BIRN is offering three reporting grants for individual journalists or journalistic teams to cover stories on abuse of office and corruption at local level in Albania.
The grants, as well as the mentorship, fact checking and editorial support are made possible through the funding of the Swedish International Development Agency, SIDA.
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 a roundtable held in Tirana on September 17 between journalists and representatives of civil society organisations.
Topics discussed at 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 cases with contracts on waste management or treatment of solid waste;
- The lack of representation of rural areas at municipal level;
- Lack of sewage and sewage treatment plants in rural areas;
- Problems of urban development, building criteria, parking, garbage bins, etc;
- Lack of budgets to implement social plans or address the needs of marginalized groups.
The journalists will have around three 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.
The call only applies to journalists from Albania. It closes on October 10, 2024.
Click here for more information (in Albanian) about the application procedure.
Click here to download the application form (in Albanian).