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The training covered topics including preventing and countering violent extremism (P/VE), radicalization and recruitment (R&R), and other forms of extremism. It also focused on the local implementation of the strategic vision for addressing these issues, with a specific emphasis on the involvement of the Municipal Assembly and Municipal Staff in combating violent extremism and terrorism.

A total of 15 participants, 2 of them women, gathered for this training which started with an introduction of the objectives of the National Strategy for Preventing and Countering Terrorism 2023-2028 and its Action Plan. The training delved into the role of the Municipal Assembly and its Staff in addressing terrorism and forms of violent extremism, presented by Labinot Leposhtica – Legal Office and Monitoring Coordinator at BIRN Kosovo.

Present in this training was also Milot Sfishta – Representative of the Department for Public Safety in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who emphasized the crucial role of local authorities in meeting the objectives of the Strategy. He presented the current situation with this strategy and the work that has been done, especially within schools with teachers, psychologists, and social workers to create a more acceptable environment for returnees.

During the training session, the participants were very active with discussions, sharing many experiences starting from the way they understand extremism to many cases that they faced  and are related to different forms of extremism, with an emphasis on etno-nationalism. The presentation and subsequent discussions served to enhance their knowledge and awareness regarding this topic, resulting in a more informed group of individuals by the end of the session.

This training was held as part of the ‘Resilient Community Programme’ funded by GCERF.

One of the main goals of BIRN is to educate new generations of journalists on how to report about gender-based issues and sexism, as a step toward building an unbiased society in the future. Moreover, the training focused on the crucial role of the media and journalists in creating a collective perception when reporting about women-related topics.

The training module was delivered by BIRN’s local team of award-winning journalists and editors, who have extensive experience in investigating, reporting on, and advocating for such issues.

The first session was held by Kreshnik Gashi – Editor in Chief of KALLXO.com who spoke about the identification of the challenges in treating disinformation on gender-based media reporting. In addition, he talked about the sources of disinformation on gender-based issues and disinformation narratives against the LGBTQI+ community and the handling of hate speech from community standards of social media.

Moreover, Jeta Xharra – Executive Director of BIRN held a session on how to create editorial politics that promote gender equality and avoid hate speech towards women during live reporting.

The third session was held by Alban Zeneli – Lecturer at the University of Prishtina, Department of Journalism who spoke about the importance of fact-checking while reporting on actual stories.

This training was attended by 27 participants of whom 21 were women.

The training was held as part of the project “Promoting Fact-Based Reporting and Media Literacy in Addressing Mis- and Disinformation” funded by UNMIK.

Michrowski won the 3,000-euro award for his story about the decline of coastal fisheries in the Baltic – focusing specifically on the Polish coast. There are several theories about why the fisheries are in decline, but no single compelling explanation. Tadeusz’s story captures all these conflicting truths and mysteries, holding the reader’s attention with colour and literary style.

Announcing the award, Fellowship jury member and deputy chairman of the European Stability Initiative, Kristof Bender, praised “the captivating portrait of coastal fishermen, their decline, and all the reasons behind it, bringing to life distinct characters with their interests and hopes.”

North Macedonian journalist David Ilieski was awarded the second prize for his story about how the gambling industry has taken over the country. The award was given by Elena Panagiotidis, the jury member and editor for the Swiss daily, Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Panagiotidis praised the story for not only presenting well-researched data on the growth of gambling, but also for “showing how ordinary citizens who have taken up the fight against the industry are being failed by the state”.

The award for the third place went to Andrei Popoviciu, a Romanian journalist who produced a story about how a tech boom in the city of Cluj-Napoca has led to a surge in real-estate prices that is squeezing out everyone who does not work in tech.

Florian Hassel, Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, presented the third award. “It is an eye-opening story about a reality you haven’t heard about,” he said. “There is a stark conflict embedded within it, with no clear hero or a villain.”

The ceremony celebrated the successful completion of the 2022 edition of the programme.

Alongside Florian Hassel, Elena Panagiotidis and Kristof Bender, the jury was comprised of Milorad Ivanovic, representative of the FJE alumni network; BIRN editor Gyula Csak, Remzi Lani, the Director of the Albanian Media Institute, and Adelheid Wolfl, correspondent for Austrian daily, Der Standard.

With the conclusion of this year’s programme, the eight fellows join the FJE alumni network, which consists of more than 150 journalists from 14 CEE countries, who promote the highest professional standards.

The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence was launched in 2007 to promote high-quality, cross-border reporting. The programme provides fellows with financial and editorial support, allowing them to travel, report and write their stories and develop their journalistic skills. In 2020, the Fellowship programme expanded to include journalists from the V4 group of countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

The Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence is implemented by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and supported by ERSTE Foundation.

