The project aims to strengthen regional responses to technology-facilitated violence against women (TF VAW) through research, multi-stakeholder roundtables, training and mentorship for media professionals and awareness campaigns across IPA-beneficiary countries. It will foster cross-sector
collaboration, build ethical and survivor-centered journalism capacities, and raise public awareness through monitoring, advocacy, and large-scale outreach.
Donor
UN Women through EU 4 Gender Equality: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence against Women project, funded by European Commission
Overall Objective:
The overall objective is to strengthen regional response to technology-facilitated violence against women through ethical journalism and cross-sector collaboration.
Specific Objectives:
Strengthened cross-sectoral collaboration between media, civil society and institutions in addressing TF VAW;
Enhanced capacities of media professionals to identify, report on and counter TF VAW through ethical and survivor-centered journalism;
Increased public awareness and advocacy around TF VAW in Western Balkans
Target Groups
The project targets women journalists, survivors of gender-based violence and digital rights advocates, while engaging and increasing capacities of editors, journalists and media outlets.
Main Implementer
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Hub)
On June 2, BIRN organised a roundtable discussion on women’s safety in the digital space, bringing together representatives of civil society organisations, media, institutions and human rights advocates from Montenegro and Serbia.
Opening the event, Amina Mahovic, Digital Rights Programme Manager at BIRN, highlighted the importance of addressing digital violence against women in both countries and pointed to the rise in online threats, gender-based harassment, hate speech and the misuse of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, AI, to facilitate violence against women.
During the first session, monitors Tijana Uzelac from BIRN Serbia and Djurdja Radulovic from BIRN Hub presented key findings from the digital rights violations monitoring in Montenegro and Serbia.
The presentation highlighted trends and the disproportionate impact of digital violence on women participating in public life, including journalists, activists and politicians. The session included an overview of media reporting on these issues, examining how cases were covered and the dominant narratives used in reporting.
At an open discussion moderated by Jakov Ivanovic from BIRN Montenegro, speakers included Mirjana Mitic from ASTRA, Brankica Jankovic from EQUITAS – Centre for Policies and Human Rights, Jevrosima Pejovic, Member of Parliament of Montenegro, Neda Radovic, Director of the NGO Sistem, journalist Dragana Scepanovic and Nina Pavicevic from Kriticki platform.
Participants emphasized that online violence against women is often rooted in gender inequality and directed at women simply because they are women, regardless of their profession or social status. The discussion highlighted direct forms of online harassment, including threats and abusive messages, as well as gender-based attacks amplified through tabloids.
Participants addressed the growing misuse of AI tools to create manipulated or non-consensual content that targets, humiliates and intimidates women.
The discussion further examined institutional responses and the role of digital violence. Participants noted concerns with delays in investigations, inconsistent responses by authorities and the need for stronger legal and policy frameworks. Examples from across the region were presented to illustrate the challenges victims continue to face when seeking protection and accountability.
The roundtable concluded with a discussion on the need for stronger cooperation between institutions, civil society organisations, media and technology platforms to improve responses to online violence against women and enhance protection for victims.
This event is organised by BIRN in the framework of the “EU 4 Gender Equality: Women’s Economic Empowerment and Ending Violence against Women” regional programme, funded by the European Union and implemented jointly by UN Women and UNDP.
Award presented in Lisbon for investigation ‘Killing for a Photograph’, described as ‘fascinating story that raises many previously unexplored questions’.
The award was presented in Lisbon as part of the European Press Prize, one of Europe’s most prestigious journalism awards. Each year, the jury grants the Special Prize to an outstanding project that transcends conventional categories and disciplines.
Matejcic’s investigation examines a photograph taken during 1993 in the war in Bosnia, in which a Belgrade photographer documented an execution from extremely close range.
Those images were distributed worldwide by Reuters and later won a World Press Photo award, becoming part of the visual record of the conflict. But for more than three decades, key questions surrounding the circumstances in which the photographs were taken remained largely unexplored.
How was the photographer able to capture the killing from such close proximity through a sequence of images? Did the presence of the camera influence what happened?
