Tag: Hub

The training, organised by BIRN and the international non-profit organisation Internews, through their Balkan Media Assistance Programme, covered topics such as content analysis  with quantitative data, review of key metrics for websites, and improvements that can lead to audience expansion and revenue potential.

On the first day, trainer Fedja Kulenovic from Internews gave a presentation on how to create content strategies for a synergy of business and journalism.

Kulenovic showed the trainees basic Google Analytics measurements, including the number of users, new users, bounce rate, sessions, page views, sessions per user, pages per session and session duration.

Participants worked individually to review their websites, review key metrics, compare them to benchmarks, and then discussed the findings.

On the second day of the training, BIRN staff learned about numerous small improvements that can potentially help attract new audiences and generate more revenue.

Participants learned how the market evaluates platforms, and how to build a media kit using Analytics data.

The final presentation focused on creating dashboards and emailed reports, using Google Data Studio and Google Tag Manager.

Over four days, a group of BIRN journalists and editors were trained on “Writing with Insight” and mobile journalism at the mountain resort of Kolasin in Montenegro, with the aim of developing and honing advanced skills on longer form reporting and mobile journalism.

The editor of BIRN’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, Timothy Large, who was formerly a Reuters correspondent and worked as editor-in-chief of the Thomson Reuters Foundation, led the course on advanced journalistic writing techniques.

The goal of his sessions was to equip journalists with a ‘survival guide’ for writing with insight, to examine interview techniques and to demystify the art of writing features and news analysis.

Lamija Aleckovic, media expert and a former journalist and editor at Croatian public broadcaster HRT and at Al Jazeera Balkans, led the section of the training on mobile journalism.

This included insights into how an integrated newsroom functions and how mobile journalism can best be utilised.

The participants were trained on how to construct a narrative in visual form, which included how to plan shots to suit the story and what interviewees or additional elements may be required. It also covered the basics of camera angles, framing, lighting and sound control, finishing with a hands on task to film and edit a video package using advanced mobile editing apps.

Two members of Balkan Insight’s web team, Ljubisa Banovic and Branko Karapandza, concluded the training with a session that introduced participants to the new content management system for the outlet’s new website, which will be launched soon.

The rise of far-right movements fuelled by anti-immigrant sentiment continues to take hold of Europe. Just outside of the EU, in the Western Balkans, the path to EU membership still carries hope to transform intractable conflicts, but people are growing increasingly sceptical.

What is the future of the European Union and the European identity? What do the proponents of both closed and open societies and borders within the EU want? What role do propaganda and disinformation campaigns play in radicalisation and polarisation of our societies and who is the most susceptible?

What are social factors that might make someone radical and what makes people turn to violence? Is there a standard pattern of the radicalisation process and a model of individual extremist? What are the most common ways in which people become exposed to extremist ideologies? What are the root causes of extremism and terrorism? Are they in the EU or outside of the EU? What is the role of propaganda and disinformation? Is the current model of integration suitable? What challenges are we facing from increased migration?

Fellowships consisting of 3,000-euro bursaries and mentoring are offered to cover topics at the intersection of identity, migration, democracy, human rights, radicalisation and violent extremism. We are welcoming proposals that could explore the following themes:

• Challenges of integration of the Western Balkans communities within the European Union
• Far right networks operating in Europe with links to the Western Balkans
• Religious radicalisation in Europe with links to the Western Balkans and Turkey
• Radicalising transitional justice narratives among the Western Balkans communities living in the EU
• Nexus between Balkan linked networks of organised crime and terrorism within EU borders
• Ghettoization and exclusion of immigrants in Europe
• Political violence within the EU and its online engine
• Role of media in countering disinformation and propaganda in connection with migration, integration and multiculturalism.
• Links between political discourse and disinformation in the context of migration, security and terrorism.

Ten journalists, researchers, and writers will be chosen through open competition to receive funding and professional support to conduct in-depth research and investigation into a topic of EU and regional significance.

The content of the Resonant Voices Fellowship call represents the views of the author only and is the author’s sole responsibility. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

An independent jury committee, consisting of international media professionals, civil society representatives and security experts, will select from the applicants.

Chosen applicants will receive 3,000-euro bursaries and attend three-day workshop this spring. The workshop will gather selected participants with the aim to increase their knowledge by providing training in the areas of disinformation and fact-checking, strategic communication to counter online radicalisation, social media, data journalism and impact measurement.

