Category: News and Events

BIRN Kosovo Trains Auditors in Communications, Writing Techniques and Social Media

BIRN Kosovo held a training session with the staff of the National Audit Office on November 19, within the framework of the project, “Promoting the Auditor General/National Audit Office’s role in Kosovo”.

Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Pristina, the training courses are intended to improve the performance of the Auditor General and National Audit Office staff in writing, reporting and providing information on public spending.

The training session was attended by around 30 participants from the National Audit Office. It was divided into two sessions with the first being held by Kreshnik Gashi, managing editor at Kallxo.com, and the second by Granit Mavriqi, media editor at Kallxo.com.

Gashi explained the fundamental elements of writing an article, a news story or a status and how it should be presented on and through social media. Following this, Mavriqi provided information on social media use and security.

BIRN to Hold Art Exhibition About Kosovo War Mass Graves

Artist Vladimir Miladinovic will present an exhibition of drawings based on research into Hague Tribunal’s archive material about mass graves of Kosovo Albanian war victims in the Belgrade suburb of Batajnica.

‘Counter-Archive’, an exhibition of drawings focused on the mass graves of Kosovo Albanians that were discovered in the Belgrade suburb of Batajnica after the Kosovo war, opens in Belgrade on Monday evening.

The ink-on-paper artworks are based on artist Vladimir Miladinovic’s research into the archive of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Miladinovic explored court proceedings related to the discovery of the mass graves in 2001 at the Serbian Interior Ministry Special Anti-Terrorist Unit’s training ground in the Belgrade neighbourhood of Batajnica.

The remains were found of 744 ethnic Albanians who had been killed in Kosovo and then moved to Batajnica in an attempted cover-up.

The opening of the exhibition on Monday will feature actors reading from court testimonies given by victims’ relatives and by people who participated in transporting and hiding the bodies.

The exhibition is being held as part of BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice granting scheme, which aims to encourage professionals in various fields to explore archives of courts that dealt with war crime trials in the Balkans, supported by the Matra Regional Rule of Law Programme.

“Through his drawings, Vladimir presents documents found in the ICTY archive in an innovative and creative way, thus contributing to the process of memorialisation and the re-examination of wartime heritage,” said Jovana Prusina, the coordinator of BIRN’s Balkan Transitional Justice project.

“This approach enables the artist to open up space for discussion and new interpretations of archival documents, and raises the question of how they can be used in creating alternative policies for conflict prevention,” Prusina added.

The cover-up operation to move the bodies of Kosovo Albanians to secret burial sites in Serbia was the subject of BIRN’s award-winning documentary, ‘The Unidentified’.

Miladinovic also held an exhibition of images based on former Bosnian Serb Army commander Ratko Mladic’s diary in June 2020 in Belgrade.

‘Counter-Archive’ will be on display at the Endzio Gallery in Belgrade until November 25.

Call for Applications for a Two-Day Training Course on Fact-Checking and Tackling Disinformation

BIRN Kosovo, in cooperation with the International Press Institute (IPI), as a part of the “Solidifying the Resilience of Kosovo’s Current and Future Journalists” project, which is supported by the EU, is seeking students and early-career journalists for a two-day training course on tackling disinformation and establishing fact checking methods.

Both fact-checking and the framing of information in the correct social context are rarely applied in Kosovo, while journalism and social science degrees do not offer courses in this field. As a result, local journalists are not aware of the latest standards of fact-checking or new methods that platforms such as Facebook use in the fight against fake news.

To address these concerns, BIRN Kosovo, as a leading media outlet in investigative journalism in the country, has teamed up with IPI, an EU-based global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists that has been advocating for professional standards in journalism since 1950. The EU-based IPI will bring experienced media professionals to Kosovo, who will build journalists’ fact-checking and reporting skills, particularly with ethnically diverse investigative teams.

The training course devised and administered by the two organisations will help tackle fake news and unverified reporting, by helping journalists learn how to spot fake news and provide verified information that adheres to journalistic standards. The knowledge delivered will be of a very practical nature and will draw on the unique experiences of journalists who have successfully developed such skills in similar environments.

Over the two days, experienced international journalists will discuss relevant topics with the participants, including the Editors in Chief of Maldita – the leading Spanish organization in tackling disinformation through fact-checking and data journalism – and Teyit, the equivalent organization in Turkey. More information regarding the trainers can be found in their bios available to download below.

The presence of experienced local journalists will ensure that the exchange of skills and knowledge is not in the form of a training-centered teaching, but rather shaped as a conversation between experts, in which the specific challenges of journalists operating in a certain environment are addressed and solutions are discussed.

