Tag: Macedonia

BIRN Steering Board and Assembly Meets in Belgrade

BIRN is holding its annual Steering Board and Assembly meeting from July 9-12 in Belgrade.

The meeting is organised to discuss strategic and operational issues facing BIRN, ongoing programmes and plans for the future. 

The Steering Board is composed of BIRN country directors. Each board member will make a presentation about country specifics and fundraising activities.

The Assembly brings together Tim Judah, author and Balkans correspondent for The Economist, Wolfgang Petritsch, Austria’s permanent representative to the OECD, Steve Crawshaw, international advocacy director at Amnesty International, Stefan Lehne, former Austrian diplomat and visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe in Brussels, and Per Bymon, secretary-general of Swedish Radio and Television’s humanitarian foundation, Radiohjälpen.

Five Journalists Selected in Macedonia

A jury has selected five journalists to support writing investigative stories in collaboration with BIRN Macedonia, SCOOP Macedonia and the Center for Civil Communications.  

The Project for investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society is part of the USAID Programme for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

After receiving about 50 applications, the jury comprising experienced journalists and editors evaluated the applications.

A short list of ten was drawn up before the jury evaluated and chose the top five.

The competition was close and BIRN Macedonia, SCOOP Macedonia and the Center for Civil Communications said they wished to congratulate the winners and thank to all the journalists who applied.

BIRN Macedonia, SCOOP Macedonia and the Center for Civil Communications also reminded all journalists that another call for applications will be opened in September, and encouraged them to apply.

Applications were evaluated on the basis of several criteria, such as relevance, feasibility, originality as well as the experience of the journalist.

Apart from obtaining financial support to research their ideas and cover their expenses, the winners will receive professional support while conducting their investigations.

The winning journalists are as follows: Aleksandar Pisarev, Ubavka Janevska, Miroslava Simonovska, Vlado Apostolov, Mence Atanasova Toci.

Aleksandar Pisarev is an investigative journalist at the Forum Center for Strategic Research and Documentation. Previously he worked for Forum magazine, Kapital magazine and the newspaper Dnevnik. 

Ubavka Janevska is journalist with more than 20 years experience. Based in Veles she works as a correspondent for the national TV station Channel 5. 

Miroslava Simonovska is a young journalist currently working for the Internet news portal, Plusinfo. She has several years’ experience in the print media and specifies in covering education issues.

Vlado Apostolov is an investigative journalist working for Fokus newspaper with more than 10 years’ experience of the media.

Mence Atanasova-Toci is currently working for the Nova web TV. She has been covering health issues for more than 15 years.

University of Pristina honours US and EU envoys

Hasan Pristina University honoured former special envoys Christopher Hill and Wolfgang Petritsch on Wednesday with the title of Doctor Honoris Causa in a ceremony held at the faculty of philology. They were awarded the title for their contribution to the resolution of the Kosovo conflict.

Hill and Petritsch, who worked as the special envoys of the United States and the European Union respectively during attempts to stop the Kosovo conflict in the late 1990s, were honoured for their outstanding contributions to creating conditions for peace, justice, freedom and democracy and increasing opportunities for the development of education, science and academic freedoms in Kosovo.

The rector of Hasan Pristina University, Ibrahim Gashi, opened the ceremony.

“We were lucky to have you and your peoples as our friends during our worst, hardest time,” said Gashi.

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci praised the two former envoys for bringing together the Albanian political spectrum.

“Mr. Hill and Mr. Petritsch stood by Kosovo when Kosovo needed friends the most,” said Thaçi.

The two former envoys also addressed the gathering.

“Kosovo has changed a lot since the time when I was here. You cannot choose your neighbours, but you can live in peace with them,” said Hill.

“The European Union is facing many problems, but Kosovo is moving towards the EU,” said Petritsch.

Petritsch and Hill acted as mediators during the talks between Kosovo Albanians and the Yugoslav authorities at the Rambouillet Conference in 1999 before the NATO bombing campaign ended the conflict.

Petritsch, from Austria, is also a member of BIRN’s Regional Board.

Macedonian Media and NGOs Deem Communication Crucial

Macedonia’s EU integration was subject of a fruitful discussion in which about 20 journalists and NGO representatives participated on June 20 in Skopje.

Several different topics were discussed by the participants who agreed on many matters – but also disagreed on the subject of communication between journalists and civil society organizations.

It was agreed that this communication needed to be a two-way street and that both sides should counsel each other on how to improve their cooperation.

NGOs said that some of the media seemed uninterested in topics they consider important for society and that their research was often not treated and published appropriately.

The journalists for their part told the NGO representatives that they needed quicker reactions from them as topics emerged and a more direct approach to journalists as well as other alternative methods of contact.

The debate was organized as part of the “Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between Media and Civil Society.”

It was the tenth and last of a series of debates organized as part of the project, which is funded by the USAID programme for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

The subjects were selected at a meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April.

Other topics include ethnic relations, education and youth, human rights, health and rights of patients, cultural policy, environmental issues, good governance, quality of life and marginalized groups.

Balkan Insight Media Watch Page Launched

BIRN has launched a special focus page on media in the Balkans – the first of its kind in the region.

All media-related news and analysis from the Balkans are now available on Balkan Insight’s Media Watch Page.

It features a brand-new analysis package on the media situation in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Kosovo, and Serbia.

It also features a regional analysis on the role of the EU. Some praise the EU for pushing for the adoption of media legislation that meets European standards. But others are more critical, saying that the EU should have been much more proactive in combating growing political pressures on independent media.

The launch comes ahead of the second ‘Speak Up!’ conference on June 20, at which the European Commission will gather hundreds of media experts from all over Europe to discuss media freedom in the Western Balkans and Turkey. 