Gordana Andric, BIRN Serbia executive editor and investigative reporter, and Aleksandar Djordjevic, BIRN Serbia investigative reporter, were awarded first prize at the Dejan Anastasijevic Investigative Awards.

They were awarded for their reporting on a network of fake NGOs that got millions of euros from the state budget, envisaged to help vulnerable groups in Serbia. The network was submitting fabricated financial reports and pretending it had organised mass lectures across the country, mainly on school and domestic violence.

BIRN also uncovered that Aleksandra Camagic, a senior Belgrade official and close associate of the Belgrade mayor, had been linked to the group for almost a decade.

“This investigation is actually a result of years of labour, as this is a story BIRN has covered for years, discovering more and more about this network almost every few months,” Andric said.

“Behind findings we published in this article is not just BIRN, but also a group of phenomenal women from our partner organisation Civic Initiative who, together with us, analysed hundreds of documents,” Andric added.

The jury awarded second prize to KRIK for its reporting on police official Nenad Vuckovic who, they reported, commanded the crime group that killed Aleksandar Stankovic.

Third prize went to the Centre for Investigative Reporting Serbia (CINS) for their reporting on Serbia’s ruling Progressive Party’s call centres on the eve of the December general elections, which also won the audience award.

BIRN and CINS received special commendations for their reporting on domestic violence and the mass killing at the Vladislav Ribnikar school, respectively.

BIRN received special commendations for the story “Domestic Violence Against Children: Invisible victims”, written by Dragana Prica Kovacevic, Teodora Curcic and Gordana Andric and in collaboration with media 021, Juzne vesti, Bujanovacke, Glas Sumadije and Ozon.

This year’s jury members in Serbia were BIRN founder and investigative editor Gordana Igric, investigative reporter and founder of CINS Branko Cecen, Radio Free Europe investigative editor Mirjana Jevtovic and reporter, editor and trainer Slavisa Lekovic.

The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia organised the 19^th annual award for outstanding investigative journalism and reporting on issues of public interest with the support of the US embassy in Belgrade on May 16.

Among the 11 nominees were two more BIRN stories: Sasa Dragojlo and Xhorxhina Bami’s “In Kosovo Clash, New Bullets and Freshly-Repaired Mortars from Serbia”, and Dragojlo’s “Albanian-Supplied AKs Fuel Violence on Refugee Route through Serbia”.

The program offers plenary sessions, panel discussions and lectures aimed at empowering, educating and contributing to greater engagement in the field of digital rights in the Western Balkans.

What’s on the Agenda?

Speakers and experts in their field will lead discussions on pressing issues such as digital governance, privacy and data protection, online disinformation and violent extremism, responsible use of Artificial intelligence (AI), and gender rights online. All sessions will be open for interactive discussions with all participants.

Please note that the program will be held in English.

Reasons to Apply?

The IFM 2024 in Skopje is a unique regional opportunity to engage with experts from different internet governance stakeholder groups, gain insights, and personally contribute to a future digital environment which is more free, safe, and open for all.

This space is for you, whether you’re a digital rights activist, tech enthusiast, academic, journalist, internet policy pasionato or engaged netizen. Applications are open for individuals from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Governing digital space means that each voice counts in discussions that concern us all.

How to apply

Applications are now open but please note that the seats are limited. You can apply by completing this application form by May 30, 2024, at 23:59 CET. BIRN will cover accommodation and travel expenses for selected participants from the above-mentioned countries. Only selected applicants will be contacted.

We are looking forward to your applications.

If you have the IFM 2024-related questions, please contact [email protected].

A malicious email sent from the compromised BIRN Applications account contained false claims and disinformation about the organisation.

BIRN became aware of the breach after the e-mail was shared with staff and partner organisations, and leaked to regional media on May 12.

BIRN swiftly regained full control of the account after learning of the breach.

The organisation has launched a review of its cyber-defences following a month-long campaign aimed at damaging its reputation and intimidating its employees.

The campaign has been spreading disinformation and defamatory falsehoods from anonymous e-mail accounts.

The identity of the attacker or attackers is not known. The attacks appear to be from disgruntled employees and the organisation is investigating signs that they may have been co-ordinated with external actors.

The attacks have so far targeted BIRN’s regional hub and its director. There are indications that the campaign is being broadened to target the network’s country offices.

BIRN urges any partner organisations, donors and media outlets that receive these e-mails to treat them for what they are: an attempt to undermine the organisation’s work through the anonymous dissemination of lies and disinformation.