Drawing on nearly 30 firsthand sources, as well as court records and war crimes documentation, Matejcic reconstructs the events surrounding the photograph while confronting ethical questions that remained outside the frame. The article explores war, photography, accountability and the role of witnesses.
The jury described the investigation as “a fascinating story that raises many previously unexplored questions” and “a fantastic piece of journalism with perfect dramaturgy.”
“Killing for a Photograph” was also published in the Croatian weekly Novosti and generated significant regional attention. The investigation prompted extensive discussion among readers and within the professional communities of journalists, photographers, editors and researchers in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Croatia. It has been widely regarded as one of the most important and thoroughly researched investigative stories produced in the Balkans in recent years.
One of the most significant outcomes of the investigation was the correction of a decades-long injustice toward the victim and his family.
After Matejcic contacted the World Press Photo Foundation and presented evidence gathered during her reporting, the foundation amended the original caption accompanying the photograph, which had incorrectly identified Husein Krša as a sniper for more than 30 years.
Following publication of the investigation, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia, acting with the consent and at the request of Krsa’s family, initiated proceedings before the World Press Photo Foundation seeking the withdrawal of the photographer’s award. The process remains ongoing.
In May 2026, the investigation also received the prestigious Dejan Anastasijevic Award for the best investigative story published in Serbia during the previous year.
On May 29 in Gorizia, Italy, the investigation “The price of clean streets”, by Zuza Nazaruk, Willemijn Sneep and Andrada Lautaru, was awarded by Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.
The awarded investigation, published by BIRN’s Reporting Democracy project, reveals how the Netherlands deports homeless Eastern Europeans.
Despite the idea of a borderless EU, enshrined in the free movement principles of the Schengen Area, EU citizens can still get deported from a host country, and this trend is on the rise, affecting mainly Poles and Romanians, the investigation revealed.
In 2024, 690 EU citizens were forced to leave the Netherlands, compared with only 290 in 2019, according to the Dutch Repatriation and Departure Service, DTenV.
The deportations – officially called “transfers” as they happen within EU borders – are decided on by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service, IND, and are based on a lack of lawful residence under EU law.
For the purpose of the investigation, the team spoke with migration lawyers; authorities in the Netherlands, Poland and Romania; labour and other experts; and foundations helping the unsheltered: Regenboog, Pauluskerk, Ontmoeting and Barka.
They accompanied the authorities on their monthly check-ups around Rotterdam, visited homeless shelters in the Netherlands and rehabilitation centres in Poland and Romania, interviewed over 30 former homeless people and five deportees, and reviewed three deportation notices.
The international jury awarding the International Border Stories Prize comprised the journalists and writers Marzio G. Mian, Fausto Biloslavo, Caterina Croce and Teresa O’Connell. They reviewed more than 60 journalistic investigations submitted from across Europe.
The awards were presented during the final event in the travelling series Stories of the Border / Border Stories.
The event, dedicated to presenting investigations awarded in the international journalism prize of the same name, is promoted by Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Sport of Italy’s Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and GECT GO/EZTS GO, with the support of Are We Europe.
On May 29 in Gorizia, Italy, the investigation ‘Follow the Money: Why the EU, Not China, Matters Most to Serbia and Georgia’, by Ana Curic and Maradia Tsaava, was awarded by Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.
The awarded investigation published by BIRN reveals the true nature of the economic relationships between Serbia and Georgia, two EU candidate countries, and China, Russia and the European Union.
“Follow the Money: Why the EU, Not China, Matters Most to Serbia and Georgia” examines trade and investment flows between these countries from 2013 to 2023 and is based on official data from banking reports and national statistical offices.
Curic and Tsaava’s economic perspective through data dismantles widespread narratives and demonstrate the central role of the European Union in the economic balance of countries like Serbia and Georgia.
This is despite persistent narratives promoted by governments and pro-government media emphasising Chinese investments and shaping public opinion in ways not supported by the data, stated Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli.
