Balkan Investigative Reporting Network
Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence alumni joined artists, journalists, researchers and activists taking part in ERSTE Foundation’s annual get together at the Tyrolean village of Alpbach.
Fellowship alumni participated in the third annual ERSTE Foundation Community meeting and ideas exchange held in Austria’s famed Tyrolean region.
The continued importance of investigative reporting has been brought to the fore thanks to the recent work of Guardian journalist Nick Davies, who exposed the News of the World’s phone hacking practices, prompting public inquiries into the newspaper and its owner, Rupert Murdoch’s New Corporation, as well as the work of the police.
Davies, who will lecture at the upcoming BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting, has been praised for his work and for standing up against Murdoch’s extremely powerful media machine.
According to fellow BIRN Summer School lecturer Sheila Coronel, Director and Professor of Professional Practice at Colombia University’s Toni Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism, “today we are seeing the unraveling of one of the most powerful global media empires.
The phone hacking scandal has had repercussions not just in the UK, but in the US as well, where Murdoch’s Fox News network lords it over the cable channels. US investigators are now looking into possible violations of US law. The FBI has been asked to investigate whether News Corp subsidiaries hacked phones in the US as well. We may well be seeing the end of the Murdoch era.”
Also speaking about the importance and ramifications of this story, another BIRN Summer School lecturer, Paul Bradshaw, insists: “This is a bigger story than MPs’ expenses, because this is about the system itself, not just its abuse. It is bigger than Wikileaks, because that was about truth and this is about change…”
Bradshaw, best known as the publisher of the Online Journalism Blog and a professor of online journalism in the UK, insists that the cards could fall in any number of ways. “Regulation of the press is obviously the area of most concern: the Press Complaints Commission and the press itself have been heading this way for some time now, so they cannot complain if things change.
Government is making reassuring noises in framing their inquiry into regulation around protecting plurality and independence, but there’s also a suggestion that they are seeking to control the BBC further. Whatever press regulation regime we get is likely to be tougher, however, and may well seek to regulate online journalism more consistently too.”
He continues: “Ownership is the other major area being looked at, with talk of a numerical test being used to proactively ensure individual companies do not dominate the media, rather than intervening only when companies merge or are bought – although this plays in sharp contradiction to policy around local TV, for example, which explicitly talks about relaxing media ownership rules.
“Whatever happens, this is the biggest opportunity to reshape the political landscape that the media operate in – both for those who seek to ensure freedom and diversity of speech and for those who would seek to control the press. Both will be fighting hard for their cause,” concluded Bradshaw.
The 2011 BIRN Summer School of Investigative Reporting is fast approaching. Journalists from the Balkans have just four more days, until July 25th to apply and gain a full scholarship, while paying applicants can apply until August 9th for this unique course, to be held in the beautiful Croatian resort of Opatija from August 21st to 27th.
This year’s summer school has already attracted the interest of 60 Balkan-based journalism students and our selection committee – comprising Professor Sheila Coronel of Columbia University, Dragana Nikolic Solomon, Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia’s Media Department, and Gordana Igric, BIRN regional director – will select 20 candidates to receive full scholarships.
Trainers at this summer’s school will include some of the world’s leading investigative journalists from the U.S. and Europe, including the Guardian’s Nick Davies, who single-handedly led the phone hacking investigation against the News of The World, Paul Bradshaw, a leading UK-based blogger and journalist, Sheila Coronel, head of Toni Stabile Center of Investigative Journalism at Columbia University and many others. You can access information on all trainers and panellists, as well as the school’s full agenda, via our web page.
BIRN is still calling on mid-career journalists who are seeking to improve their investigative techniques at the Summer School. Applications for those requiring scholarships can be submitted until midnight of July 25th here.
Two alumni of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence have been short-listed for the 2011 Dusko Jovanovic International Award for Investigative Journalism for their investigations produced within the Balkan Fellowship programme.
Adrian Mogos from Romania, who took part in the 2009 Balkan Fellowship programme, has been nominated for his investigation, published that year, Forged Identity: Highway to the EU.
Jeton Musliu from Kosovo, who took part in the 2010 Balkan Fellowship programme, was nominated for his investigation, published that year, Kosovars Turn Blind Eye to Fake Foreign Marriages.