BIRN’s leadership and staff remain committed to producing the journalism on which the organisation has built its reputation.

“BIRN as an organisation, and its journalists individually, have been targeted many times in the past,” Milka Domanovic, the regional director, said. “We remain committed to producing quality journalism and this campaign will not distract us from our mission.”

Background

The anonymous e-mails have claimed to speak on behalf of discontented employees and purported “whistleblowers”.

BIRN journalists adhere to strict editorial standards when dealing with genuine whistleblowers, by seeking to verify their claims and safeguarding anonymity where this is requested or required. The claims made in this instance are demonstrably false.

BIRN encourages communication through well-established internal channels to address staff grievances. The organisation’s independent oversight committee, or Assembly, has also reminded staff that they can share any complaints with it, anonymously or otherwise.

Last Friday, an anonymous e-mail claimed that employees at the organisation were taking part in a day-long “strike”. However, there has been no evidence of a strike having been organised, or of any employees taking part in it. BIRN operations on the day continued without disruption.

“For the last four weeks, a campaign conducted via anonymous e-mail accounts has been broadcasting malicious falsehoods about the organisation and its leadership to its partner organisations and the regional media,” Tim Judah, the president of BIRN’s Assembly, said.

“The campaign has attacked the organisation’s governance bodies while bypassing official channels for making complaints. It has claimed a strike was taking place within the organisation, when there was no evidence of any such action. The anonymous attacker or attackers claim to be speaking in the best interests of the organisation. This claim must be treated with the scepticism it deserves,” Judah added.

After graduating from the Faculty of History in Bucharest, he joked that he would work as a journalist. But, for about 18 years since he started this job, he still loves what he does.

Let’s meet him!

1. You graduated from the Faculty of History in Bucharest and completed an MA in International Relations. After that, you completed your postgraduate studies in diplomacy and are doing a PhD in History in Chisinau, Moldova. Still, you’ve been working as a journalist since 2006. What made you become a journalist?

Somehow, this job chose me. At first, it was a joke that a colleague and I would go to work for a newspaper after finishing the degree in History. And so we did. Only it wasn’t in a newspaper, but in the most significant news agency in România at the time – Mediafax. That’s when I started to like the press. We monitored all the print media in Romania every night before the newspapers reached the readers and I liked certain newspapers that were better on the foreign policy side. I joined one of them as a foreign policy journalist due to my History and international relations education. Therefore, my training in foreign policy, research skills, and the field of History helped me a lot, especially when I started practising investigative journalism. It’s driven me to practice this job for about 18 years, and I still like what I do.

2. Why did you specialize in Eastern Europe and the politics of ex-Soviet states in the region?

That’s a good question. The first newspaper I worked for in Romania, ZIUA, The Day, had one of the best foreign policy editorial offices in Romania, and mainly dealt with Romania’s immediate neighbourhood and the former ex-Soviet space. So, I started to specialize in Moldova, Ukraine and the Russian Federation. In addition, this area, unfortunately, as we see today since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, is up-and-coming for foreign policy journalists. I have also always been interested in the “frozen” conflicts around the Black Sea created by Russia in the former Soviet states.

3. What has changed in this region for journalism and media outlets in the past few years, especially since the beginning of the war in Ukraine?

Journalists in this area are, first of all, in high demand, and many of them are close to burnout. After the Coronavirus pandemic, journalists from this region almost immediately entered a new crisis – that of the war in Ukraine. So, the last four years have been and are still very difficult for journalists in the vicinity of Ukraine.

Unfortunately, there is news fatigue among journalists and the public regarding Ukraine. The fact that Ukraine is having a hard time maintaining the lines of defence against Russia, and the Western aid has been unacceptably delayed for a long time, is also reflected in the state of the journalists reporting on this area.

The Moldovan media, for example, is still very much subject to Russia’s hybrid war with all its elements of disinformation, fake news, manipulation, etc.

I have noticed another worrying trend in recent years, especially among young journalism graduates not found in newsrooms. On the other hand, I also see many colleagues who have re-profiled in other, less stressful fields. However, there are more opportunities for professional growth through training, development programs, scholarships, and other benefits that journalists enjoy. In other words, there are many less good parts and some opportunities.

4. In 2016, the Romanian Professional Journalists Union awarded you for your political and investigative stories in Romania, the European Commission awarded you the ‘European Reporter in 2017’ prize, and the UN Development Project awarded you in Moldova in 2016. What do all of these awards mean to you?

