Category: News and Events

BIRN Trains Journalism Students in Fact-Checking in Pristina

BIRN Kosovo conducted a two-day training course on fact-checking standards with nearly 50 journalism students from AAB College and the University for Business and Technology (UBT) in Pristina on November 26 and 27.

On the first day of training, talks were given by Visar Prebreza, Kallxo.com’s editor, and Labinot Leposhtica, BIRN Kosovo’s law office coordinator.

The day started with Leposhtica talking through some of the legal issues the students might face in the future, discussing ethics in journalism, privacy issues, copyright and the protection of sources.

Sharing his experiences at BIRN with the students, Prebreza highlighted the importance of facts during research, giving specific examples from his work.

He also elaborated on the reporting done through Kallxo’s fact-checking platform‘Krypometer’ (‘Truth-o-Meter’), which uses the platform and information from the public to investigate major cases of corruption and organised crime.

On the second day, students had the opportunity to gain insights from Kreshnik Gashi, anchor of the TV programme ‘Justice in Kosovo’.

Gashi elaborated on how to establish facts and ensure verified reporting in journalism, as well as outlining thorough research methods based on International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) standards and research based on reports from whistleblowers.

During the second part of the second day, the students had the chance to see some of the ‘doorstep’ interviews that have been conducted by Kallxo.com journalists.

After watching some examples of this kind of interview, the students practiced them with their colleagues.

Journalism students on the course were provided with certificates to demonstrate the knowledge and experience gained from the three lectures.

The training was provided by the Civil Society Program for Albania and Kosovo, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Kosovo Foundation for Civil Society (KCSF) in partnership with Partners Albania for Change and Development (PA).

BIRN Joins International Investigation into Medical Devices

A journalist from BIRN Serbia has contributed to a major worldwide investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists into the safety of medical devices such as implants.

BIRN Serbia journalist Ana Curic has become one of the contributors to the International Medical Devices Database, the largest such resource for patients around the world, with more than 120,000 records about faulty or potentially dangerous medical devices.

The database, produced by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), was recently updated with information from 20 more countries, including Serbia.

It is part of major investigation by the ICIJ called the Implant Files, a series of reports that have been published since November 2018.

The ICIJ reports focus on medical devices that have caused health problems around the world before being removed from the market.

The ICIJ revealed how health authorities across the globe have failed to protect millions of patients from poorly-tested implants which could affect people’s health and safety instead of helping them.

In Serbia over the last ten years, there were 137 records on medical devices – recalls, safety alerts and field safety notices – which now are part of the International Medical Devices Database.

The Serbian Ministry of Health and Agency for medicines and medical devices (ALIMS) did not reply to BIRN’s request for a comment, however.

The International Medical Devices Database includes information about medical devices which were subject of safety alerts or recalls, the reasons for withdrawing the devices from sale, and the companies that manufactured them.

BIRN Kosovo Holds Training for National Auditors

BIRN Kosovo held a training session with the General Auditor and staff from the National Audit Office (NAO) on November 25 entitled ‘Improving Cooperation Between the NAO and the General Public Through Social Networks’.

The training session was attended by more than 20 participants, all from senior positions within the NAO.

The ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Kosovo, Gerrie Willems, who opened the session, emphasised the role of the project in improving public understanding.

“Transparency and accountability are key elements for stability in Kosovo’s institutions,” Willems said.

“The National Audit Office is the highest institution in the field of transparency and accountability regarding the management of public funds under the constitution and laws of Kosovo, so together with BIRN we will ensure that your public appearance corresponds to your work,” the ambassador added.

Jeta Xharra, executive director of BIRN Kosovo and anchor of the ‘Life in Kosovo’ TV show, highlighted the importance of the training session, and the cooperation between BIRN and the NAO.

“The work of the Auditor General together with National Audit Office is full of findings, results and recommendations given to public institutions, but it is not sufficiently promoted through social media,” Xharra said.

“At the same time, the message of National Audit Office in not being communicated to the public,” she added.

Besnik Osmani, the Auditor General, emphasised that the NAO needs to be “open and to inform the general public that our work is 100 per cent transparent”.

He went on to say that together with support from BIRN Kosovo and the embassy, the organisation “will be able to improve many things”, and added that the NAO will seek to hire permanent staff to help with communication in the future.