In its progress reports, the European Commission has repeatedly set out its concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression and the media in the Western Balkans and Turkey, noting that threats to freedom of expression also threaten the foundations on which the “union of values” is built.

In an effort to identify solutions, the European Commission’s ‘Speak Up’ conference is bringing together participants from international, regional and national media organisations, civil society, academia and national administrations.

Macedonian Health Issues Put in the Frame

About a dozen journalists and representatives of civil society organisations that treat health issues on June 12 in Skopje discussed priority concerns and problems in this field in Macedonia.

The debate, entitled “Health and rights of the patients”, was organized by Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Macedonia in partnership with the Center for Civil Communications.

Participants from civil society agreed on the need for cooperation between media and the NGO sector, especially on informing the patients and on raising awareness in the population about health problems, prevention, overcoming taboos and informing people about risks.

NGO representatives also said that the interest in the media in health issues had seriously declined in the recent period.

Journalists on the other hand said that some NGOs, especially those working with patients’ rights, were hard to reach and not open enough for cooperation.

The NGO sector suggested designing or developing a form of continuous contact between the media and journalists and a database that will gather all the analysis and activities of the non-governmental organisations.

The debate was organized as part of the “Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between Media and Civil Society.”

It was the ninth in a series of 10 debates organized as part of the project funded by the USAID Programme for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

The subjects were selected at a meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April.

Other topics include ethnic relations, education and youth, human rights, EU integration, cultural policy, environmental issues, good governance, quality of life and marginalized groups.

 

BIRN Macedonia Puts Focus on Ethnic Relations

About 20 NGO representatives and journalists on June 7 discussed priority issues, problems and challenges in the field of inter-ethnic relations in Macedonia.

The debate organized by BIRN Macedonia in partnership with the Center for Civil Communications was held in the “Libraria E Çarshisë” (Old Bazaar Library) in Skopje’s Old Town, a place where all the main ethnic communities in the country interact.

The participants agreed that while ethnic relations have been top news items in the last couple of years, they are rarely addressed properly.

Journalists and NGO representatives agreed that bad news should not be the only news, and that good and positive examples should be followed and covered.

A more systematic and continuous approach is missing in this field, as is the political will to make needed changes in education, it was noted.

One of the most important issues spotted in the current year is hate speech as well as inappropriate and offensive chanting at sports events based on ethnicity.

The debate was organized as part of the “Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between Media and Civil Society.”

It was the eighth in a series of 10 debates organized as part of the project funded by the USAID Programme for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

The subjects were selected at a meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April.

Other topics include health, education and youth, human rights, EU integration, cultural policy, environmental issues, good governance, quality of life and marginalized groups.

Macedonian Cultural Policy Put Under Spotlight

BIRN Macedonia in partnership with the Center for Civil Communications brought together journalists, NGO representatives and artists to talk about Macedonian cultural policy on June 4.

The panel discussion was aimed at detecting common issues between journalists who write about culture and NGOs working in the same sector.

It was organized as part of the “Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between Media and Civil Society.”

The panel was the seventh in a series of 10 organized as part of the project funded by the USAID Programme for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

The subjects were selected at a meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April.

Other topics include health, education and youth, human rights, EU integration, ethnic relations, environmental issues, good governance, quality of life and marginalized groups.

Dozens of different issues were discussed with journalists as potential investigative stories.

NGOs called for a more analytical and in-depth approach to cultural issues, urging the media not to focus only on positive-sounding articles.

Journalists and NGOs use different language and expressions, it was noted, an issue that should be tackled to improve the relationship and make cooperation more efficient.

Panelists concluded that although some topics might be off limits for publication in some media, journalists should cooperate with NGOs to find ways to open up those topics and reach the public through different, alternative channels.

BIRN Macedonia Debate Tackles Education and Youth

Several dozen representatives of NGOs and journalists debated priority issues in the field of education and youth on May 30 in Skopje.

The panel discussion was organized by BIRN Macedonia in partnership with Center for Civil Communications.

Education and youth was the fifth panel discussion organized as part of the “Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between Media and Civil Society”.

The project is funded by the USAID Programme for Strengthening Independent Media in Macedonia.

The NGOs tried to explain the problems they face in their bids to reach audiences important to their work, and highlighted the difficulty of increasing interest in the media in these topics.

The journalists noted, and all participants agreed, that NGOs should focus on cooperation with those journalists that they already established, and not to spend time and effort on changing the mindset of the media at large.

It was also noted that the traditional press conference is no longer an efficient tool of communication and other means of bringing the results of the work of NGOs should be used.

The panel was the sixth in a series of 10 organized as part of a project for investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society.

The subjects were selected at a meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April.

Others include health, cultural policy, education and youth, human rights EU integration, inter-ethnic relations, environmental issues and marginalized groups.

BIRN Macedonia Holds Debate on Human Rights

The human rights situation in Macedonia was the topic of the fifth debate organized on May 28 by BIRN Macedonia in partnership with Center for Civil Communications in Skopje.

The debate was organized as part of the Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between Media and Civil Society funded by the USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia.

About 20 NGO representatives and journalists talked about possibilities and ways to cooperate on human rights, which are a priority in Macedonian society.

NGO representatives highlighted the fact that the media are not as interested as they might be in some of the issues that non-governmental organizations are working on.

They suggested that NGOs and journalists should help each other more in promoting and developing important stories.

Journalists outlined some of the key topics that interest them and asked how best to develop these topics into media stories.

The debate was the fifth in a series of 10 organized as part of the project on investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society.

The subjects were selected at an earlier meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April.

Others include health, cultural policy, education and youth, human rights, EU integration, ethnic relations, environmental issues and marginalized groups.