform Outriders, explained to the participants the process involved in creating engaging stories.

“Journalism does not have to be boring, so we combine art and reporting skills to explain global issues,” he said, while discussing some of the platform’s work in Ukraine and other places.

Visual storytelling can offer a “new angle on already known events”, he said. “We usually post three months after something happened.”

The participants had the chance to build on Wednesday’s discussions concerning data scraping from open sources and how to use artificial intelligence for elementary coding.

Blake Morrison, lead trainer and investigative projects editor with Reuters in New York, led a session on pitching stories. Journalists should not necessarily see themselves as “salesmen”, he said, but “selling the story is like selling yourself”.

“We need to anticipate that your editors will be sceptical, and that they will ask questions,” he said, so journalists should expect to be queried and to offer answers.

The day ended with a workshop on stress management led by A.X. Mino, a programme director at the Self Investigation network, a global non-profit that promotes healthy work culture in the media and communication industries.

Friday will be the last day of workshops before participants get to pitch their story ideas on Saturday.

Uzbek Journalists Eye Balkan Collaboration During BIRN Summer School

BIRN’s Summer School has inspired two Uzbek journalists to pursue cross-border collaboration with colleagues from the Balkans.

One result of BIRN’s 14th Summer School of Investigative Reporting may be more cross-border cooperation between journalists from Uzbekistan and the Balkans.

Among the more than 30 participating reporters are Anastasia Galimova and Yuriy Park, thanks to a partnership between BIRN and the Network for Border Crossing Journalism, N-ost, and its Spheres of Influence Uncovered project bringing together journalists from seven countries across Eurasia in covering the impact of international economic cooperation.

“After the lectures, I got even more inspiration to work and investigate,” Galimova said on Day Four of the week-long course in Mlini, near Dubrovnik on Croatia’s Adriatic coast.

“Also it is a good experience to meet many colleagues from different countries because most of the time I work remotely and online. It is a great opportunity for me to talk with so many investigative journalists and hear their experiences and to know what is happening in different parts of the world.”

One notable difference the Uzbek journalists noticed was the level of transparency in other countries.

“We heard during the BIRN summer school that, for example, when a journalist in Sweden asks for some documents, the government gives it to them,” said Park. “It is much harder to get that kind of document in our country. Another problem is the safety of journalists.”

Park said he had been “inspired” by a talk by Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko as well as lead trainer Blake Morrison and, from Sweden, the investigative journalists Ali Fegan and Maria Georgieva.

“I see how they treat their job and how it is done on a very high level,” Park said.

Every year, participants in the Summer School have the opportunity to work on investigative, cross-border stories with the support of experienced BIRN editors.

Park and Galimova said they already had some ideas.

“We have already talked with some of our colleagues and shared some ideas,” Galimova told BIRN. “For me, it is crucial to find collaboration outside of the Central Asia region. We have seen here that we have a lot of topics similar to those of the Balkan countries, for example, Chinese investments. We’ve talked with our colleagues and we have found the same patterns.”

Park said he was new to cross-border collaboration.

“We didn’t have any cooperation with colleagues from the Balkans, but as we are developing our ideas we are seeing some connection between Uzbekistan and Balkan and we want to explore it,” he said. “There are many issues that we can only cover through cross-border cooperation so it is a great opportunity and we are looking forward to doing that.”