Tag: Hub

This opportunity is aimed at journalists from the Visegrad region who are eager to develop original story ideas and report directly from the Balkans.

Through financial support, editorial guidance and regional expertise, the programme enables journalists to produce high-quality reporting that reaches audiences both locally and across borders.

About the Programme

The Travel & Reporting Grants are part of BIRN’s broader commitment to strengthening journalistic cooperation between Visegrad and the Balkan region.

Selected applicants will have the opportunity to undertake reporting trips across the Balkans, working closely with BIRN’s network of regional offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Montenegro, as well as its editorial teams there.

Stories produced through the programme are expected to be published in the applicant’s home-country media outlets, with the possibility of further distribution via BIRN’s Reporting Democracy platform and partner media in the region.

What We Are Looking For

We welcome proposals for original journalistic work in a variety of formats, including:

• investigative reporting
• analytical and explanatory pieces
• feature stories and interviews
• multimedia content (video, photography, podcasts, radio)
• cross-border or serialised reporting projects

Applications should demonstrate strong editorial value, relevance to the target audience, and a clear plan for field reporting.

Who Can Apply

Applications are open to journalists based in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, including:

• freelance journalists and reporters working within newsrooms
• teams of journalists, producers, photographers and video journalists
• media organisations interested in cross-border reporting projects

Grant Details

Each successful applicant will receive a grant of €2,500, intended to cover the costs associated with producing the proposed journalistic work.

Eligible costs include:

• professional fees
• travel and transport expenses
• accommodation
• daily subsistence during fieldwork
• production-related expenses (e.g. fixers, translators, photography, video or audio production support)

Up to 8 grants will be awarded in this call.

Key Dates

Application deadline: 7 August 2026

Project completion deadline: February 2027

Each applicant may submit only one proposal per grant cycle.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete the official application form in English.

Only fully completed applications submitted through the designated system will be considered.

Selection Process

Applications will be assessed in two stages:

1. Technical review

BIRN staff will verify that applications meet eligibility criteria and include all required materials.

2. Editorial evaluation

An editorial panel will review eligible proposals based on:

• originality and relevance of the story idea
• feasibility of the reporting plan
• journalistic quality and impact potential
• audience reach and dissemination strategy

Successful applicants will be notified individually once the selection process is complete.

For any questions or clarifications, applicants may contact the programme team at: [email protected]

We look forward to your proposals and to supporting journalism that connects regions and tells important cross-border stories.

Launched on Tuesday, the report, Freedom of Information in the Western Balkans: 2025 Annual Report, is based on BIRN journalists’ work during 2025 and provides a regional analysis of FOI practices across Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia.

The report is BIRN’s seventh annual assessment of access to information practices in the region. It examines the regulatory environment, legislative developments and the practical implementation of FOI laws, drawing on 1,740 freedom of information requests submitted by BIRN journalists in 2025.

While the report notes that the right to information remains constitutionally and legally guaranteed across the region, it warns that legal standards are still not consistently translated into practice.

BIRN’s data shows that 58.22 per cent of FOI requests received full approval in 2025, marking an improvement compared to previous years. However, 28.16 per cent of requests received no response at all, showing that administrative silence remains one of the most persistent barriers to transparency.

The report also identifies a continued enforcement gap. BIRN filed 201 complaints to FOI oversight bodies in 2025, but 58.21 per cent of them remained unresolved by the end of the year. Even where oversight bodies ruled in favour of disclosure, institutions failed to provide the requested information in 76.62 per cent of cases.

Judicial remedies also remained limited and slow. Only 3.2 per cent of FOI cases resulted in court proceedings, while very few were finalised during the year, reducing the value of information that often loses relevance when it arrives too late.

The report highlights that access to information remains essential for investigative journalism, particularly in areas of high public interest such as public procurement, public spending, environmental risks, surveillance technologies, strategic investments and institutional accountability.

However, BIRN journalists across the region reported that they continue to face delays, broad use of exemptions, procedural obstacles and inconsistent institutional responses. In some cases, public institutions relied on administrative silence, personal data protection, confidentiality, commercial secrecy or ongoing proceedings to withhold information.

The findings show that access to information often depends less on legal guarantees and more on persistence, legal knowledge, institutional willingness and newsroom capacity.

Recommendations

The report called on governments and public institutions to improve transparency by:

• Applying sanctions against institutions that systematically delay or obstruct access;
• Shorter deadlines for information that already exists in documented form;
• Greater proactive transparency, including publication of budgets, contracts, procurement data;
• Improved digitalisation and electronic access systems;
• Stronger independence and capacity for FOI oversight bodies;
• Clearer limits on legal exemptions to FOI (e.g. personal data protection, commercial secrecy etc.) and clearer proportionality tests to ensure the public interest prevails.

Independent FOI oversight bodies were urged to strengthen enforcement, prioritise cases of public interest, improve monitoring of institutional compliance and make better use of sanctioning mechanisms.

The report also recommended that journalists and media organisations continue documenting obstruction, use appeal mechanisms strategically and invest in legal knowledge and newsroom capacity to defend the right to access public information.

The findings were presented during the online launch event “Transparency in Focus: Freedom of Information in the Western Balkans 2025”, which gathered journalists, institutional representatives and FoI experts from across the region. The event opened with introductory remarks by Gentiana Murati, followed by a presentation of key findings by Megi Reçi, Research Lead and Author at BIRN Hub.