Who can apply?

Senior year journalism and social sciences students, recent graduates, young and professional journalists from Kosovo may apply.

Candidates from all parts of the country are encouraged to apply. However, the number of participants is limited and we will give priority to younger journalists with less experience in the described field.

Minimum 30 and maximum 40 participants will be selected.

How to apply?

All applications should be submitted in Albanian, Serbian, or English before December 4 at midnight Central European Time to [email protected] along with the following documents:

  • Applicant’s CV
  • Work Sample
  • Motivation Letter

Applicants who do not have any published work can submit their student assignments from practical courses in journalism.

The motivation letter should provide information regarding the applicants’ opinion and knowledge on the topic of fake news and should not exceed 400 words.

Language:

The training will be held in English, however translation in Albanian, Serbian, and English will be provided.

COVID-19 restrictions:

Due to COVID-19 restrictions in the country, as well as relevant health recommendations, the training will be delivered online through Zoom.

Deadline for applications: December 4, 2020 at Midnight Central European Time

Date of the training course: December 9-10, 2020

Call for applications: Download here

BIOs of trainers: Download here

Remarks:

Participants will be provided with certificates at the end of the training.

The project seeks to organise two additional two-day trainings regarding the topic of false information with different international experts. In this regard, the applicants who are not selected will have an opportunity to participate in similar trainings through the same program during 2021.

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Thirrje për Aplikim për trajnim dyditor për kontrollimin e fakteve dhe trajtimin e dezinformimit

BIRN Kosova, në bashkëpunim me Institutin Ndërkombëtar të Medias (IPI), si pjesë e projektit “Solidifikimi i Qëndrueshmërisë së Gazetarëve të Tanishëm dhe të Ardhshëm të Kosovës“, i cili mbështetet nga BE, po kërkon studentë dhe gazetarë të diplomuar së fundmi për një trajnim dyditor i drejtuar nga profesionistë ndërkombëtarë të mediave që do të ofrojnë njohuri praktike në trajtimin e dezinformimit dhe metodat për kontrollimit të fakteve.

Të dyja, verifikimi i fakteve dhe kornizimi i informacionit në kontekstin e duhur shoqëror, zbatohen rrallë në Kosovë, ndërsa diplomat e gazetarisë dhe shkencave shoqërore nuk ofrojnë kurse në këtë fushë. Si rezultat, gazetarët lokalë nuk janë në dijeni të standardeve më të fundit të verifikimit të fakteve ose metodave të reja që përdorin platforma të tilla si Facebook në luftën kundër lajmeve të rreme.

Për t’i adresuar këto shqetësime, BIRN Kosova, si një prej mediave kryesore në gazetarinë hulumtuese, është bashkuar me IPI-në, një rrjet global i redaktorëve, drejtuesve të mediave dhe redaktorëve me bazë në BE që avokon për standardet profesionale në gazetari që nga viti 1950. IPI do të sjellë profesionistë me përvojë të mediave në Kosovë të cilët do të ndërtojnë aftësi për kontrollimin dhe raportimin e fakteve nga gazetarët, veçanërisht me ekipe hulumtuese etnikisht të ndryshme.

Trajnimi i hartuar dhe administruar nga këto dy organizata do të ndihmojë në trajtimin e lajmeve të rreme dhe raportimeve të paverifikuara, duke i ndihmuar gazetarët të mësojnë se si të zbulojnë lajme të rreme dhe të sigurojnë informacione të verifikuara që i përmbahen standardeve gazetareske. Njohuritë e dhëna do të jenë të një natyre shumë praktike dhe do të mbështeten në përvojat unike të gazetarëve që kanë zhvilluar me sukses aftësi të tilla në mjedise të ngjashme.

Gjatë dy ditëve, gazetarët ndërkombëtarë me përvojë do të diskutojnë tema të rëndësishme me pjesëmarrësit, duke përfshirë redaktorët kryesorë të Maldita – organizata kryesore spanjolle në trajtimin e dezinformimit përmes kontrollimit të fakteve dhe gazetarisë së të dhënave – dhe Teyit, organizata ekuivalente në Turqi. Më shumë informacion në lidhje me trajnerët mund të gjenden në biografitë e tyre në dispozicion për t’u shkarkuar më poshtë.

Prania e gazetarëve lokalë me përvojë do të sigurojë që shkëmbimi i aftësive dhe njohurive nuk është në formën e një qendre trajnuese ligjërimi, por më tepër formësohet si një interaksion midis ekspertëve, në të cilën adresohen sfidat specifike të gazetarëve që veprojnë në një mjedis të caktuar dhe diskutohen zgjidhjet.

