Category: Uncategorized

Nerma Jelacic is new ICTY spokesperson

The Hague _ Nerma Jelacic, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network’s country director and editor in Bosnia and Herzegovina, is the new spokesperson for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague, the court announced Tuesday.

Nerma Jelacic previously worked as a reporter for the British-based newspapers, the Observer, the Guardian and The Financial Times. She has covered foreign affairs and is a well-known expert on Balkan affairs.

Born in Visegrad, Bosnia, she was forced to leave her country during the war in the former Yugoslavia.

As director of the Bosnia office of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting from 2003, she organised training for regional journalists in the field of transitional justice, and was involved in many other similar projects.

In 2005, she became director of the BIRN office in Sarajevo and editor of the Balkan Insight news service as well as the Justice report.

Job Vacancy: Web Programmer for BIRN

We have a vacancy
in our expanding regional organisation for a Web
Programmer based in Belgrade, Serbia.

Closing date for applications:
February 1st, 2008.

The
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, is a media development
group operating in nine countries across the Balkans. It is the
publisher of Balkan Insight, www.balkaninsight.com
an online news service.

Responsibilities
– brief summary:
Primary
responsibilities refer to the maintenance of existing websites in the
BIRN network, their systems and applications. Occasionally, the
responsibilities would include developing solutions and applications
as new needs of the websites arise.

Requirements:
For
this position we require experience in HTML and CSS, php and MySql,
and JavaScript basic. Additionally we require significant experience
in working with (preferably) different types of Content Management
Systems (CMS). Candidates who are well acquainted with smarty, Flash,
Linux OS and AJAX will be given an advantage.

A
very good command of English is required.

Our
team is looking for someone who is self-motivated and goal-oriented,
with good communication and teamwork skills, and with a commitment to
customer service.

Please
provide two references familiar with your qualifications and
experience in this field. When applying please send your CV, updated
with your most recent work positions to [email protected]
by February 1st
2008.

Only
candidates selected for interview will be contacted.

BIRN Romania Publication Awarded

BIRN
Romania’s publication "Divers" has received public
recognition for its fair reporting on ethnic diversity. The awards
came in mid-December from the Department for Interethnic Relations
and the National Agency for the Roma (both government bodies) and
from the US-based NGO, the Project on Ethnic Relations.

"Divers"
is a weekly online publication covering ethnic minority
issues
in Romania, as well as key developments in the Balkan region.

The
bulletin can be read in Romanian at www.divers.ro,
with an English summary also available.

To
sign up, please go to www.divers.ro,
or contact BIRN Romania Director Marian Chiriac on [email protected]

BIRN Romania to Publish Monthly Newspaper for Roma

BIRN
Romania on December 21 signed the contract for publishing a
monthly
newspaper dedicated to the country’s ethnic Roma/Gypsy.

The
publication is to be called "Rom European" (European Roma
People), and five issues are to be published between January-March
2008.

Roma
and non-Roma journalists are to be involved in the project, which is
being coordinated by BIRN Romania country director Marian Chiriac.

The
project is financially supported by EU’s Phare program with €30,000.

BIRN Award for Kosovo Editor

Krenar Gashi, BIRN’s Kosovo Editor, has received the network’s first internal award for outstanding journalism.

The €1,000-Euro prize has been presented to Gashi for the overall quality of his reporting, his innovative approach and his award-winning investigative journalism.

Gashi’s recent scoops included reporting on a confidential US State Department draft document that considered a lengthy freeze on Kosovo’s status.

He has also revealed the appalling state of Kosovo’s electoral registers, with deceased individuals, including the late President Ibrahim Rugova, still officially entitled to vote.

His detailed investigative reports have featured gunrunning and passport scams in Kosovo.

“Krenar has been an example to us all. His dogged determination to unearth facts others would like to keep hidden has set a high standard for our talented team of journalists,” BIRN’s Director, Gordana Igric said.

Gashi joined BIRN in 2006. He previously worked for a number of Kosovo media outlets, including commercial television stations TV 21 and KohaVision, and the public service broadcaster, RTK. http://www.birn.eu.com/en/1/205/633/

“I am thrilled to receive an award – and professional recognition – from colleagues who are such terrific journalists themselves”, Gashi told Balkan Insight.

BIRN, Balkan Insight’s publisher, will turn its prize into an annual award.

Journalism Fellowship Book Launched in Sofia

BIRN Bulgaria presented and distributed the book Moving on: Overcoming Barriers to a European Future at the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate in Sofia on Wednesday.

Representatives of local and international media, various embassies and NGOs, as well as friends of the organization attended the presentation.

BIRN Bulgaria Director Albena Shkodrova spoke about the Fellowship and announced next year’s programme, encouraging young journalists from Bulgarian media to apply for it.

This year’s two Bulgarian fellows gave an overview of their articles and findings. In her article, Nikoleta Popkostadinova, who received the fellowship award, addressed the exclusion of Roma from the Bulgarian labour market. Polina Slavcheva wrote about the way nationalism obstructed infrastructural development in the Balkans.

