Before Perparim started to work as a journalist at several media outlets in Kosovo, he studied political science at the University of Prishtina. Explaining how he imagined his career when he studied, he says:
“They are not far away from each other. Studies have been done on the juncture and disjuncture between political sciences and journalism, and when I look at them, I see that both sides have their points. However, I kept my determination to stick to my passion with journalism, despite sporadic attractions elsewhere.”
Speaking of that, he worked as a Press Assistant at the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, maintaining contacts with the Kosovo media, but it was difficult for him to adjust to working with the press from that perspective.
“But it served as a good lesson for me. Before my experience with the OSCE, I often became upset with the press offices of different organisations, when my questions were not addressed properly or were ignored. I found a different reality, a complex machine, which means press officers often are unjustly criticized by journalists,” he says.
“Switching to the other side came as work for journalists started to become more and more difficult and unaffordable. I started with the OSCE exactly on the day when I turned 10 years in journalism,” he says.
And then, life had some other surprises for Perparim; he started working with BIRN.
“I knew it would be a challenge, and I was right. I came to BIRN in May 2014, and in the first six years worked as editor with BIRN Kosovo’s flagship news site Kallxo.com. Over the years, I used to contribute to Balkan Insight, so when the opportunity came to fully switch to Balkan Insight, I grabbed it with both hands. It came very naturally. I am under the same roof, I just changed the room,” he says.
In his own words, he would lie if he said his expectations had been to stay in BIRN for such a long time.
“Eleven years and counting! Since day one, working with BIRN has always been intriguing to me. Different countries, cultures, and even time zones. A different approach to the job compared to local newsrooms in our geographical area is something I would have missed if I had not experienced it in my career,” he says.
Every journalist has their favourite and least favourite topics. Living and reporting from a country with an enduring political and security crisis, Perparim’s career has been dominated by current affairs stories, be they news, analysis, features, or interviews.
“When I need a fresh restart, I happily switch to culture stories. They are refreshing to me and offer me the chance to be more creative. Yes, it is the light stories I would want to re-read, when I am no longer in this job,” he says.
As in any other profession, journalism has its ups and downs. In Perparim’s view, they are intertwined.
“Your day starts from scratch. No matter how well you did the day before, today you have a new day ahead, which demands your full availability. And as the day goes by, you feel the best part of the job is when you switch off, with concrete results from your work – until the next morning.”
Perparim also mentors young journalists on the Media Innovation Europe project that BIRN implements.
“I have a feeling that both I as mentor and the journalists I mentor cherish it. It is always exciting to get the perspective of a young journalist. It takes me back to my old self, when I was in need of a more experienced journalist, an editor, to guide me throughout the work.”
Working with different editors in the past helped him shape himself as a person, a journalist, and now as an editor. He understands well what young journalists find hard in their profession nowadays.
“So many things have changed. In our region, young local journalists face more difficulties than before because the market is no longer the same. But when I work with them, I see their eagerness to prove themselves outside their usual boundaries,” he says.
And for any young person striving to become a journalist in the region, he has a clear message.
“Be resilient! It is common in our region to feel neglected, but just try to see who wants to make you feel that way. There will always be a powerful person or government who will try to threaten or even tempt you, just to prevent you from doing the job properly. There will always be someone who does not want your article to get across. Remember that many before us had it far more difficult, and succeeded through their resilience.”
Speaking of finishing his professional career, he explains: “Did the time come to think about it? I don’t see it coming in the future, but when the day comes, I will have many things to reflect upon. As the saying goes, once a journalist, always a journalist.”
One passion will occupy his attention and time – reading.
“When that day comes, besides my family duties, I am already planning the reading list. I recently came across an expression: Tsundoku. It is about a person who buys books but piles them up and waits for another time to read them. My pile of books of all sorts is already waiting on the shelves.”