Kush e ka të drejtën e aplikimit?

Të drejtën e aplikimit e kanë studentët të vitit të fundit të studimeve të gazetarisë dhe shkencave shoqërore, të sapodiplomuarit, gazetarë të rinj dhe profesionistë nga Kosova.

Kandidatët nga të gjitha pjesët e Kosovës inkurajohen të aplikojnë. Sidoqoftë, numri i pjesëmarrësve është i kufizuar dhe ne do t’u japim prioritet gazetarëve të rinj me më pak përvojë në fushën e përshkruar.

Do të zgjidhen minimum 30 dhe maksimalisht 40 pjesëmarrës.

Si duhet aplikuar?

Të gjitha aplikacionet duhet të paraqiten në shqip, serbisht ose anglisht para 4 dhjetorit sipas kohës lokale (mesnatë) së Evropës Qendrore tek [email protected] së bashku me dokumentet e mëposhtme:

  • CV e Aplikuesit
  • Artikull i botuar
  • Letër Motivimi

Aplikantët që nuk kanë ndonjë shkrim të botuar mund të paraqesin punimet e tyre studentore nga kurset praktike në gazetari.

Letra e motivimit duhet të sigurojë informacion në lidhje me mendimin dhe njohuritë e aplikantëve mbi temën e lajmeve të rreme dhe nuk duhet të tejkalojë 400 fjalë.

Gjuha

Trajnimi do të mbahet në gjuhën angleze, megjithatë, do të sigurohet përkthimi në shqip, serbisht dhe anglisht.

Kufizimet COVID-19:

Për shkak të kufizimeve të COVID-19 në Kosovë, si dhe rekomandimeve përkatëse shëndetësore, trajnimi do të jepet në internet përmes platformës Zoom.

Afati i fundit për aplikim: 4 Dhjetor 2020 sipas kohës lokale (mesnatë) të Evropës Qendrore

Data e kursit të trajnimit: 9-10 Dhjetor, 2020

Thirrje për aplikim: Shkarkoni këtu

BIO-të e trajnerëve: Shkarkoni këtu

Shënim:

Pjesëmarrësit do të pajisen me certifikata në fund të trajnimit.

Projekti synon të organizojë dy trajnime shtesë dyditore në lidhje me temën e informacioneve të rremë me ekspertë të ndryshëm ndërkombëtarë. Në këtë drejtim, aplikantët që nuk janë zgjedhur do të kenë mundësinë të marrin pjesë në trajnime të ngjashme përmes të njëjtit program gjatë vitit 2021.

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Poziv za prijave za dvodnevni kurs obuke o proveri činjenica i borbi protiv dezinformacija

BIRN Kosovo, u saradnji sa Međunarodnim institutom za štampu (IPI) kao deo projekta za „Učvršćivanje otpornosti sadašnjih i budućih kosovskih novinara“, koji podržava EU, poziva studente i nedavno kvalifikovane novinare na dvodnevni kurs koji će voditi međunarodni medijski stručnjaci, a koji će pružiti praktično znanje o borbi protiv dezinformacija i uspostavljanju metoda za proveru činjenica.

Kako verifikacija činjenica, tako i postavljanje informacija u ispravan društveni kontekst se retko primenjuju na Kosovu, dok na studijama novinarstva i društvenih nauka nisu ponuđeni predmeti iz ove oblasti. Kao rezultat toga, lokalni novinari nisu upoznati sa najnovijim standardima u verifikaciji činjenica ili novim metodama koje platforme poput Facebook-a koriste u borbi protiv lažnih vesti.

Da bi se pozabavio ovom problematikom, BIRN Kosovo, kao vodeća medijska kuća u istraživačkom novinarstvu, se je udružio IPI-jem, globalnom mrežom urednika, rukovodilaca medija i vodećih novinara sa sedištem u EU, koja se od 1950. zalaže za profesionalne standarde u novinarstvu. IPI, sa sedištem u EU, će na Kosovo dovesti iskusne medijske stručnjake koji će izgraditi veštine provere činjenica i izveštavanja kod novinara, a posebno sa etnički različitim istraživačkim ekipama.

Kurs koji su osmislile i kojim upravljaju dve organizacije će pomoći u suočavanju sa lažnim vestima i neproverenim izveštavanjem, pomažući novinarima da nauče kako da uoče lažne vesti i pruže verifikovane informacije koje se pridržavaju novinarskih standarda. Ponuđeno znanje će biti veoma praktične prirode i oslanjaće se na jedinstvena iskustva novinara koji su uspešno razvili takve veštine u sličnim sredinama.

