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Alikaj was awarded for his story produced as part of last year’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme dealing with illegal logging in Albania’s biggest national park, Shebenik-Jabllanice, a world heritage site protected by UNESCO.

The jury said the award was meant to acknowledge his courageous reporting and the importance of the work of young local journalists. While working on his story, Alikaj had to face many challenges including harassment and threats.

Talking about the award, Alikaj said that he was very happy to be able to get involved with helping to conserve the Shebenik-Jabllanice national park, which extends across the Albanian border into North Macedonia.

“After my article came out and these remaining UNESCO-listed virgin trees got attention, the situation did improve. The world now knows about it,” he said.

“Regional Environmental Forums took place in Albania, the local municipality blocked all permits for logging, NGOs and civil society made protests, and a lot of Albanian national media republished the article. But I was proud of those simple villagers I spoke with in those remote mountains, whose lives are connected with those trees,” he added.

This year the award had a special focus on environmental issues and received 23 nominations, covering 11 countries.

Ermin Zatega and Mubarek Asani’s work for the Center for Investigative Journalism (CIN) in Bosnia and Herzegovina was judged to be the best in the Professional Journalists category.

The jury said their award was meant to recognise their contribution to investigative journalism in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkan region, especially for the impact that their collaborative stories had on society in a challenging environment.

Zatega and Asani worked on a cross-border environmental investigation on the hazardous waste produced by chemical companies in Tuzla.

A special mention was given to Jagoda Bastalic from Croatia for her professional reporting.

The jury also decided to give a special mention to Dina Djordjevic for her contribution, as young journalist working in a team with Vladimir Kostic, in investigating important environmental topics in her country, Serbia.

Both Djordjevic and Kostic have also been participants in the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme in the past.

It offers fellowships consisting of 3,000-euro bursaries and mentoring to explore related difficult questions at the intersection of identity, migration, democracy, human rights, radicalisation and violent extremism.

What does the future of the European Union and of European identity look like? What do the proponents of both open and closed societies and borders within the EU want and what tactics do they use to promote their vision? What role do propaganda and disinformation campaigns play in the radicalisation and polarisation of our societies and who is most susceptible? How successful are online platforms’ content policies and government regulation in curbing dangerous online narratives? What strategies are employed by those pushing back against radicalising, polarising and inflammatory narratives and what challenges do they face?

The Resonant Voices Fellows map evolving radicalising influences eroding the fabric of our societies and undermining our values. They expose and challenge extremist [1] messaging targeting vulnerable audiences in the European Union, particularly online. Their work also contributes to developing communication strategies and targeted outreach as a means to combat these threats.

Examples of topics the Fellows could explore include:

• Far-right networks operating in Europe with links to the Western Balkans
• Religious radicalisation in Europe with links to the Western Balkans and Turkey
• The impact of EU enlargement policy on the polarisation of national debates in the EU member states and (future) candidate countries
• Political attitudes and the influence of Western Balkan diasporas within the European Union and in the Western Balkans
• Nexus between Balkan-linked networks of organised crime and terrorism within EU borders
• Links between political discourse and disinformation in the context of migration, security and terrorism and the political violence within the EU
• The role of media in countering disinformation and propaganda in connection with migration
• Grassroots activism and local initiatives to defend human rights and democratic values and their online strategies with a specific focus on distribution of messages across language and geographic communities
• Online battlefield – techniques and methods of confrontation, intimidation and suppression of free speech online and offline
• The impact of content regulation and online platform policies and their enforcement on activism, journalism and counternarrative campaigns across the EU
• Life of Western Balkans diaspora communities in Austria, Croatia, and Germany.

Journalists, researchers, and writers will be chosen through open competition to receive funding and professional support to conduct in-depth research and investigation of a topic of EU and regional significance. Chosen applicants will attend a three-day workshop in Berlin in January 2020.

Successful applicants will be mentored by BIRN editors, benefitting from their practical experience, as well as from on-the-job learning. The stories they produce will be published on BIRN’s flagship website, Balkan Insight, and by prominent regional and international media outlets.

Fellowship Structure

• The Resonant Voices Fellowship includes the following elements:
• Fellowship bursary of 3,000 euros per selected fellow or team;
• A three-day workshop in Berlin (Germany), with European and regional trainers in January 2020;
• Ongoing, on-the-job mentoring and support from BIRN’s editor and visual communications mentor;
• Publication of in-depth investigation on BIRN’s flagship website Balkan Insight and in other media outlets.

Eligibility Criteria

• Individuals or teams with residence in the EU, Western Balkans or Turkey.
• Applicants should be proficient in English (speaking, reading and comprehension).

How to Apply

To apply, send the completed application form, resume (CV) and signed declaration of the applicant to [email protected] with the subject “Resonant Voices Fellowship” by 23.59 on November 25, 2019.

Download files:

APPLICATION FORM

DECLARATION

More information regarding the application process may be found in our: APPLICATION GUIDELINES

In case you have additional questions or need further clarification regarding the Fellowship programme, please refer to [email protected].