More information is available at fellowship.birn.eu.com.
Two alumni of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence have been selected for the Milena Jesenská Fellowships for Journalists. The fellowships offer European journalists time off from their professional duties in order to pursue in-depth research on a topic of their choice, which addresses issues of European relevance.
Ivan Angelovski, TV B93, Belgrade, will work on his research project Sexual Abuse in Western and Eastern Church and its Impact on Religion in the EU and the Rest of Europe in Vienna from October to December 2011.
Marius Cosmeanu, CULT Maganzine, Bucharest, will be in Vienna working on The Alchemy of the Last Meal. The Culture of Capital Punishment in Eastern and Western Europe from January to March 2012.
More information is available at www.iwm.at.
This year’s Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence gets underway, as ten journalists attend an opening seminar in the Austrian capital.
The 2011 Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme got under way on Tuesday, as ten journalists from across the region attended an opening seminar in Vienna.
Speakers included Christoph Prantner, head of the foreign desk of Der Standard, the leading Austrian daily newspaper and Igor Stiks, writer, academic and post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Europeanization of Citizenship in the Successor States of the Former Yugoslavia faculty.
This year’s event is being held at the Hub Vienna – a new meeting space in the centre of town that describes itself as “an inspiring place for people with ideas for a better world to work, meet, learn [and] connect”.
“I was impressed with the Hub Vienna venue – it’s a new way of organising seminars that puts people in a different mood because you don’t feel like you are at a seminar. You feel you are not supposed to just listen – it makes you want to participate actively in discussions,” said Jelena Kulidzan, a fellow from Montenegro.
“I was also impressed by Igor Stiks’ address; he was a very good speaker who managed to make a long and detailed presentation on complex citizenship issues accessible and gripping. I also enjoyed Christoph Prantner’s presentation, it is nice to find out how other media function and see everything they need to ensure they reach and maintain high editorial standards.”
World Press Freedom Day
Dollores Benezic, a fellow from Romania, pointed out the first day of the seminar coincided with World Press Freedom Day.
“Today was a very good World Press Freedom Day. I heard about a newspaper [Der Standard] that sounds like THE newspaper for me. These days in Romania, one hears constantly about curbs on media freedoms, publications going bust and controversial media buyouts,” said Benezic.
“So for me, a journalist from Romania, the first day of the seminar was a kind of breath of fresh, optimistic air. The Der Standard presentation was motivating and gave me hope that there is still a free media in the world.
“Igor’s research into citizenship in eastern Europe was also very interesting, as was the story of Erste Foundation’s beginnings,” she said.
Juliana Koleva, a fellow from Bulgaria, said: “Usually I’m a bit stressed on the first day of seminars, today was different and I think we managed to form a good team from the first day. I am also very impressed by other fellows’ topics and background – which is very interesting and useful for me.
“I also felt we were part of the proceedings, and not just passive listeners. I was impressed by Boris Marte from Erste Foundation; his explanation of how they manage to run all these projects across the region without imposing external directives and rules seems particularly helpful for the countries involved.”
The seminar continues until the end of the week, and speakers on Wednesday will include Zenet Mujic, senior adviser to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe representative on media freedom and Eric Karstens, business development director at the European Journalism Centre.
The fellowship has been running for five years and the journalists taking part in this year’s programme are as follows:
Elira Canga from Albania
Ahmed Buric from Bosnia
Juliana Koleva from Bulgaria
Ruzica Matic from Croatia
Selvije Bajrami from Kosovo
Slobodanka Jovanovska from Macedonia
Jelena Kulidzan from Montenegro
Dollores Benezic from Romania
Dejan Anastasijevic from Serbia
Stevan Dojcinovic from Serbia
The Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, an initiative of the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation, in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.
The training “How to Write for Culture Watch Online Magazine” began today in Pristina. Thirteen journalists from the region are participating in the event, part of the Balkan Initiative for Cultural Cooperation, Exchange, and Development. Their active involvement will help establish a positive environment for policy makers in-country and abroad to create policies that speed up the region’s European-oriented transition.