“Working on this story was a great experience for me personally because I love data and following financial flows, and in this case, there was an official open data, which is actually rarely happening in our countries,” Curic said.
“We were analysing export and import data and the amount of investments coming from our targets – the EU, China and Russia – and towards them, and we could access and analyse official data on these lines.
“The trickiest financial line that we also had in mind, in order to analyse all money flows through official channels, was public debt; because of its complexity and methodology, it wasn’t easy to break data based on analysed countries and analysed period, so it was left out due to the impossibility to be fully precise,” Curic added.
The international jury, composed of journalists and writers Marzio G. Mian, Fausto Biloslavo, Caterina Croce, and Teresa O’Connell, reviewed more than 60 journalistic investigations submitted from across Europe.
“We are very happy being awarded the Border Stories Prize because this investigation was super important for us and everything that we’ve done as part of Spheres of Influence project. We are really grateful to the jury for recognising the international importance of this story that dismantles the stereotypes about Chinese and Russian influence in Serbia and Georgia that were developed with public officials’ narratives,” Curic said.
“It also shows the absolute economic dominance of the EU. For me, personally, it was a great achievement because it shows the power of data journalism in such a wide and at the same time very concrete field, under the phrase ‘follow the money’ and confronts with facts the perception of our countries, especially on the international level,” she concluded.
The awards were presented during the final event in the travelling series Stories of the Border / Border Stories. The meeting, dedicated to presenting investigations awarded in the international journalism prize of the same name, is promoted by Fondazione Giangiacomo Feltrinelli in collaboration with the Department of Culture and Sport of Italy’s Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and GECT GO / EZTS GO, with the support of Are We Europe.
From Poznań to Podgorica, and from Prague to Plovdiv, journalists across Central and Southeast Europe are invited to pitch ideas for in-depth reporting projects on issues shaping democracy across the region.
This grant opportunity, covering fees and field research expenses, will allow journalists to report on a range of topics, from politics and economy to human rights, corruption, the rule of law, and security, that they feel need to be explored in-depth and brought to the attention of the wider public.
Grants worth €1.500 are available for professional freelance or staff journalists and teams, with ideas for investigative, analytical, or feature stories. Reporting Democracy will provide editorial support and a platform for publishing and distributing stories.
Deadline for submitting applications is July 1, 2026
Grants are available for journalists from across the Visegrad and Balkan region (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, Greece).
Formal applicants can be:
individual journalists, working as part of newsroom structures as well as freelancers;
teams with the designated team leader being the contract signatory.
A maximum of six grants will be awarded in this cycle. And each applicant may submit only one application under this grant scheme.
Amount per grant: EUR 1.500.
Eligible expenses include:
fee;
travel expenses;
various production costs (documents, videographer, photographer, etc).
How to apply:
Applicants should use the RD grants application form to submit the application (LINK).
The application form should be completed in English.
Additional documentation can be submitted in an online format.
Clarifications will only be requested when the information provided is not sufficient to conduct an objective assessment.
The application must be submitted by 23:59 CET on July 1, 2026. In case of additional enquiries, please contact us at: [email protected]
Evaluation and selection:
Step I: Technical evaluation done by BIRN staff to ensure applicants followed the application procedures and submitted all required documents.
Step II: Evaluation by the editorial board will be done to select applicants based on evaluation criteria, including:
Quality of the proposed idea, its relevance, and originality
Feasibility of the proposed plan;
Ability to reach a broad public.
Step III: Notification of applicants.
Successful candidates will be informed within four weeks after the close of the call.
Reporting Democracy is a cross-border journalistic platform dedicated to exploring where democracy is headed across large parts of Europe. In addition to generating a steady stream of features, interviews and analytical pieces by our own correspondents, we support local journalists by commissioning stories and providing grants for in-depth features and investigations.
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, has launched an open call for independent journalists in Kosovo and Montenegro to apply for anti-corruption reporting grants under the project Society Against Corruption in Montenegro and Kosovo.
The initiative supports in-depth investigations and multimedia stories focused on corruption, accountability and governance in sectors such as healthcare, education and the environment.