Find out more about the Resonant Voices Initiative and our previous Resonant Voices Fellowship’s stories:

Website: https://resonantvoices.info/resonant-voices/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/resonantvoices?lang=en

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/resonantvoices/

The three-day training course on transitional justice reporting, organised by BIRN in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, started in the Serbian capital Belgrade on Monday.

A total of 25 reporters from various countries across the former Yugoslavia are being trained by journalists with substantial experience in covering war crimes trials and transitional justice topics, and hearing from experts who are directly involved in legal processes, such as prosecutors and court officials.

The participants were addressed at the start of the course by Francine Pickup, the UNDP resident representative in Serbia, who pointed out that there are still hundreds of war crimes cases to be prosecuted in the region and said that the training could help journalists address challenges they might face while reporting on the proceedings.

“We hope that this training will help you in your reporting and that it will give you some advice on how to strengthen your relationships with relevant institutions,” Pickup said.

As well as looking at the essentials of criminal procedures, best practices for reporting on cases and sources of information for journalists, the course also focuses on the role that victims play in war crimes trial processes.

Expert panellists at the course include Ivan Jovanovic from UNDP Regional War Crimes Project, Nemanja Stjepanovic from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Registry, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s state prosecution spokesperson Boris Grubjesic, Croatian Chief State Attorney’s Office spokesperson Martina Mihordin, and Vasilije Saratlic, deputy war crimes prosecutor and spokesperson at Serbia’s War Crimes Prosecutor’s Office.

BIRN’s Regional Director Marija Ristic said that the idea of the training course was to look beyond the proceedings in war crime trials and use the archives that courts have built up and the legacy of their judgments as story material.

“This job is very rewarding because we are giving a voice to the victims and sometimes, if it was not for us, their stories would never be told,” Ristic said.

After the course, the participants will be required to pitch an in-depth story about transitional justice issues in the Balkans.

From the pitches and general assessments of the participants during the course, BIRN will select ten journalists to participate in a study visit to The Hague that will be held in November.

The journalists who propose the best stories will receive a grant of 1,000 euros from BIRN to further develop their work in cooperation with BIRN’s experienced pool of editors.

The project is being supported by the United Kingdom’s embassy in Belgrade and the European Commission.

UK embassy first secretary Chantel Care said that it is important for journalists to strengthen their networks and partnerships, and told the participants that “you have the opportunity to do that here”.

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The fall of the Berlin Wall marked one of the greatest turning points in world history, seen by many as a bright new dawn for Europe and its path towards freedom and unification.

But three decades on from the event that set off the continent’s path to the end of communism, nations are re-erecting metaphorical and literal walls, sowing division again.

Illiberal forces have arisen, populism has spread and nationalism has moved from the fringes to more mainstream political discourse. Brexit, the migrant crisis and the eurozone crisis have all helped propel the wave of radical and populist politics that has found footing in countries across Europe and beyond.

To mark 30 years since the Berlin Wall was torn down on November 9, 1989, we want to hear from those born during that historic year as to how the state of democracy now looks in Europe’s former communist bloc.

Are you from Central or Southeastern Europe? Were you born in or around the year that the Berlin Wall fell?

We’re looking for people who are willing to share their views on camera, to present a picture of the current state of democracy for those raised in the aftermath of the Cold War, and who experienced the sweeping transformations that are still playing out today.

The key things we want to know are:

• How does democracy look in your country today?
• Do you think democracy is improving or collapsing in your country?
• What freedoms do you value in your country today and what liberties do you think are still missing?
• Are you happy with the state of democracy in your country?

Things to note:

The specific countries to be included are: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania and the former Yugoslav states.

Those selected to take part will be featured in a video package which will be published on BIRN’s online channels, including Balkan Insight.

Participants will need to be available for an on-camera interview that will be scheduled with one of our local journalists between October 15-22, 2019.

How to take part?

To submit your interest in taking part, all you need to do it fill out this form.

We’ll need to receive your application by October 10, 2019.

BIRN, in cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP, is calling for journalists to apply for a three-day course next month on reporting on transitional justice issues such as war crimes trials.

Journalists from former Yugoslav countries who are interested in transitional justice topics are eligible to apply for the training course, which will be held in the Serbian capital Belgrade from October 14-16.

“Transitional justice issues, war crimes, accountability and justice are still very important and sensitive topics in the Balkans and their journalistic coverage demands objective and fact-based reporting,” said BIRN’s regional network director, Marija Ristic.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn from experts on transitional justice topics, including journalists, judicial officials, and representatives of government and civil society.

The working language of the training course will be Bosnian/Croatian/Montenegrin/Serbian. Simultaneous translation will be provided if needed.

After the course, participants will also be required to pitch an in-depth story on transitional justice in the Balkans.

From the pitches and general assessments at the course, BIRN will select 10 journalists to participate a study visit to The Hague that will be held in November.

The journalists who propose the best stories will receive a grant of 1,000 euros from BIRN to further develop them in cooperation with BIRN’s experienced pool of editors.

To apply, journalists should send a CV, letter of motivation, links to or examples of published work, and any other relevant documents to [email protected] with the subject line ‘Application – Training for Journalists’.

The deadline for applications is September 25.