The training will continue tomorrow, while on the last day- March 19, 2011- the conference “Culture in the media” will be held.
The Balkan Culture Watch Strengthening Project, BCWSP, funded by European Cultural Foundation, is a “build-on” project that complements the existing 3-year BICCED programme (funded by the SCP). The project brings together different shareholders (editors, trained journalists and other cultural associates) in order to better connect regional cultural institutions and journalists, highlighting activities and main issues through analysis and disseminating the information on the regional level through local media outlets and internationally via Web sites.
This project aims to involve government officials and policy makers and work to improve the situation in the region by strengthening cultural life and cross-cultural cooperation as an important element of a participatory, open, and dynamic civil society.
The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network is organising a training session for journalists – How to write for Culture Watch Online Magazine – as a part of the Balkan Initiative for Cultural Cooperation, Exchange and Development, BICCED, project. The training will be held in Pristina, from March 17 to 18 and will involve journalists from across the region.
The training sessions, will be followed later by on-the-job training from BIRN’s experienced editorial team to help the journalists toproduce articles focusing on cultural policy throughout the region, which will be published in the dedicated culture section of BIRN’s Balkan Insight web site – www.BalkanInsight.com
The two day training programme will focus primarily on developing the journalists’ skill set, and will be led by Ana Petruseva, BIRN Macedonia Director and Gordana Igric, BIRN Regional Network Director who will guide the team through five distinct types of articles, writing style, writing tips, and the use of quotations and sources. Another session will focus on news and analytical writing,helping the journalists to define news analysis, understand the difference between news and news analysis, the composition of news analysis. The session will close with an exercise to test the journalists’ understanding.
Our web director Milos Milosavljevic will host a session looking at Online Journalism and the use of social networks where journalists will have learn the specific skills necessary for writing for the web, methods and techniques to promote their stories and the use of the web for research and collaboration.
The programme will conclude with the commissioning of articles which the journalists will work on in clooaboration with their local editors in the weeks to come. This training represents the first step in BIRN’s programme to create positive environment for policymakers in-country and within institutions abroad to develop policies that move forward the region’s European transition.
Objective, balanced, and accurate reporting on aspects of cultural policy and other related themes including human resources in culture, transfer of ownership, heritage,the tourist potential of culture is a key component of that process.
Balkan Investigative Regional Reporting Network has launched its Balkan Culture Watch Strengthening Project, funded by the European Cultural Foundation (ECF). The BCWSP project is a “build-on” project that complements the existing three-year “Balkan’s Initiative for Cultural Cooperation, Exchange and Development Project” (BICCED, funded by the SCP), which aims to support a constant production of analytical reporting on culture-related developments in five countries (Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo) through a monthly newsletter (Culture Watch / CW), and support the media in the region with coverage of culture by offering analytical reports free of charge.
This project aims to involve government officials and decision makers and work to improve the situation in the region by strengthening cultural life and cross-cultural cooperation as an important element of a participatory, open, and dynamic civil society.
The project’s first event will comprise Advisory Board meeting, conference and training “Culture in the Media”, which will be held in Pristina from March 17 to 19 2011. The participants in the conference will include editors, journalists, and experts in culture from Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Serbia.
The conference aims to explore the coverage of cultural policy issues by the media, as well as the understanding of cultural policy and the challenges in presenting these issues to the public. Furthermore, the conference will include working sessions which will provide the opportunity for an exchange of opinions between the 15 editors and 15 journalists participating in the gathering, as well as a number of cultural experts. The conference is organised by BIRN and the Centre for Media Activities, CMA, from Macedonia.
Following the conference, the project will continue to provide support to media outlets through the sharing of analyses produced as part of Culture Watch, the collection of feedback from relevant ministries and cultural organisations, and analysis.
Seize your chance to investigate stories about justice at home and abroad with funded research, travel expenses and career development seminars in Berlin and Vienna.
Experienced journalists across the Balkans are invited to apply for the fifth annual Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence programme.
This year’s topic is justice. Applicants are encouraged to consider the theme in broad terms and submit original story proposals exploring issues surrounding the delivery of and access to justice – in both legal and social contexts.