Tokom dva dana, iskusni međunarodni novinari će razgovarati sa učesnicima o relevantnim temama, uključujući glavne i odgovorne urednike časopisa Maldita – vodeće španske organizacija u borbi protiv dezinformacija putem provere činjenica i novinarstva podataka – i Teyita, ekvivalentne organizacije u Turskoj. Više informacija o trenerima možete naći u njihovoj biografiji, koja je dostupna za preuzimanje ispod.

Prisustvo iskusnih lokalnih novinara će osigurati da razmena veština i znanja ne bude u obliku predavanja usredsređenog na obuku, već će biti oblikovana kao razgovor između stručnjaka, tokom kojeg će se adresirati i diskutovati o rešenjima za specifične izazove sa kojima se suočavaju novinari koji deluju u određenom okruženju.

Ko se može prijaviti?

Mogu se prijaviti studenti na poslednjoj godini studija novinarstva i društvenih nauka, nedavno diplomirani studenti, mladi i profesionalni novinari sa Kosova.

Podstiču se kandidati iz svih delova zemlje da se prijave. Međutim, broj učesnika je ograničen i prednost će biti data mlađim novinarima sa manje iskustva u opisanoj oblasti.

Biće izabrano najmanje 30, a najviše 40 učesnika.

Kako se prijaviti?

Sve prijave treba podneti na albanskom, srpskom ili engleskom jeziku pre 4. decembra u ponoć po srednjoevropskom vremenu na [email protected] zajedno sa sledećim dokumentima:

  • CV podnosioca prijave
  • Primer njihovog rada
  • Motivaciono pismo

Kandidati koji nemaju objavljen rad mogu da predaju svoje studentske zadatke sa praktičnih predmeta iz novinarstva.

Motivaciono pismo treba da sadrži informacije u vezi sa mišljenjem i znanjem podnosioca prijave na temu lažnih vesti i ne treba da bude duže od 400 reči.

Jezik:

Obuka će biti održana na engleskom jeziku, dok će biti obezbeđen prevod na albanski, srpski i engleski jezik.

Ograničenja zbog COVID-19:

Zbog ograničenja COVID-19 u zemlji, kao i relevantnih zdravstvenih preporuka, obuka će biti održana onlajn, na Zoom-u.

Rok za prijavljivanje: 4. decembar 2020. u ponoć po srednjoevropskom vremenu

Datum održavanja obuke: 9 – 10 decembar 2020.

Poziv za prijavu: Preuzmite ovde

BIO trenera: Preuzmite ovde

Napomene:

Na kraju obuke polaznicima će biti uručeni sertifikati.

Namera je da se u projektu organizuju dva dodatna dvodnevna treninga na temu lažnih informacija sa različitim međunarodnim stručnjacima. Vezano sa tim, kandidati koji ne budu izabrani će biti u prilici da učestvuju na sličnim obukama u istom programu tokom 2021. godine.

BIRN Kosovo Holds Training on Critical Thinking and Fake News

On October 30, BIRN Kosovo organised a simultaneous online and face-to-face training session for students of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Kosovo. Around 15 students participated in the face-to-face session, with another 15 students participating online.

The focus of the training was on strengthening critical thinking, protective mechanisms against defamation and slander, combating fake news, and ethical reporting.

The session was led by Kreshnik Gashi, anchor of the Justice in Kosovo television program, and Labinot Leposhtica, the legal office coordinator at BIRN Kosovo.

Gashi discussed the evolution of the media, provided participants with techniques to help stay safe on social media, and described the role of algorithms on social media.

He also outlined the impact that reporting by the Kosovo media had on the reintegration process of those affected by violent extremism, specifically those returned from fighting in Syria and Iraq, and the families that have been affected.

Gashi emphasised the importance of fact-checking, as, when done correctly, it fulfills the media’s role of serving the public interest.

Leposhtica explained Kosovo’s media code of ethics, the legislation governing the media, and the meaning of freedom of speech on social media. He added that the role of the media is to inform readers and viewers correctly, promptly and in accordance with international media standards, as well as to prevent the incitement of discrimination and intolerance on social media.

This training was organised within the “Consortium: For a sustainable community” project, which is funded by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, GCERF.

COVID’s Toll on Digital Rights in Central and Southeastern Europe

The latest report published by BIRN and Share Foundation sheds further light on the trends in digital rights violations in Central and Southeastern Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report presents an overview of the main violations of digital rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia between January 31 and September 30, 2020, and makes a series of recommendations for authorities in order to curb such infringements during future social crises.