Information on social media use and security at the training session was provided by BIRN Kosovo’s media editor Granit Mavriqi, while insights regarding ethics and social media visibility were provided by Kreshnik Gashi, BIRN Kosovo’s managing editor.

Finally, BIRN Kosovo’s legal expert, Labinot Leposhtica, trained the NAO staff in legislation governing the use of social media and the potential consequences of its use.

The training session was organised as part of the project ‘Promoting the Auditor General and NAO’s Role in Kosovo’, founded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Prishtina.

The session was held as a part of a three-day comprehensive training course which BIRN Kosovo will provide to the Auditor General and the National Audit Office.

BIRN BiH Journalists Nominated for Fetisov Awards

Two BIRN Bosnia journalists have each been nominated for a series of articles looking at the legacy of the 1992-95 Bosnian war.

Journalists Albina Sorguc and Emina Dizdarevic of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Bosnia and Herzegovina, BIRN BiH, have been shortlisted for a Fetisov Journalism Award for their reporting on war crimes and transitional justice for BIRN BiH’s Detektor and BIRN’s regional publication Balkan Insight.

Sorguc and Dizdarevic are among four journalists nominated for the Outstanding Contribution to Peace award, one of four Fetisov award categories for 2019.

The specific award recognises “publications that have made an important contribution to the peacemaking process and to spreading the concept of human life as the highest value.”

Sorguc has been nominated for a series of articles – ‘Sarajevo to Pay €358,000 for War Crime Suspects’ Defence’; ‘‘We Were Just Like Them’ – in Bosnia, Past Meets Present’; ‘Bosnian War Rape Suspect Avoids Prosecution in Sweden’ and ‘Bosnian Serbs’ War Commissions: Fact-Seeking or Truth-Distorting?’

Dizdarevic has been nominated for the stories ‘Bosnian Judiciary Restricts Information on War Crime Cases’, ‘Croatia Cuts Bosnian Croat’s Jail Term, Causing Political Storm’ and ‘Bosnia’s Updated War Crimes Strategy Languishes in Limbo’.

In the same category, Italian journalist Francesca Mannocchi has been nominated for her reporting on Libya’s Tripoli, while Egyptian journalist Mohamed Aboelgheit has been nominated for an article on the arming of Islamic State in Yemen.

Founded by the Russian businessman, producer and philanthropist Gleb Fetisov, the Fetisov Journalism Awards says its mission is to “promote universal human values such as honesty, justice, courage and nobility through the example of outstanding journalists from all over the world as their dedicated service and commitment contribute to changing the world for the better.”

This year’s jury includes Aidan White, Ricardo Gutierrez, Christophe Deloire, Barbara Trionfi, Guy Mettan, Deborah Bergamini, Oliver Vujovic and Eva Merkacheva.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held in Luzern, Switzerland, on January 22, 2020.

BIRN Kosovo Trains Prizren Media in Fact-Checking

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Kosovo held a training workshop on fact-checking and professional standards in journalism for local media in the Prizren region on November 19.

Media representatives at the workshop, including journalists, media correspondents and court monitors from the municipalities of Prizren, Suhareka/Suva Reka and Dragash, discussed the importance of fact-based research and learned about BIRN’s Kosovo’s fact-checking platform, Krypometer.

The training continued with workshops on ethics in journalism, truthful reporting, privacy and copyright issues and resource protection.

Participants then had the opportunity to gain insight into reporting using information from whistleblowers, security in journalism, research based on the standards set out by the International Fact-Checking Network and in-depth investigations for television.

The lecturers included Kreshnik Gashi, host of the TV programme ‘Justice in Kosovo’, Visar Prebreza, research editor at BIRN Kosovo, and Labinot Leposhtica, coordinator of the BIRN Kosovo Legal Office.

The training was facilitated by the Civil Society Program for Albania and Kosovo, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Kosovo Foundation for Civil Society (KCSF) in partnership with Partners Albania for Change and Development (PA).

BIRN Albania Holds Mobile Journalism Training for Students

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Albania held a three-day mobile video journalism training course in the city of Durres from November 14-16

The course was attended by 22 journalism students from the University of Tirana Department of Journalism, the Luigj Gurakuqi University of Shkodra and the Aleksander Xhuvani University in Elbasan.