Click here for more information on the 2011 fellowship topic
Journalists selected – by an independent committee – to take part in the fellowship will receive a €2,000 bursary, up to another €2,000 for travel expenses and will attend career development seminars in Berlin and Vienna.
Completed articles will be published in English and local languages in regional and European online and print media.
In addition, the top three articles, again judged by an independent committee, will attract awards of €4,000, €3,000 and €1,000.
Click here to find out more about how the fellowship works
Remzi Lani, director of the Albanian Media Institute and a member of the programme’s selection committee, described the fellowship as “a success story”.
“The programme offers a unique opportunity for detailed, in-depth reporting in your country and beyond. At the same time, if offers fellows the opportunity to meet colleagues and industry professionals from across Europe.
“Publication of the fellows’ articles in the most important media in the region and internationally is certainly clear proof that this project is a worthy venture – an opportunity that should not be missed,” he said.
The fellowship programme was established in order to develop and support Balkan journalists reporting on complex reform issues that have regional and EU significance.
To encourage regional networking among journalists and support balanced coverage of topics central to the Balkans and the EU, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation established the fellowship in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.
Download an application form
Read the application guidelines
Justice: 2011 fellowship topic
The topic for this year’s programme is justice. Applicants are encouraged to consider the theme in broad terms and investigate issues surrounding access to and delivery of justice in both legal and social senses.
Applicants should explore issues surrounding justice in their country – in government, in business, within society, among interest groups, between individuals and within families – and draw parallels to the situation in neighbouring countries and the EU.
As Balkan states adjust to new economic and political realities, are all citizens equal before the law? Are all laws just? What of the impact on social justice issues such as access to education, equal opportunities and employment? Has the road to EU membership provided adequate protection for citizens at home and abroad?
With the establishment of international courts and tribunals, and the existence of myriad extradition agreements, jurisdictions now cross borders. While some may find it more difficult to dodge justice, do all criminals have fewer places to hide? Does the threat of international legal action deter the abuse of human rights by governments?
The transitional economies of the western Balkans have, in the main, developed systems, values and legal frameworks that are broadly in line with those in the EU. However, unequal access to justice, haphazard investigation, weak enforcement and corruption are everyday realities. The task for our 2011 fellows will be to pitch fresh story ideas which shed new light on regional and international justice.
The promotion of this year’s collection of articles, Taboo: Secrecy and Shame in the Balkans, which wraps up the 2010 edition of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence, gathered leading Macedonian journalists and editors on December 21 at the Journalists’ club in Skopje.
This year’s articles present the original research of eight journalists selected from Southeast Europe to participate in the 2010 programme.
Editors and journalists from the most influential media, such as A1 TV, Dnevnik daily, Alsat M TV, Alfa TV, Nova Makedonija daily, Netpress news agency, Vest daily, BBC Macedonian language edition, Fokus weekly, Utrinski Vesnik daily, Radio Free Europe and AFP attended the promotion.
Representatives from the Macedonian Broadcasting Council, the OSCE, the British Embassy and the NGO Centre for Civic Communications also came.
BIRN Macedonia director Ana Petruseva introduced the Fellowship programme and praised the quality of the stories.
This year’s Macedonian fellow, Ruzica Fotinovska, a Skopje-based reporter, said it had been “a wonderful experience, a good chance to see how my colleagues journalists from other countries work on investigative stories”.
“The programme offers enough time and resources for real in-depth research, which it is impossible to get in daily media reporting,” Fotinovska added.
Fotinovska won the second prize this year for her article, “Freed Prisoners Remain Caught Behind Bars”, which investigated the life of former prisoners and the country’s failure to develop effective rehabilitation programmes.
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The first prize this year was awarded to Majlinda Aliu, based in Pristina, for her article “Trapped in Black: Balkan War Widows”.
Another Kosovar journalist, Jeton Musliu, who is also based in Pristina, took third place for his article, “Kosovars Turn Blind Eye to Fake Foreign Marriages”.
Petruseva announced the Fellowship programe for 2011 and invited journalists to apply.
Initiated by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and Erste Foundation in cooperation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, the Fellowship is aimed at supporting high-quality reporting, regional networking among journalists and advancing balanced coverage on complex reform issues that are central to the region as well as to the European Union.