Of course, I am happy for each of them. I won all of them with stories on which I worked a lot, some even in dangerous conditions in very unsafe areas or on the edge of wars.

The awards recognise my work but they don’t mean so much to me anymore; they are just nice memories. These prizes only validate the work from that moment. It is a good opportunity to mark some milestones and move towards new ones in my career.

The fact that such awards bring you professional satisfaction simultaneously raises your bar even higher. They also come with responsibilities not to reduce the engines and always try to be your best version. Always work professionally and for the benefit of those who read or follow you on TV screens.

For example, I don’t even participate in some competitions, to give younger colleagues more chances in such contests. I am happy to see their emotions and satisfaction when they receive such awards because I know this will push them to continue in this challenging job.

5. What Balkan Insight stories are you especially proud of and why?

In seven-and-a-half years of working for Balkan Insight, I have written over 1,200 items, 350 of which were long stories.

One of my favourites was about the cryptocurrencies produced in the separatist Transnistrian region of Moldova with the help of cheap energy obtained from Russia’s supply of free gas. It was tricky and hazardous to get there. However, I created an exciting story about a cryptocurrency production scheme involving some dubious characters from Moldova and Russia.

Another story I liked that I have written in Albania was from a museum of the horrors of communism in Shkoder. I wrote it after a trip to the Balkan region organised by the European Commission. I liked it because, in addition to visiting this earth-shattering museum, I also made many documentaries to understand Albania’s history in the communist era and this whole phenomenon of the totalitarian state. I found shocking similarities with the history of the communist victims in Romania. My training as a historian led me to an in-depth analytical material for a foreigner who writes about Albania in the communist era.

But I have written dozens of stories for Balkan Insight, which in turn have various stories behind them.

6. What obstacles do you encounter during your work, and what was the most challenging thing you experienced as a journalist?

There are many stories in this sense because I am also an investigative journalist. I’m not an adrenaline junky; I prefer to calculate the risk, not to take it.

However, I often went through dangerous situations during investigations in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria and in Ukraine or in the Middle East on the border with Syria.

There are always obstacles, such as bureaucracy, lack of transparency, bad faith, etc. But as a journalist, you must enter through the window when you are thrown out the door. A good journalist should keep going until he gets what he wants to write in the public interest. The rest is easy and non-involved sort of journalism or PR.

7. What is one message that you would like to send to young journalists interested in politics?

I would tell them that if they are unwilling to work and do a lot of poorly paid work at the beginning, they might look for another field of activity. If you don’t also have a romantic component of Don Quixote, who fights with windmills, and don’t put the public interest above your disposition to effort and resistance to stress, it’s good to look for something else. Real journalists are strong characters willing to sacrifice a lot of their free time, leave home for whole days, and be reimbursed below their level of training and involvement.

Those unwilling to make such sacrifices at the beginning of their careers are better off not even starting. To the others willing to go through these trials, I advise them to learn continuously, focus on specific aspects/areas/topics, and improve themselves. The most important thing is not to be complacent, to keep an open mind, and to always try new things.

The learning circle, entitled ‘Building Foundations for Engaging Citizens in Reporting’, was organised as part of the Western Balkans Media for Change project for media outlets from Albania, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo.

Fifty-three journalists strengthened their understanding of community dynamics, engagement journalism principles and the development of investigative stories based on community involvement.

On the first day, journalists received an introduction to engagement journalism from Corrective, an award-winning, public interest-oriented media company from Germany that aims to strengthen democracy.

Corrective is involved in investigative journalism and seeks to trigger public debate, work with members of the public on their research and promote educational programmes.

In the first session, the journalists explored the emergence of independent local newsrooms that redefine the landscape of journalism production and funding.

They also learned how to actively engage people in their reporting processes, amplify marginalised voices and empower local communities to shape their democratic environments.

Community journalism as a topic was then discussed, showcasing best practices from industry pioneers and strategies for building sustainable business models with community at the core.

The second session focused on presenting a compelling case study titled ‘Suddenly, your body is not yours’ which highlighted barriers to obtaining an abortion in Germany through a crowd-sourced survey.

In the investigation by Correctiv, 1,505 women shared their experiences, shedding light on the systemic failures within the German medical system concerning abortion care.

The second day focused on the development of editorial startegies and best practices to engage communities. In the first session of the second day, the journalists explored editorial strategies for creating engaging content and learned best practices from BIRN.

This part of the learning circle was led by Katarina Zrinjski from BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina, Besar Likmeta, editor-in-chief at BIRN Albania, and Ana Petruseva, country director of BIRN Macedonia.

The day continued with practical work and ended with a session on using the Engaged Citizens Reporting tool, which BIRN developed through the Media for All project.