A first report, compiled by BIRN and which contained preliminary findings, showed a rise in digital rights violations in Central and Southeastern Europe during the pandemic, with over half of cases involving propaganda, disinformation or the publication of unverified information.

The global public health crisis triggered by the coronavirus exposed anew the failure of states around the world to provide a framework that would better balance the interests of safety and privacy. Instead, the report documents incidents of censorship, fake news, security breaches and concentration of information.

More than 200 pandemic-related violations tracked

At the onset of the pandemic, numerous violations of digital rights were observed – from violations of the privacy of persons in isolation to manipulation, dissemination of false information and Internet fraud.

BIRN and Share Foundation documented 221 violations in the context of COVID-19 during the eight-month monitoring period, the largest number coming during the initial peak of the pandemic in March and April – 67 and 79 respectively – before slowly declining.

The countries with the highest number of violations to date are Serbia, with 46, and Croatia, with 44.

The most common violation – accounting for roughly half of all cases – was manipulation in the digital environment caused by news sites that published unverified and inaccurate information, and by the circulating of incomplete and false data on social media.

This can be explained in large measure by the low level of media literacy in the countries of the region, where few people actually check the news and information provided to them, while the media themselves often publish unverified information.

The most common targets of digital rights violations were citizens and journalists. However, both of these groups were frequently also among the perpetrators.

Contact tracing apps: Useful or not? 

The debate about the use of contact-tracing apps as a method of combating the spread of COVID-19 was one of the most important discussions in Croatia and North Macedonia.

At the very beginning of the pandemic, the Croatian government led by the conservative Croatian Democratic Union, HDZ, proposed a change to the Electronic Communications Act under which, in extraordinary situations, the health minister would request from telecommunications companies the location data of users.

Similarly, Macedonian health authorities announced they were looking to use “all tools and means” to combat the virus, with North Macedonia among the first countries in the Western Balkans to launch a contact-tracing app on April 13.

Developed and donated to the Macedonian authorities by Skopje-based software company Nextsense, the StopKorona! app is based on Bluetooth distance measuring technology and stores data locally on users’ devices, while exchanging encrypted, anonymised data relevant to the infection spread for a limited period of 14 days. According to data privacy experts, the decentralised design guaranteed that data would be stored only on devices that run the app, unless they voluntarily submit that data to health authorities.

Croatia launched its own at the end of July, but by late August media reports said the Stop COVID-19 app had been downloaded by less than two per cent of mobile phone users in the country. The threshold for it to be effective is 60 per cent, the reports said.

Key worrying trends mapped

Illustration: Olivia Solis

Bosnia and Herzegovina saw a number of problems with personal data protection, free access to information and disinformation. In terms of disinformation, people were exposed to a variety of false and sometimes outlandish claims, including conspiracy theories about the origin of the coronavirus, its spread by plane and various miracle cures.

Conspiracy theories, like those blaming the spread of the virus on 5G mobile networks, flourished online in Croatia too. One person in Croatia destroyed their Wifi equipment, believing it was 5G.

In Hungary, fake news about COVID-19 arrived even before the virus itself, said journalist Akos Keller Alant, who monitored the digital environment in Hungary.

Several clickbait fake news sites published articles about COVID-19 victims a month before Hungary’s first confirmed case. The Anti-Cybercrime Unit of the Hungarian police arrested several people for spreading fake news, starting in early February when police raided the operators of a network of fake news sites.

In Kosovo, online media emerged as the biggest violators of digital rights by publishing unverified and false information as well as personal health information. Personal data rights were also violated by state institutions and public figures.

In Montenegro, the most worrying digital rights violations concerned privacy and personal data protection of those infected with the coronavirus or those forced to self-isolate.

The early days of the pandemic, when Montenegro was among the few countries that could claim to have kept a lid on the virus, was a rare moment of social and political consensus in the country about how to respond, said Tamara Milas of the Centre for Civic Education in Montenegro, an NGO.

The situation changed, however, when the government was accused of the gross violation of the right to privacy and the right to the protection of personal data.

Like its Western Balkan peers, North Macedonia was flooded with unverified information and claims shared online with regards the pandemic. Some of the most concerning cases included false claims about infected persons, causing a stir on social media.

In Romania, the government used state-of-emergency powers to shut down websites – including news and opinion sites – accused of spreading what authorities deemed fake news about the pandemic, according to BIRN correspondent Marcel Gascon, who monitors digital rights violations in Romania.

In Serbia, a prominent case concerned a breach of security in the country’s central COVID-19 database. For eight days, the login credentials for the database, Information System COVID-19, were publicly available on the website of a public health body.

In another incident, the initials, age, place-of-work and personal address of a person infected with the virus were posted on the official webpage of the municipality of Sid in western Serbia as well as on the town’s social media accounts.