The launch featured two panel discussions:

– A discussion on the gap between law and practice, with journalists and institutional representatives from Albania, Kosovo and Montenegro;
– A discussion on appeals, enforcement and the public interest, focusing on cases where information arrives too late to be useful.

Panelists included BIRN journalists Arbrita Uka, Jovana Damjanović, Vladimir Karaj, Goce Trpkovski and Nermina Kuloglija, as well as institutional representatives Biljana Božić, Krenare Sogojeva Dërmaku, Slavoljupka Pavlović and Petar Gajdov. The panels were moderated by Xhorxhina Bami and Gordana Andric.

Despite some improvements, the report concludes that sustained pressure from journalists, civil society and independent institutions remains crucial to ensure that freedom of information becomes an effective right in practice, rather than only a formal legal guarantee.

The event was organised as part of the Austrian Development Agency-funded project “Paper Trail to Better Governance IV.”

You can read the full report here.

This is not about producing more content. It is about learning how to ask sharper questions, follow stronger leads and turn ideas into investigations that matter.

The Programme

From August 17 to 23, 2026 in Ohrid, North Macedonia, participants will join an intensive, hands-on investigative programme focused on cross-border reporting, open-source investigations and data-driven storytelling.

This year’s focus is on how investigative journalism is evolving in a complex information environment, combining traditional reporting with digital verification, OSINT tools and structured data work.

Alongside the main investigative sessions, participants will take part in practical workshops on verification, digital security and visual investigations. These are designed to strengthen both technical skills and editorial judgment.

Who This Is For

We are looking for journalists from the Western Balkans and across southeast Europe who want to move from reporting events to uncovering systems, patterns and accountability.

We especially encourage applications from early and mid-career journalists, particularly those working in difficult or under-resourced media environments where investigative reporting is both challenging and essential.

BIRN is providing up to 30 full scholarships for selected participants from the Western Balkans and across southeast Europe.

Self-funded participation is also welcome.

Mentorship and Editorial Support

This is a working environment, not a lecture series.

Participants will develop their own investigative ideas from the very beginning and receive continuous editorial feedback from experienced international journalists and trainers. The focus is practical and hands-on throughout the week.

Mentorship includes guidance on sourcing, verification, story development, structure and investigative methods, with close support as each project develops.

Trainers

This year’s programme includes Blake Morrison from Reuters, who leads complex cross-border investigations, Jonathan Soma from Columbia University, who specialises in making data clear and usable in storytelling, Sharbil Nammour, a media safety expert focused on secure reporting in challenging environments, and Reade Levinson from Reuters Visual Investigations, known for uncovering stories through open-source and visual evidence.

More trainers will be announced as the programme develops.

Why It Matters

Investigative journalism takes time, patience and space to think. That space is becoming harder to find. This programme is built to give it back.

Join Us

If you have a story idea that has stayed with you, one that deserves more than a headline, this is the place to take it further.

Prepare your pitch, apply and join us in Ohrid.

Applications are now open. 

Apply here: Application Form for BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting 2026 | ECR Platform. 

The deadline to submit your application is July 10, 2026. Take the next step towards developing your investigative story with leading journalists and trainers from the region and beyond.

On the second day of the conference, Megi Reçi, Digital Rights Research Lead at BIRN Hub, held a session titled Maximizing Impact of Monitoring Digital Rights Violations: From Cases to Real-World Change. The session was organised in collaboration with the Coalition for Content Moderation and Freedom of Expression in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it explored how digital rights monitoring can move beyond data collection to drive meaningful social and institutional change. 

Drawing on the European Declaration on Digital Rights, Reçi explained that digital rights encompass rights exercised online and traditional human rights that are increasingly affected by digital technologies. A central part of the session focused on how collected data can be translated into investigations, advocacy initiatives and policy recommendations. Among the key outputs highlighted was BIRN’s Digital Rights Violations Annual Report, which documents trends in online freedoms, surveillance, privacy and digital safety.

Among the examples discussed was BIRN’s investigation into organised gender-based digital violence, which exposed a large online network used to share women’s personal information and intimate content without consent. The investigation highlighted shortcomings in accountability mechanisms and contributed to discussions on strengthening legal protections against online abuse.

The session’s participants highlighted concerns about online disinformation, surveillance and coordinated attacks targeting journalists, activists and civic actors across the Western Balkans.

The panel dicussion Crowdsourced abuse: Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence, moderated by Tijana Cvjetićanin from Zašto ne, brought together Nikolina Tomašević from Osnažene, Miljana Čabrilovski from the Roma Feminist Collective, Jelena Kalinić from Nauka govori and Azem Kurtić from BIRN Hub. 

The speakers discussed how digital platforms have enabled new forms of harassment including coordinated online attacks, non-consensual sharing of intimate content, hate speech, doxing and targeted disinformation campaigns. They highlighted that such abuses often extend beyond the online sphere, resulting in psychological harm, self-censorship and reduced participation of women in public spaces. 

”Many of the cases monitored by BIRN reveal common patterns across the Western Balkans,” Kurtić said. “Gender-based online violence, for example, manifests in similar ways throughout the region, but each country also has its own specific context. Nationalist rhetoric often intersects with these attacks, giving them a distinct local dimension while reflecting broader regional trends.”

The annual POINT Conference (Political Accountability and New Technologies) brings together civil society organisations, journalists, activists, researchers and technology experts to discuss democracy, human rights, digital governance and the impact of emerging technologies.

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.