Tag: Macedonia

The debate was organized by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Macedonia in partnership with the Center for Civil Communications, 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.

Journalists and NGO representatives agreed that the topic good governance is broad and that there are dozens of priorities for Macedonian society, such as corruption, quality of the public services and accountability of institutions.

Participants agreed that journalists and NGOs should help each other and use the tools that each has as its disposal to detect and giving bigger visibility to the problems.

The debate was the fourth in a series of 10 being 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. 

The call is part of the ‘Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation Between Media and Civil Society’, part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia.

In the first call that closes on June 7, at least five journalists will be awarded a grant to cover their expenses while doing the investigation and writing the story. More calls for investigative grants will follow, for a total of 40 stories until June 2015.

Journalists will have about three months to dig deeper and research their ideas, but also will have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as their mentors to guide them through the process of writing to BIRN standards.

Topics for investigations include: health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; marginalised groups; quality of life.

The call only applies to journalists from Macedonia.

Click here for more detailed information.

Journalists and NGO representatives spoke openly about problems in Macedonian society – highlighting high poverty and unemployment rates, misuse of the minimum wage, living conditions in rural areas, demographics and disproportional regional development. Both the NGO representatives and journalists agreed that there is a state strategy to address these quality of life issues but that it mostly stays on paper without serious implementation. The journalists also questioned the NGOs on their data and about the possibilities of future cooperation on specific topics.

The debate was third in a series of 10 which are being organised as part of a project for investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society, funded by USAID to strengthen independent media in Macedonia. The subjects were selected at a meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April. Other debates topics include health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; environment issues; and marginalised groups.

The debate about marginalised groups and the problems they are facing in Macedonia was the second in a series of nine held as part of the ‘Project for investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society’, which is part of a USAID programme for strengthening independent media in Macedonia.

Debates are being organised on topics selected at a large meeting between journalists and NGOs in mid-April. They include: quality of life; health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations.

About 20 journalists and representatives of non-governmental organisations took part in the latest debate, talking about possibilities and ways of cooperation.

The NGO representatives concluded that media often publish negative reports about marginalised groups, and emphasised that sometimes positive examples can be useful for tackling certain problems.

They listed dozens of topics concerning marginalised groups that are a priority for society and need to be tackled.

The journalists showed interest in most of the topics, asking for more details about some of them, but adding that cooperation with the NGOs should be intensified because writing about marginalised groups is sensitive and needs serious preparation.

It was the first in a series of nine debates in the “Project for investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society”, which is part of the USAID Program for strengthening the independent media in Macedonia.

The debates will be organized on the topics concluded at a large debate between journalists and NGOs in mid-April. These include: quality of life; health; cultural policy; education and youth; human rights; EU integration; good governance; inter-ethnic relations; social inclusion.

About 20 representatives of non-governmental organizations and journalists debated the possibilities of working together on important issues for the environment but also for citizens.

NGO representatives said that it was problematic that the media lack specialized journalists on these topics, and that the media tend only to show interest in their work if there is something sensational to report.

They listed dozens of topics that are priorities for the environment in Macedonia and answered more detailed questions about the options for research on those topics.

Journalists said that they were interested in writing investigative stories on the topics that the NGOs are working on but they needed a more direct and individual approach while issues were ongoing. They also suggested that analysis done by NGOs be written in more understandable and accessible language.

 

 

It was first in a series of debates in the “Project for investigative journalism and cooperation between media and civil society”, which is part of the USAID Program for strengthening independent media in Macedonia.

About 90 NGO representatives and journalists debated for almost three hours, suggesting different topics of common interest. Energy, corruption, media and freedom of speech, marginalized groups, migrations, cultural policy, customer rights etc. were among the dozens of topics suggested and discussed.

The president of the CCC, German Filkov, who moderated the debate said that it was a good opportunity for NGOs and journalists to establish closer relations in order for their work to be more visible.

“Every day I get calls from journalists who ask for relevant sources. We will create a website designed to provide all information from the NGO sector, so it will be easier for journalists to write their investigative stories but also easier for NGOs to contact journalists”, Filkov said.

The debate concluded that NGO and journalists should work together as much as possible so that their work is credible and to encourage positive changes in society.

Ten priority topics will be identified as the conclusion of all suggestions from this debate. In the next two months smaller debates on these topics will be organized with the participation of journalists and NGO representatives from the given area.

At the same time, a call for 10 grants for journalists for 2013 will be published so they can apply with ideas for investigative stories.

BIRN Macedonia today promoted its Project for Investigative Journalism and Cooperation between the Media and Civil Society, gathering representatives from different media outlets and CSO representatives engaged in various fields in Skopje.

The project, part of the wider USAID Program for Strengthening the Independent Media in Macedonia, aims to improve cooperation between journalists and civil society through debates and workshops and to contribute towards more independent investigative stories by offering small grants and mentorship to investigative journalists.

Michael Stievater, Director of the USAID Macedonia Office of Democracy and Local Governance, underlined the importance of collaboration between the CSOs and journalists.

“This project will provide journalists with a unique opportunity to gain from their peers’ experiences, identify common issues, investigate and speak out on vital issues,” Stivater said at the promotion.

Ana Petruseva, host and director of BIRN Macedonia, explained that the project intended to help fill a void in the media in Macedonia and provide a platform for investigative journalism.

“I would like to highlight the importance of this project for both civil society organizations and journalists in Macedonia, especially in this turbulent period that the media in Macedonia is in now,” she said.

Sabina Fakic, of the Centre for Civil Communications, a partner organization, said the next project event, on April 17, would be a public debate between NGO and media representatives on issues of common interest.

Zaklina Hadzi-Zafirova, of SCOOP Macedonia, presented the grants for the investigative journalists, while Snezana Lupevska, editor of the KOD investigative TV magazine, spoke of the challenges facing investigative journalism in Macedonia.

More than 70 guests from the media and civil society attended the first event of the project.

Running until July 2015, it will award 40 small grants to journalists writing investigative stories and 10 scholarships for journalists to attend the BIRN School for Investigative Journalism.

More than 100 stories will be published on a new internet media outlet, which will be initiated to promote independent and investigative journalism.

The project will also hold 20 discussion groups and workshops for journalists and civil society organizations on topics of interest.

Several recommendations were suggested by journalists and NGO members during the debate, including shortening the legal deadline for issuing information from 30 to 15 days, increased use of freedom of information legislation and greater authority for the parliamentary Commission for Free Access to Public Information.

The CCC’s analysis shows that Macedonia’s freedom of information act has been used by journalists very rarely. Journalists are discouraged by the long deadline for responses, but also by the often incomplete and unsatisfactory answers they get from public institutions.

According to the CCC’s analysis, only 50 per cent of journalists know about the right to obtain public information, and 56 per cent of those do not believe they will get the right information within the legal deadline.

The debate concluded that journalists should use this right as much as possible.

“Our goal is that the use of this tool by journalists is increased. We want to improve the quality of reporting. There are millions of pieces of information lying somewhere in some drawers, information that is important and vital for people, their life, work and for the whole society,” said German Filkov from CCC. 

BIRN Macedonia will implement the project in partnership with the Centre for Civil Communications, SCOOP Macedonia, KOD TV magazine and Koha daily newspaper.

In partnership with local media and NGOs, BIRN Macedonia will organise a series of events designed to bridge the gap between civil society organisations and media and foster valuable relationships between NGOs and journalists.

In addition, the project will award grants to journalists for investigative stories, offer mentorship and guidance to journalists in the editorial process and arrange publication for investigative stories on various issues in the country.

The project will run until June 2015.