Successful applicants will be mentored by BIRN editors in order to benefit from their practical experience, as well as through on-the-job learning.

The stories produced will be published on BIRN’s flagship website Balkan Insight, and by prominent European, regional and international media outlets.

The call for the Resonant Voices Fellowship will last until January 17, 2019.

This fellowship programme is part of the EU-funded project titled “Resonant Voices Initiative in the EU”. The Project is implemented by the Stichting Commission for International Justice and Accountability, the Foundation Propulsion Fund and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Regional Network, BIRN Hub.

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 Austria or Germany, with European and regional trainers in March 2019;
• 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 prominent 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

All further information regarding the application process, as well as application form and application guidelines, can be found on the Resonant Voices Initiative website: http://resonantvoices.info/open-call/.

Ciobanu won the award of 4,000 euros for her investigation into global ties between ultra-conservative groups waging war on gay marriage and gender rights in the Balkans — and the movement’s corrosive effects on democracy.

Serbian investigative journalists grabbed second and third prizes. Ivana Jeremic won 3,000 euros for her meticulous reporting on hooliganism in Serbia while Andjela Milivojevic got 1,000 euros for her work exploring political violence in lawless northern Kosovo.

Jury members praised Ciobanu for revealing how a growing network of ultra-conservative activists, lawyers and consultants is sharing strategy and resources across borders in a bid to defend what they call the “natural family”.

Her investigation, ‘New World Order’: The ‘Natural Family’ Franchise Goes Global, reveals webs of influence extending as far as US evangelical groups close to the Trump White House and Russian oligarchs with links to the Kremlin. It also highlights how populist leaders are jumping on the “natural family” bandwagon.

“She provides a crucially important insight into attempts to influence popular views on abortion and gay marriage in a more conservative direction throughout Europe,” said Brigitte Alfter, co-founder of the European Investigative Journalism Conference & Dataharvest and author of a handbook on cross-border journalism. “In terms of influencing opinion, this is a crucially important topic to gain a deeper understanding of.”

Jeremic, until recently deputy editor-in-chief of the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia, won praise for shining a light on Serbia’s hooligan problem.

“Investigative stories are like puzzles, with journalists trying to put together many individual pieces,” said Kristof Bender, deputy chairman of the European Stability Initiative. “Often, there are still bits and pieces here and there and it remains unclear how they relate. But Ivana Jeremic has managed to put a lot pieces together so that a whole new picture emerges of hooliganism at the junction of politics, crime and society.”

The jury singled out Milivojevic, also from the Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia, for her bravery and sensitivity in reporting in turbulent northern Kosovo.

“Her persistence is outstanding,” said Adelheid Wolfl, correspondent for Austrian daily Der Standard. “She sets events in a reasonable political framework and timeframe, so that details merge into a total puzzle. Her capacity for political analysis goes hand in hand with a neutrality towards all those involved, no matter which ethnic groups, an attitude that is rarely found in former Yugoslavia.”

Ten journalists from the Balkan region spent more that six months of 2018 pursuing in-depth stories and investigations linked to this year’s theme: “Truth”. They came from Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and Greece.

The jury congratulated all of this year’s fellows on the courageousness of their work, which included stories on corruption, miscarriages of justice, illegal logging, diaspora politics, the subversion of transparency laws and the exploitation of minorities.

A collection of their stories will be published in the new year.

The jury members were Elena Panagiotidis, editor of Swiss daily Neue Zürcher Zeitung; Florian Hassel, Central and Eastern Europe correspondent for German Süddeutsche Zeitung; Remzi Lani, executive director of the Albanian Media Institute; Kristof Bender, deputy chairman of the European Stability Initiative; Milorad Ivanovic, representative of the BFJE alumni network; Adelheid Wolfl, correspondent for Austrian daily Der Standard; and Brigitte Alfter, co-founder of the European Investigative Journalism Conference & Dataharvest.

With the conclusion of this year’s programme, the 10 fellows join the BFJE alumni network, which consists of more than 100 journalists from 10 Balkan countries who collaborate on stories and 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.

A project that promotes the development of robust and responsible press, the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence has evolved into a decade-long platform that has helped shaping journalism standards in the Balkans and the very careers of participating reporters.

The fellowship will issue a call for applications for next year’s programme in January 2019.

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