In the report, BIRN and Share Foundation conclude that technology, especially in a time of crisis, should not be seen as the solution to complex issues, be that protection of health or upholding public order and safety. Rather, technology should be used to the benefit of citizens and in the interest of their rights and freedoms.

When intrusive technologies and regulations are put in place, it is hard to take a step back, particularly in societies with weak democratic institutions, the report states. Under such circumstances, the measures applied in one crisis for the protection of public health may one day be repurposed and used against other “social plagues”, ultimately leading to reduced human rights standards.

To read the full report click here. For individual cases, check our regional database, developed together with the SHARE Foundation.

BIRN Kosovo Holds Training in Monitoring and Reporting on Audit Reports

BIRN Kosovo held its fourth and fifth training sessions with junior journalists on October 16 and November 2 to improve their performance when reporting on and monitoring audit reports.

The sessions took place within the framework of the ‘Promoting the Auditor General/NAO’s Role in Kosovo’ project.

Supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Pristina, the training is intended to improve the skills of journalists and monitors to better identify violations in the allocation of public finances and encourage new journalists to become involved in investigative journalism.

The fourth training session was attended by eight junior journalists, while 15 attended the fifth session. Kreshnik Gashi, managing editor at KALLXO.com and Labinot Leposhtica, the legal office coordinator at BIRN, ran the first part of the session, while the second half was led by Visar Prebreza, editor at KALLXO.com.

Gashi stressed the importance of monitoring audit reports and the necessity to be diligent in analysis, while Leposhtica outlined the process of sending legal letters and monitoring legal documents.

Prebreza meanwhile detailed how to read the Auditor’s reports and conduct further research, while highlighting the importance of illustrations and infographics within an investigation.

BIRN Albania Opens Call for Organised Crime Investigations

BIRN Albania launched a call for investigative stories on November 3, offering grants for three journalists to produce articles on organised crime themes.

BIRN is offering grants for three journalists from Albania to cover organised crime stories, as well as mentoring by experienced editors.

The call is part of the project ‘Raising Awareness and Accountability on Money Laundering in Albania’, supported by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The goal of the project is to strengthen the fight against organised crime and money-laundering by raising awareness and strengthening the accountability of the system for the seizure and confiscation of the illegal proceeds of crime.

Three journalists will be awarded grants to cover their expenses while conducting investigations and writing their stories about organised crime.

The journalists will have around three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, and 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.

The call only applies to journalists from Albania and closes on November 15.

Click here for more information (in Albanian) about the application procedure.

Click here to download the application (in Albanian).

BIRN Sponsors Development of War Crime Trial Educational Material

BIRN is supporting the development of educational material about war crime trials, focusing on cases from the Hague Tribunal, to help build awareness among young people and challenge the continuing political manipulation of wartime history.

BIRN’s Transitional Justice Programme is supporting a project to create educational content based on archive materials from the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, ICTY, designed by an independent education specialist from Croatia, Tvrtko Pater.

The aim is to build critical thinking, legal understanding and human rights awareness among students in a region where the past is often misused for divisive political goals, and to provide teachers with the tools to foster discussion about complex and controversial topics in an engaging and depolarising way.

Pater was one of 20 people, including journalists, historians, artists and activists, who were awarded grants under BIRN’s Transitional Justice Programme to create work based on the archives of the UN tribunal in The Hague.

Pater used ICTY archive materials as his source for two sets of lesson plans for use in history, civic education or sociology classes, as well as case materials for war crime trial simulations that deal with the topics of the destruction of cultural heritage and sexual violence in conflict.

For one of the lesson plans, Pater focused on accusations against Bosnian Croat general Slobodan Praljak, who was acquitted of destroying the Old Mostar Bridge, a landmark Ottoman-era bridge in Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina but found guilty of other crimes and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Praljak took poison in the courtroom when the sentence was being read and died soon afterwards.

For the other lesson plan, Pater focused on the sexual violence allegations against Dragoljub Kunarac, the commander of a reconnaissance unit of the Bosnian Serb Army in the Foca area of Bosnia.

Kunarac was found guilty of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war – including torture, rape and enslavement – and sentenced to 28 years in prison.

Pater’s case materials for war simulations will be used from 2021 onwards at the Model International Criminal Court Western Balkans, MICC WeB, an educational project that simulates ICTY cases and verdicts for young participants.