The training was designed and delivered by Alen Mlatisuma, managing editor of the internet and EuroAsia division at Voice of America.

The course provided the students with hands-on experience of the techniques of shooting, visual storytelling and editing video using mobile phones, as well as information on the key apps, handles and rigs used to stabilise their shots.

The participants were trained to use their mobile phones to shoot video and narrate stories, gaining valuable experience of innovative journalistic techniques.

The training was supported by Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA.

BIRN Launches Cross-Border Investigative Story Fund

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network is launching a Fund for Cross-border Investigative Stories covering countries in the Western Balkans.

The fund is intended to increase cooperation between journalists in the region and their knowledge and skills through joint cooperation on cross-border investigative stories.

The stories should be original, evidence-based and rich in context, showing new or broader insights into the region.

Who can apply?

Regional teams with professional freelance or staff journalists are eligible to apply for the fund. Journalists can also apply individually, and BIRN will help them by connecting them with reporters in other countries to form a cross-border team. Teams and stories must be based in at least two of the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

Please read our editorial guidelines before applying.

In case your story also includes countries in Eastern Europe, check our Reporting Democracy grant scheme.

How to apply?

Applicants should complete and submit only one application with one proposal. The application must be completed in English.

Proposals should be developed independently by applicants. It is your responsibility to ensure you can devote enough time to researching and reporting the story and publishing the final article through BIRN, and, where necessary, gaining prior consent from your employer.

If you are employed by other media, we can work with you and your outlet for a joint-bylined article.

Candidates are obliged to provide at least one example of their writing along with the application form. Sample articles may be in English or local languages.

BIRN will provide logistical, financial and editorial support for the stories. Fees may vary depending on the complexity of the story, while the maximum amount per journalists in the team is 1,200 euros.

We don’t have a deadline, but we want to read your pitches sooner rather than later!

For more information, contact: [email protected]

The Fund for Cross-border Investigative Stories is enabled through Strengthening Quality Journalism in the Western Balkans and Turkey project, financed by the European Union.

Bosnia’s Women Journalists Demand Fightback on Gender Violence

A panel about threats, safety, legal protection, and other challenges facing female journalists in the Bosnia, organised by BIRN and OSCE Bosnia and Herzegovina, was held on Friday in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Panelists Marija Arnautovic, from Radio Free Europe, Martina Mlinarevic, a writer and freelance journalist, Dalija Hasanbegovic Konakonvic, from Al Jazeera Balkans, and Biljana Radulovic, an attorney, tackled some of the biggest problems facing women journalists in the country in their daily work.

At the opening of a panel, Hatidza Gusic, programme manager from BIRN, maintained that “female journalists in BiH are constantly exposed to gender-based violence, sexual harassment and constant discrimination just because they are women”.

“This violence is especially visible online,” Gusic added. “We need to do more for the perpetrators to be prosecuted for the violence they have committed, instead of them believing they are safe in hiding in their anonymity.”

Recent OSCE research has shown that female journalists in the country are attacked twice as often as their male counterparts.

“Unlike men, female journalists are confronted with different types of violence; they are threatened because they are women, and they are also exposed to sexual violence,” said Gusic.

The OSCE ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovinam, Kathleen Kavalec, stressed that recent years had seen an increase in the incidence of hate speech, abusive comments and threats addressed to journalists through online communication around the world, including Bosnia.

“The OSCE Mission to BiH is strongly committed to supporting media freedom and protecting journalists – especially journalists,” she underlined.

“Journalists play a very important role in society because they provide information and create the preconditions for transparency, which is why they often face complex and dangerous situations in their efforts to inform citizens,” Kavalec noted.

“Those who have the courage to report pressing issues such as corruption, war crimes and transitional justice often do so at the expense of their own security,” she continued.

“This gathering is one of the steps we take to support all journalists, writers, authors and freelancers to publicize and counter the violence they face. We at the OSCE Mission to BiH will continue to be journalists’ allies in their fight for equality, security and journalistic freedom,” she concluded.

During the panel, moderated by Zinaida Jamakosmanovic, speakers concluded that in traditional societies like Bosnia, violence against women is often seen as acceptable, while the legal system is not doing enough to protect journalists in general.

