The fellows from eight countries across the region introduced themselves and their projects to the group at the three-day seminar and took part in workshops on planning, reporting, writing and producing photographs for their fellowship stories.
The reporters also discussed their stories in depth in individual sessions with the BIRN editorial team of Gordana Igric, Ana Petruseva, Dragana Zarkovic Obradovic and fellowship editor Andrew Gray.
The fellows, selected earlier this year from a pool of 162 applicants, will cover issues including migration, corruption, business and family life. Their stories represent diverse and original takes on this year’s topic, Generations.
They will supplement information gathered in their own countries with material from foreign reporting trips.
As part of the seminar programme, the fellows visited the offices of Austrian media partner Der Standard and attended an editorial planning meeting. Ten Der Standard journalists later joined the fellows for dinner to share knowledge and tips.
The seminar was held in the central Vienna offices of Erste Foundation, with representatives from fellow programme partners the Open Society Foundations and Prague Freedom Foundation also attending.