Tag: Hub

The organisations will identify the main players involved in disinformation and propaganda by establishing a Digital Monitoring database. The database will cover the state of digital rights in targeted countries by documenting cases of violations of digital rights and freedoms, with descriptions of cases and corresponding sources.

The project, supported by Civitates, will monitor digital freedom violations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia.

The database will be part of the broader online BIRN Investigative Resource Desk (BIRD), a new resource platform for investigative journalists expected to launch this fall. The interactive database will allow the general public to access data collected through the monitoring system.

The use of SHARE Foundation’s expertise will result in the creation of a detailed methodology and guidelines for monitoring violations of digital rights and freedoms, as well as training for monitors to successfully gather data and file them in the newly created database. A three-day training for monitors will be held in the second half of July in Perast, Montenegro.

In parallel, BIRN journalists will produce and publish five investigations related to the topic. On the basis of monitoring activities, a one-of-a-kind cross-regional report will be produced, to be presented at the closing event.

The database will provide the data for periodical reports on the state of digital rights and freedoms in targeted countries. In terms of outcomes, the cross-regional report will compile collected data in order to introduce public to trends in violations of digital freedoms.

Continuous monitoring and reporting on digital threats will contribute to BIRN’s wider efforts to promote accurate and unbiased information. It will strengthen the capacities and skills of the network’s journalists, as well as exposing and countering threats that journalists and other engaged individuals face on a regular basis.

BIRN launched its latest project, Reporting Democracy, on Friday in Budapest with a conference that heard about the rise of populism in Central and Eastern Europe, the role of the media and about activism.

Experts agreed that democracy could not be taken for granted because populists and the far right present a serious threat to democracy across the EU, especially in vulnerable regions such as the Balkans.

“The reasons why we see an erosion of democracy and doubt whether democracy is right for us is that we have lived a long period where there was no challenge, where we have seen linear progress, and the clouds only came with the economic and financial crisis in 2008, and with the technological revolution, where people became worried that will they be replaced,” Ivan Vejvoda, Director of Europe’s Futures project, said.

Vejvoda explained that the rise of far right and populist movements was fueled by the perception that mainstream political parties and media are “not dealing with real issues”.

“This is why the work that quality journalism does, which unveils the various shenanigans between those in power and those in mafia … is vital… Only by projects like this, and similar ones, can we stand up and live up to our values – freedom and liberty,” Vejvoda said.

Lydia Gall, from the Human Rights Watch, said that in many countries there are sustained attacks on the judiciary, journalists and watchdog organizations. “If this is allowed, then the government controls the message,” she said.

In order to battle the rise of far right, Kristof Bender, ESI’s Deputy Chairman, proposed that mainstream parties need to master basic political tools – make better speeches, mobilize better, and be better at persuading citizens to follow European and human rights values.

“Finally, there is a need to uphold principles on basic human rights and standards – this is needed to uphold democracy and its important to note that one can win with that approach,” he said.

The conference also heard that the regression of democracy in Europe has opened the door to Russian and Chinese influence.

“Many of these populists, like Viktor Orban, claim they are sovereignty-ists, and they are when it comes to the EU, but we never see that when it comes to the influence of Russia and China,” Peter Kreko, Director at Political Capital Institute, said.

The second panel of the conference talked about the role of the media in reporting about populism and human rights violations.

Pauline Adès-Mével, from Reporters Without Borders, said the situation was deteriorating and violence against journalists in Eastern countries has been spreading to the West.

“The problem we are seeing right now in Europe is the decline of press freedom, but also something which goes hand in hand with politics – increasing authoritarianism. These two are linked and that is a problem. This causes more pressure and attacks on journalists,” she added.

Edit Inotai, the Reporting Democracy Correspondent from Hungary, said that there is a frightening echo chamber where there is no debate.

“You cannot talk about facts and things happening. If someone does not like something, it is labelled as fake news,” she said.

In order to battle these pressures, BIRN Macedonia director Ana Petruseva said journalists have to build coalitions.

“Journalists need to do far more, not just in solidarity, but in forming strong ties and doing more in joint work and coalitions, because at the end of the day we are going to be talking about sustainability, which can make the media make money … but journalists have not been fast and successful enough in forging these coalitions and overcoming small differences, and in developing ways how to promote and sell or spread their stories and investigations,” she said.

The final panel of the conference discussed the role of civic protests in Europe and participants heard about various movements on behalf of human rights and freedoms.

Branislav Trifunovic, actor and organizer of #1od5miliona protests, called for citizens to show courage and rage.  “You have to be angry at these governments. Just rage against the machine,” he said.

Reporting Democracy is a cross-border journalistic platform dedicated to exploring where democracy is heading across large parts of Europe.

Across Europe, populist movements are changing the political landscape and eroding faith in democratic institutions. In some countries, they are cracking down on independent media, the judiciary and civil society. The result is Europe’s biggest political transformation since the end of the Cold War. Many fear for democracy itself as authoritarian alternatives enter the mainstream.

In the immediate aftermath of EU elections, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network and ERSTE Foundation will host a conference in Budapest to explore the factors eroding democracy, from populism and authoritarianism to demographic change.

The Reporting Democracy Conference will also focus on the role of media in countering such threats and consider how civic activism can help defend freedom.

More than 100 journalists, activists and representatives of academia and international civil society are expected to attend the all-day event at the Hotel Mercure Budapest Buda​ on May 31.

Distinguished speakers from across Europe and the Balkans will look at what is at stake, how independent media outlets can reassert themselves and what happens when the people start to push back.

To register to attend, please fill in the registration form.

The conference marks the launch of Reporting Democracy, a new cross-border journalism platform aimed at unleashing the power of fact-based journalism to scrutinise the issues, trends and events shaping the future of democracy in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network launched a cross-border journalism platform on Monday aimed at shining a light on issues affecting the health of democracy across a swathe of Europe vulnerable to rising populism and authoritarianism.

Reporting Democracy extends BIRN’s coverage from the Balkans to the so-called Visegrad Group of countries in Central and Eastern Europe: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

The new platform comes as Europeans prepare to vote in EU elections that polls suggest could bring big gains for far-right nationalists, eurosceptics and supporters of the kind of “illiberal democracy” championed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

“Democracy is at a crossroads in Europe as authoritarian alternatives enter the mainstream and threaten to undo fundamentals like media freedom, judicial independence, minority rights and respect for the rule of law,” Reporting Democracy Editor Timothy Large said.

“The goal here is to put rigorous, fact-based journalism to work in exposing the trends and developments that will shape democracy, for better or for worse, and to look at things from a cross-border perspective.”

In addition to offering in-depth analysis by BIRN correspondents in 14 countries, Reporting Democracy will support independent media across the region by commissioning stories from local journalists and offering grants for cross-border investigations.

The project is supported by ERSTE Foundation, the main shareholder of Austrian bank Erste Group, which also funds BIRN’s flagship Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme, now in its 13th year.