Selected journalists will receive grants of up to $1,500, alongside mentoring and technical support from BIRN editors and experts. Projects should highlight systemic corruption issues affecting local communities and contribute to greater public awareness, transparency and institutional accountability.
The call is open to independent journalists with 3–5 years of professional experience who are citizens or residents of Kosovo or Montenegro. Applicants must submit one story proposal in English, a CV, and a letter of support from the media outlet where the story will be published.
📅 Application deadline: 14 June 2026
📍 Project duration: Up to 3 months (starting June 2026)
📧 Applications:[email protected]
Through the Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism (MOST) project, BIRN has awarded grants to 20 journalists to produce investigative stories addressing key issues across Europe.
The Media Organisations for Stronger Transnational Journalism (MOST) project aims to strengthen investigative reporting and cross-border collaboration by supporting journalists working on critical social, political and economic topics.
Through the project, BIRN awarded grants to 20 journalists, selected through three rounds of an open call.
Each selected journalist received financial support of €1,140 along with editorial mentoring provided by experienced editors from BIRN. The supported projects are implemented over a period of three to six months, allowing journalists to develop in-depth investigative stories.
First Round of Grants
The following journalists were selected in the first round:
Kristina Bohmer (Slovakia)
Seda Karatabanoglu (France)
Laura Carrer (Italy)
Stefania D’Ignoti (Italy)
Clémentine Méténier (France)
Harun Dinarević (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Ana Ćurić (Serbia)
Second Round of Grants
The following journalists were selected in the second round:
Zhaoyin Feng (Netherlands)
Alina Yanchur (Poland)
Stavros Malichudis (Greece)
Siarhei Kuzniatsou (Lithuania)
Marta Abbà (Italy)
Tomislav Kukec (Croatia)
Dejan Rakita (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
Third Round of Grants
The following journalists were selected in the third and final round:
Sergei Panov (Spain)
Wouter Massink (Turkey)
Nemanja Marinović (Serbia)
Maja Boričić (Montenegro)
Đurđa Radulović (Montenegro)
Ersan Pajaziti (North Macedonia)
Supporting Investigative Journalism Across Europe
The selected journalists produce investigative stories that contribute to a better understanding of key developments across EU and EU-aspiring countries, with a focus on underreported issues and cross-border relevance. They also receive continuous editorial support and mentoring throughout the production process, strengthening both the quality of reporting and professional capacities.
The winners of the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence were announced at a ceremony in Vienna on 14 May, honouring the fellows who completed the programme.
At the annual event held in Vienna on 14 May, three stories received the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence award for their reporting on organised crime and its social impact; displacement and identity; and on structural inequalities linked to access to natural resources.
This year’s first prize was awarded to Margo Rejmer for her story examining how cocaine use became normalised in Albania and how traffickers came to be mythologised in a poor and corrupt society.
Presenting the award, Florian Hassel, Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, said: “Margo Rejmer’s article Pizza Pasta Kokaina, about how cocaine changed Albania, uncovers a subject widely unknown to a wider European audience. It is a perfect example of investigative and explanatory reporting, undertaken with considerable personal risk, by somebody who knows the country well.” The story will be published on the Fellowship in the coming weeks.
Photo: eSeL.at / Joanna Pianka
The second prize went to Georgi Totev for his story, “Island of Castaways: Traumatic Histories Wash Ashore on Gokceada”, which explores an Aegean island through the experiences of people marked by exile, displacement, trauma and longing. Adelheid Wölfl, a correspondent for the Austrian daily Der Standard, presented the award, saying;
“Georgi Totev has written a story that weaves together the lives of migrants from different historical periods in expressive and colorful language. An island is portrayed as a place of destiny for minorities and displaced persons. The text indirectly becomes a plea for diversity and human rights and fosters an understanding of traumatic events whose effects are still felt today. Georgi Totev takes us to the Aegean Sea, he takes us to the 20th century, and with loving detail and linguistic skill, he traces the thoughts, feelings, and desires of people who were caught in the maelstrom of political decisions that shattered their identities.”
