This year’s Fellows are:
- Ornela Liperi, an editor from Albania working for Monitor Magazine, specialising in data and financial journalism projects
- Gaby Khazalova, a reporter and editor working for Referendum Daily from Brno, Czech Republic, specialising in cross-border collaborations
- Andriana Theochari, a Greek journalist and documentary-maker working for Global Girl Media
- Leart Hoxha, editor, author and TV presenter hosting a current affairs show on Kosovo-based ATV station
- Jelena Jovanovic, senior investigative journalist, specialising in crime and corruption, with the Montenegrin daily Vijesti
- David Ilieski, a journalist working for Investigative Reporting Lab, a partner media of OCCRP from Skopje, North Macedonia
- Julia Alekseeva, a Belarusian journalist currently based in Poland and working for Outriders
- Tadeusz Michrowski, a freelance Polish journalist and features writer
- Andrei Popoviciu, a freelance investigative journalist from Romania, covering human rights, foreign affairs and conflict with international media including the UK Guardian, Al Jazeera, VICE, Lighthouse Reports and France’s Liberation.
- Ilie Gulca, a Moldovan investigative journalist and editor, working for the Center for Investigative Journalism
Jovanovic, from Montenegro, said her place on the Fellowship was a reward for persistence. “I tried for the Fellowship on several previous occasions, and have been determined to win a place since the first rejection,” she said. Hoxha, from Kosovo, said he was keen to follow his topic in depth and at length. “Producing longform journalism is a welcome contrast to the daily grind of TV work,” he said.
The Fellowship helps journalists produce compelling longform features, analysis and investigations. It highlights strong storytelling and rigorous, on-the-ground reporting – qualities traditionally associated with the best magazine journalism.
This year’s fellows will attend a two-day introductory workshop on the craft of longform journalism. The workshop will be delivered by Fellowship editor Neil Arun, and programme manager Dragana Obradovic.
The fellows will receive 3,000-euro grants as well as comprehensive editorial support and mentoring. They will have the opportunity to win further awards for the best three stories, as well as to become a part of BIRN’s alumni group through which they will have access to new opportunities within our growing regional network.
The Fellowship has been running since 2007 in cooperation with the ERSTE Foundation.
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