The tool enables users to crowdsource data and facilitate engagement with communities. Karla Junicic, BIRN’s ECR Coordinator, presented the tool and its potential for engaging audiences in content creation.

The learning circle formed part of the editorial and mentoring support provided to journalists and media outlets as part of the project. The project provides financial support to media outlets and individual journalists to help them improve operational capacity, business sustainability and innovation potential, while aiming to better equip media professionals to produce more quality diverse, fact-checked and gender-sensitive content that will reach and engage with wider audiences.

The Western Balkans Media for Change project is funded by the UK Government and implemented by the British Council in partnership with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, Thomson Foundation and The International NGO Training and Research Centre, INTRAC. It supports the work of media outlets and individual journalists from the Western Balkan countries.

“Who Benefits?’ Inside the EU’s Fight over Scanning for Child Sex Content”, a BIRN investigation, is among 25 stories nominated for the European Press Prize 2024. The nomination was announced on April 19 in Perugia, Italy, during the International Journalism Festival (IJF).

An investigation published on Balkan Insight by BIRN’S investigative editor Apostolis Fotiadis, journalist Giacomo Zandonini and an associate professor in media and international development at the University of East Anglia, Luděk Stavinoha, gained a nomination in the Investigative Reporting Award category.

This investigation uncovers a web of influence in the powerful coalition aligned behind the European Commission’s proposal to scan for child sexual abuse material online, a proposal that experts say puts rights at risk and will introduce new vulnerabilities by undermining encryption.

It was one of the BIRN’s investigations that was most widely republished and cited across Europe – by Le Monde (France), El Diario (Spain), Solomon (Greece), Die Zeit (Germany), De Groene Amsterdammer (the Netherlands), Netzpolitik (Germany), IrpiMedia (Italy), and Domani (Italy), amongst others.

After BIRN published the investigation, the main political groups of the EU Parliament agreed on the draft law to prevent the dissemination of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Europol’s in-house research and development centre, the Innovation Hub, has already started working towards an AI-powered tool to classify child sexual abuse images and videos.

This year marks the 12^th edition of the European Press Prize – the Awards for excellence in European journalism. The prize received almost 800 submissions from over 40 European countries. More than half of the 25 shortlisted projects tackle the lingering trauma of abuse, the PTSD of war, and the challenges Europe faces addressing mental health issues.

“An important part of the European Press Prize’s mission is encouraging journalists to keep holding power to account by being a source of pride and validation.

“Announcing our 2024 Shortlist at one of the biggest journalistic events in Europe fits in perfectly with that part of our mission. The IJF Perugia is a very fitting festival to celebrate the best of European journalism, together with so many journalists and media professionals – both from the Prize’s Community and beyond,” said Jennifer Athanasiou-Prins, Executive Director of the European Press Prize.

The European Press Prize is awarded yearly in five categories: Distinguished Reporting, Innovation, Investigative Reporting, Public Discourse, and Migration Journalism. The Panel of Judges also awards a Special Award to journalism that defies categories and disciplines. Each award is worth €10,000.

The Journalism Cloud Alliance aims to ensure watchdog journalism can perform its public service role by controlling the rising costs and constraints of cloud computing and developing collaborative solutions to collective challenges.

The Global Fund for Media Development (GFMD) and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) spearhead the Alliance. Besides BIRN, the partners include Global Investigative Journalism Network (GIJN), International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), Pulitzer Center, Center for Journalism and Liberty, Big Local News, Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), Forbidden Stories, and Arab Reporters for Investigative Journalism (ARIJ), alongside philanthropic and academic organizations.

“The Journalism Cloud Alliance is crucial to building the blueprint for the future of investigative reporting. As journalists, we’re flooded with data we can’t process, analyze, and report on and it’s the public that loses because of this situation. We need to create a data infrastructure that allows us to create more trust with readers and help lead to more robust democracies,” said OCCRP Co-Founder Paul Radu.

Cloud services are infrastructural to journalism today and are likely to become even more important as the amount of data generated increases, as well as AI integration into the newsrooms.

The Journalism Cloud Alliance aims to democratize access to data storage and processing capacity by promoting collaboration among various stakeholders, and to make data resources more accessible and affordable for investigative and data-driven newsrooms worldwide.

Support will be provided to large and small newsrooms. The Alliance also prioritizes fostering accountability journalism and investigative efforts across the scale.

The next steps include conducting detailed cloud capacity and cost research on current and potential members of the Alliance and adding more members to build a robust coalition to secure long-term financial and technical support for these journalism costs.