Third prize was awarded to Adina Florea for her story on water shortages in drought-stricken north-east Romania, where unequal access to running water has deepened social divisions between rich and poor, young and old, and urban and rural communities.
Presenting the award, Elena Panagiotidis, editor at the Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung, said:
“Adina has produced a piece worth reading, combining strong field reporting, an excellent use of data and clear systemic analysis. The hidden water crisis of Romania definitely is of public interest beyond Romania.”
Photo: eSeL.at / Joanna Pianka
In addition to Adelheid Wölfl, Elena Panagiotidis, and Florian Hassel, this year’s jury panel included Gyula Csák, editor at Bellingcat; Milorad Ivanović, representing the FJE alumni network; Remzi Lani, Director of the Albanian Media Institute; and Kristof Bender, deputy chairman of the European Stability Initiative.
The awards ceremony brought together journalists, editors and media professionals from across Europe to celebrate reporting that sheds light on underreported issues and gives voice to communities often overlooked in mainstream coverage.
With this year’s programme concluding, nine fellows join the FJE alumni network, which now brings together more than 150 journalists from 14 Central and Eastern European countries committed to upholding the highest standards of professional journalism.
Photo: eSeL.at / Joanna Pianka
Launched in 2007, the Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence is now in its nineteenth year. The programme supports professional development, cross-border collaboration, and in-depth reporting on key issues across Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. Each year, selected fellows receive financial and editorial support to produce long-form stories on complex regional and European topics.
The Fellowship is implemented by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and supported by the ERSTE Foundation.
The Balkan Investigative Regional Reporting Network (BIRN Hub), is seeking to recruit:
● 1 (one) Correspondent from Serbia (5+ years of relevant experience)
BIRN Hub, based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, is looking for a correspondent from Serbia for BIRN’s English-language website Balkan Insight.
We are offering the chance to work in a highly interactive and dynamic environment at one of the biggest media networks in the region.
Position Details
Contract Type: Full-time
Working Language: English
Experience Level: More than 5 years of relevant experience
Start Date: As soon as possible
Location: Office-based or remote (Serbia-based candidates only)
Application Deadline: 12 June 2026
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting on daily events and producing analysis, interviews, features and photo or video stories on the main events in the country, including politics, security, the economy, human rights, the environment, rule of law, transitional justice, digital rights, gender issues
Producing country-based and cross-border investigative articles
Developing new ideas and topics for Balkan Insight
Contributing to regional thematic stories
Mentoring journalists and contributing to collaborations with other news organisations as part of BIRN projects
Other Duties and Responsibilities
Maintaining appropriate contacts with BIRN country offices and/or personnel, to ensure the proper execution of the above-mentioned duties.
Working closely with other departments such to ensure alignment and integration of strategies with overall organisational goals
Carrying out any other duties that may reasonably or exceptionally be required to ensure the smooth operation of Balkan Insight’s work, such as substituting for absent colleagues, etc
Performing other duties as assigned
Key Requirements
Minimum 5+ years of experience as a journalist, correspondent, online reporter or TV/radio reporter
Excellent command of the English language (writing, reading, understanding and speaking)
Strong writing, reporting and storytelling skills with excellent attention to detail and accuracy
Knowledge and understanding of the Balkan region and regional political/social developments and readiness to work in the context of international media standards
Familiarity with online reporting, interest in web and mobile journalism; knowledge of promotion methods via social networks; online journalism skills, including working with OSINT and visuals-making platforms
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines
Experience working with content management systems (CMS), including uploading and sourcing images and video for one’s own and others’ stories
Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-border teams in multicultural environments
Application Procedure
Interested candidates should submit the following through the application form available at the link below:
BIRN values diversity and inclusion and is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including minority and underrepresented groups and persons with disabilities.
About BIRN
BIRN Hub is a nongovernmental organisation and part of the regional BIRN Network, working to promote independent journalism, freedom of expression, human rights and democratic values in Southern, Eastern and Central Europe.
BIRN has country organisations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia, while the Network is also present editorially in Greece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