“Lately, women journalists are being stigmatised and satanised,” Martina Mlinarevic told the panel, giving a grim example from her own personal experience.

“There were comments saying that people wished my breast to be cut off and for cancer to eat me alive. I found it so hard because the majority of those comments were written by women, with profile pictures of them standing in front of churches or with their families.”

One of the hottest topics in which female journalist are victims of online violence, threats and hate speech is the war-crimes stories they report on.

Stories reporting discrimination, attacks on human, women’s and LGBT+ rights also generate a lot of hate speech and create a risk for journalists, the panel heard.

Dalija Hasanbegovic Konakovic said female journalists need to speak up about what happens to them, and open up the discussion on violence “for our daughters’ sakes”.

“Those comments are present every time I do a story about war crimes, when I’m writing about Srebrenica, Prijedor, Tuzla, etc.,” she said. “I know I am going to be called the worst names. But when I talk to my male colleagues, they say they don’t get those messages.”

Biljana Radulovic agreed that female journalists should not stay silent. “They need to put up a good fight and ask the system to do its job,” she said.

“They should be more persistent with lawsuits for discrimination. Female journalists are also being put through economic violence through lawsuit for slander,” she noted.

BIRN Kosovo Holds Fact-Checking Training in Ferizaj

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Kosovo held a training course on November 8 about fact-checking standards for local media in the municipality of Ferizaj as part of the ‘Fact-Checking for Accountable Media’ project.

The first part of the course provided information on the importance of facts in research and the work of BIRN Kosovo’s online fact-checking platform, Kryptometer, while the second part dealt with ethics in journalism, accurate reporting, privacy, copyright and resource protection.

In the third part of the course, participants had the opportunity to gain insights into reporting based on whistleblowing, fact-finding, security, research based on International Fact-Checking Network standards and in-depth television research.

The lecturers were Kreshnik Gashi, director of BIRN Kosovo’s ‘Justice in Kosovo’ TV programme, Visar Prebreza, editor in charge of BIRN Kosovo’s research, and Labinot Leposhtica, coordinator of BIRN Kosovo’s legal office.

Attending the course were local journalists, correspondents for national media in Ferizaj, and court monitors.

This training course was provided by the Civil Society Program for Albania and Kosovo, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and managed by the Kosovo Foundation for Civil Society (KCSF) in partnership with Partners in Albania for Change and Development (PA).

BIRN Fellowship Alumnus Wins Investigative Journalism Award

Arlis Alikaj, an alumnus of BIRN’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme, was given the Central European Initiative (CEI) and South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism 2019 in the Young Professional Journalists category at a ceremony in Zagreb on November 4.

Alikaj was awarded for his story produced as part of last year’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme dealing with illegal logging in Albania’s biggest national park, Shebenik-Jabllanice, a world heritage site protected by UNESCO.

The jury said the award was meant to acknowledge his courageous reporting and the importance of the work of young local journalists. While working on his story, Alikaj had to face many challenges including harassment and threats.

Talking about the award, Alikaj said that he was very happy to be able to get involved with helping to conserve the Shebenik-Jabllanice national park, which extends across the Albanian border into North Macedonia.

“After my article came out and these remaining UNESCO-listed virgin trees got attention, the situation did improve. The world now knows about it,” he said.

“Regional Environmental Forums took place in Albania, the local municipality blocked all permits for logging, NGOs and civil society made protests, and a lot of Albanian national media republished the article. But I was proud of those simple villagers I spoke with in those remote mountains, whose lives are connected with those trees,” he added.

This year the award had a special focus on environmental issues and received 23 nominations, covering 11 countries.

Ermin Zatega and Mubarek Asani’s work for the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN) in Bosnia and Herzegovina was judged to be the best in the Professional Journalists category.

The jury said their award was meant to recognise their contribution to investigative journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkan region, especially for the impact that their collaborative stories had on society in a challenging environment.

Zatega and Asani worked on a cross-border environmental investigation on the hazardous waste produced by chemical companies in Tuzla.

A special mention was given to Jagoda Bastalic from Croatia for her professional reporting.

The jury also decided to give a special mention to Dina Djordjevic for her contribution, as young journalist working in a team with Vladimir Kostic, in investigating important environmental topics in her country, Serbia.

Both Djordjevic and Kostic have also been participants in the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme in the past.