“Thanks to the BIRN Transitional Justice Programme grant, the MICC WeB educational programme – with renewed educational materials about the destruction of cultural heritage and sexual violence in times of conflict – will continue to challenge and deconstruct the dominant, divisive war crime trial narratives currently existing in our respective countries; build critical thinking, and develop youth resilience to political instrumentalisation of transitional justice and history, as well as to nationalism,” Pater said.

The wartime history of the 1990s is either not taught in classrooms in the Western Balkans or taught from a one-sided, nationalist perspective.

Transitional Justice Programme coordinator Jovana Prusina said that the materials created by Pater are a great example of using the ICTY’s archives creatively.

“BIRN started its granting scheme aiming to encourage and create opportunity for journalists, researchers, activists and others to explore court archives, thus contributing to the reconciliation and memorialisation processes in the Balkans. Tvrtko’s project is a great example of that,” said Prusina.

“By creating such educational toolkit, many students will be able to learn more about the past from an early age and to participate in creating fact-based narratives about wartime history,” she added.

The MICC WeB educational programme has been implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia since 2014. Operating at the intersection of transitional justice, historical human rights education and civic education, it has brought together more than 400 high school students and 80 teachers from more than 50 schools to discuss and hold simulations of war crime trials.

Acting in teams of prosecution, defence, judges and media in week-long MICCWeB sessions, students investigate their respective legal cases, enhance their understanding and knowledge of transitional justice and international criminal law, and build bonds between their communities.

The lesson plans created in cooperation with BIRN can be found in the document section below.

Download: MICCWeB Cases Selection and Procedure

Download: MICCWeB Lesson Plan – Cultural Heritage

Download: MICCWeB Lesson Plan – Sexual Violence in Conflict

Open Call: Best Stories on Public Spending

As part of its ‘Promoting the Auditor General/NAO’s Role in Kosovo’ project, which is supported by the Dutch Embassy in Pristina, BIRN Kosovo is seeking applications for an award scheme for the best stories on public spending.

Stories written by individual journalists and those written as part of a group are eligible, as long as they meet the following criteria:

  • The stories must have been published between October 1, 2019 and September 30, 2020
  • The stories must have been published by a media outlet that is a member of the Press Council of Kosovo (PCK)

The applications will be reviewed by a professional jury consisting of five members including editors, media workers and representatives from the National Audit Office.

The jury will select the stories by evaluating them on:

  • The impact of the findings on the general public
  • The quality of research and comprehensiveness of information sources
  • Creativity in using public data extracted from audit reports

Applications must be submitted by 23:59 on November 15, 2020 to this email address: [email protected]

Applicants must submit a brief description of the story and its impact on the public as well as a link or scanned copy of the published version. Incomplete applications, or applications received after the deadline will not be considered. Any questions can be addressed to the same email address.

The winning stories will be awarded the following prizes:

  • 800 euros for first place
  • 600 euros for second place
  • 400 euros for third place

The award winners will be announced in the first week of December.

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Thirrje: Çmimet për storiet më të mira gazetareske në fushën e shpenzimeve publike

Rrjeti Ballkanik i Gazetarisë Hulumtuese, BIRN Kosova, në kuadër të projektit të promovimit të rolit të ZKA-së në kuadër të projektit të mbështetur nga Ambasada Holandeze në Prishtinë, shpall Thirrje për:

Tri storiet më të mira në temën e shpenzimit të parasë publike

Kriteret e konkursit

  • Storiet duhet të jenë të publikuara nga data 1 tetor 2019 deri 30 shtator 2020
  • Storiet duhet të jenë të publikuara në televizione, radio si dhe në media online e gazeta që janë anëtare të KMShK-së
  • Gazetarët dhe grupe gazetarësh lejohet të aplikojnë me storiet e tyre Juria do t’i përzgjedhë storiet duke i vlerësuar ato në:
  • Ndikimin i gjetjeve në audiencën e përgjithshme
  • Cilësia e hulumtimit dhe gjithëpërfshirja e burimeve të informacionit
  • Kreativiteti në përdorimin e të dhënave publike të nxjerra nga raportet e auditimit

Aplikantët duhet të dorëzojnë një përshkrim të shkurtër të stories dhe impaktit të saj në publik dhe gjithashtu linkun ose kopjen e skenuar të publikimit.

Të gjitha aplikacionet për Çmimin për storjen më të mirë, do të pranohen deri më 15 nëntor 2020, në ora 23:59, në e-mail adresën: [email protected]

* Aplikimet e jo të plota ose aplikimet e pranuara pas afatit kohor nuk do të merren në konsideratë.

Çdo pyetje që ka të bëjë me Çmimin për të shkeljet në shpenzime publike mund të drejtohet në e-mail adresën e përmendur më lart.