Albena Shkodrova also gave an overview of the Network’s activities over the past year. "BIRN’s political talk show in Kosovo has exceeded in popularity the most popular similar show in Bulgaria, Panorama; the Justice Report has established itself as a unique and important source of information to local and international media on the prosecution of indicted war criminals by Bosnian courts; dozens of journalists were trained on how to report about minorities in Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania," she said.

The event also provided an opportunity to announce BIRN’s commercialisation plans, and encourage the guests – most of them Balkan Insight readers – to subscribe to it.

The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, an initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and Erste Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, selects ten fellows annually to do research within a theme related to European integration. In 2007, this was ‘mobility’, and the fellows from throughout the region covered obstacles and opportunities to the movement of goods, people and ideas in a range of sectors, including labour markets, business, justice, transport, sport, education and culture. The results were published on November 16, online and in hard copy, in English, German and all main languages of the Balkans.

To find out more about the Fellowship programme, and to read Moving On online, go to fellowship.birn.eu.com or email [email protected].

Life in Kosovo Debates Post-negotiation Period

This Thursday, Life in Kosovo will host a debate between American, Russian, Albanian and Serb guests, who will be discussing Kosovo’s prospects now that talks on its status have failed.

How do Russians and Americans view the diplomatic tips for resolving the Kosovo issue over the next few months? Where can tensions in Kosovo arise, and is there scope for an internal dialogue between the Albanians and Serbs of Kosovo that could calm potential tensions? What kinds of discussions are being conducted formally and informally between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo, and what sorts of talks are being held between Russians and Americans on Kosovo?

Note: Right after the debate, the documentary “Obstacles to the other side” will be shown. It is a production of BIRN Kosovo.

The panellists in the discussion are:

Valon Syla – journalist from Express daily
Leonid Ragozin – journalist from Newsweek, Russia
Isak Vorgucic – journalist and manager of KIM Radio in Cagllavica/Caglavica
Rob Gulick – American businessman

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting from 20:15.

BIRN Kosovo Staff Briefs Foreign Media

BIRN Kosovo has welcomed over 50 foreign journalists, who have been covering the latest developments in Kosovo.

Jeta Xharra, BIRN Kosovo director, was interviewed by BBC Online [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7133515.stm]and the Polish Magazine Babel [http://www.cafebabel.com/pl/article.asp?T=A&Id=2923]about the situation in Kosovo and the post- negotiation process. BIRN Kosovo editor, Krenar Gashi was interviewed by Deutsche Welle Radio and France 24 TV.

International media attention was prompted by the December 10 deadline for a Troika of international mediators to report back to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about four months of talks on Kosovo’s status. The Troika-led negotiations between Serbia and Kosovar Albanian representatives had earlier ended in failure.

Although the approaching deadline created some tension in Kosovo, the situation remained calmed.

Among other international media briefed by the BIRN Kosovo office during their stay were: BBC News, The New York Times, The Scotsman, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, 24 Hours, ISN Geneva, EUP Berlin, Bergens daily and Stavanger Aftenblad.

BIRN BiH Director Addresses Investigative Journalists

Nerma
Jelacic, BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina director spoke at a working
meeting of investigative journalists from all over the country on
November 28.

The
meeting, organised by the Mediacentar and SEEMO, the Vienna-based
South East Europe Media Organisation, gathered investigative
journalists from across Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, who were seeking
to improve their skills in this aspect of their work
 
Jelacic
spoke about the role of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in
the regional media and her own experience gained while working on
investigative journalism pieces for BIRN.

New Edition of “In Pursuit of Justice” Launched

The second edition of the “In Pursuit of Justice” handbook was launched on October 31 in Sarajevo.

The handbook, written by BIRN journalists, is intended for all those who wish to learn about the work of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, BiH, the State prosecution service and the War Crimes Chamber. It also provides an overview of the key laws applied in processing war crimes cases, as well as information about the work of other institutions involved in transitional justice and the process of facing the past in BiH.
 
In addition, the handbook provides basic information on Justice Report – the news agency of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network – which specialises in reporting on the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of BiH and all other aspects of the transitional justice process in the country and the rest of the region. 
 
Since Justice Report was established in April 2006, it has produced nearly 1,000 courtroom stories. An increasing number of people have come to trust our information and support our efforts. They include local and international media, non-governmental organizations, foreign governments, as well as Bosnian citizens residing in the country and abroad. 
 
Our reports have been successful at an international level. Our achievements include nominations for prestigious awards, the republication of our texts – in full or in part – and the use of quotes from our journalists in the media all over the world, from Japan to the US. 
 
The fact that our stories reach the people who survived the war and witnessed its horror is of the utmost importance to Justice Report. Witnesses who want to tell their stories contact us. By reading our stories, they learn about other people who survived similar horrors, and they establish mutual contacts. Justice Report makes every effort to provide them with as much useful information as possible, and to recover their faith both in the practical work of the judiciary and in the broader concept of justice. 
 
Knowing that those who possess correct and timely information have power to change things for the better, we continue with our work, determined to make that power of knowledge available to as many Bosnian citizens as possible. 
 
The handbook is available in the English and Bosnian languages on our website http://www.bim.ba