Çmimi gazetaresk do të shoqërohet me stimulim monetar

  • Çmimi i parë 800 euro
  • Çmimi i dytë 600 euro
  • Çmimi i tretë 400 euro

Aplikacionet e pranuara do të vlerësohen nga një juri profesionale e përbërë nga 5 anëtarë përfshirë redaktorë, punonjës të mediave dhe përfaqësues të Zyrës Kombëtare të Auditimit.

Shpallja e çmimeve do bëhet në javën e parë të dhjetorit.

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Poziv: Nagrada za najbolju novinarsku priču iz oblasti javnih rashoda

Balkanska istraživačka mreža, BIRN Kosovo, u okviru projekta koji promoviše ulogu Nacionalne kancelarije revizije (NKR), čiju realizaciju podržava Ambasada Holandije u Prištini, objavljuje Poziv za:

Tri najbolje novinarske priče na temu potrošnje javnog novca

Konkursni kriterijumi

  • Novinarske priče moraju da su objavljene od 1. oktobra 2019. do 30. septembra 2020.
  • Novinarske priče moraju da su objavljene na televiziji, radiju i onlajn medijima i novinskim listovima u članstvu Saveza za štampu Kosova
  • Dozvoljeno je prijavljivanje kako individualnih novinara/novinarki, tako i grupa novinara sa svojim medijskim pričama

Žiri će odabrati priče na osnovu sledećih kriterijuma:

  • uticaja njihovih istraživanja na opštu javnost
  • kvaliteta istraživanja i sveobuhvatnosti izvora informacija
  • kreativnosti u korišćenju javnih podataka izvučenih iz revizorskih izveštaja

Kandidati moraju dostaviti kratak opis medijskog tekst  i uticaja koji je ostvario u javnosti, kao i link ili skeniranu kopiju publikacije.

Sve prijave za Nagradu za najbolju novinarsku priču primaju se do 15. novembra 2020. godine do 23:59 časova na e-mejl adresu: [email protected]

* Nepotpune prijave ili prijave pristigle nakon roka neće biti uzete u razmatranje.

Sva pitanja u vezi sa Nagradom o prekršajima iz oblasti javnih rashoda mogu se dostaviti na gore pomenutu e-mejl adresu.

Nagrada za najbolju novinarsku priču biće propraćena novčanim podsticajem

  • Prva nagrada 800 evra
  • Druga nagrada 600 evra
  • Treća nagrada 400 evra

Primljene prijave oceniće profesionalni žiri sastavljen od 5 članova, koji će uključivati urednike, medijske radnike i predstavnike Nacionalne kancelarije za reviziju.

Dobitnici nagrada biće proglašeni prve nedelje decembra.

BIRN Albania Holds Discussion on Organised Crime and Money-Laundering

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania held on a roundtable discussion on October 27 between investigative journalists and representatives of civil society organisations working to counter organised crime in Albania.

The event, which was attended by more than 20 journalists and representatives of civil society organisations and international institutions working in the field of organised crime, money-laundering and illicit asset recovery, is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands-supported project ‘Raising Awareness and Accountability on Money Laundering in Albania’.

The goal of the project is to strengthen the fight against organised crime and money-laundering by raising awareness and strengthening accountability on the system for the seizure and confiscation of the illegal proceeds of crime.

The discussion was also attended by the ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Albania, Guusje Korthals Altes, who in opening remarks underlined the important role the media and investigative journalists play in the fight against organised crime.

The discussion was moderated by Redion Qirjazi, the head of the security programme at the Institute for Democracy and Mediation in Tirana. The event produced lively debate about important topics that should be investigated in the field of organised crime and money-laundering as well as the need to build stronger bridges of communication and cooperation between civil society and journalists.

The main topics discussed included the proper implementation of Albania’s law for the integrity of public officials, the reach of organised crime in politics and its possible involvement in the 2021 parliamentary election campaign, the use by the community of confiscated assets of organised crime and efforts made by civil society to turn them into social businesses.

The journalists and civil society experts also discussed the illicit finances of organised crime, including contraband cigarettes, trafficking in narcotics and the laundering of these illicit gains in different sectors of the economy, ranging from tourism and media to the construction sector. Experts asked the journalists to pay more attention to the implementation of strategies against organised crime by the Albanian government and its law enforcement agencies.

The journalists underlined the wide reach of Albanian organised crime in Europe, including the narcotics trade in the Netherlands and other European countries, as well as the difficulties they face in covering this sensitive and dangerous topic, which requires editorial and financial support that their own media outlets do not provide.

The debate will inform BIRN Albania’s upcoming call for an investigation on the topic of organised crime.