The BIRN Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina will mark the first anniversary of its Radio Justice programme in the near future. The programme has been well received by colleague reporters as well as by the domestic BiH audience and the Diaspora.
Encouraged by this positive response and by constructive criticism, the BIRN Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina has decided to launch a weekly magazine programme on trials conducted before the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ten-minute programme will be broadcast on our partnering radio stations starting on August 14, this Friday. The programme will consist of news about the latest trials before the War Crimes Chamber, analysis and announcements regarding the following week’s trials. We will use audio files from the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as those recorded by our journalists in the field.
The BIRN Office produced its first audio reports in October 2007. Originally it produced a series of radio features on the status of the local judiciary. The BIRN team of journalists visited courts and prosecutors’ offices in nine towns across the country. The features were broadcast by radio stations throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In August 2008 we began broadcasting daily news about war-crimes trials before the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The BIRN team produces at least two audio reports daily. These reports are broadcast by about 130 radio stations in BiH, and by radio stations outside the country.
From the very beginning the stories have been well received.
Radio Justice was initiated with the aim of making Justice Report stories produced in written form accessible to a larger number of people who are interested in following trials conducted before the War Crimes Chamber of the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
For four years Justice Report has covered the trials conducted before the Chamber. All reports are published on our web page: www.bim.ba; they are also conveyed through numerous print and electronic media in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region and further afield. Our page receives more than 11,000 hits each month.
Radio Justice is broadcast in local language, and the written reports are published in local language and English.
Because of the success of Justice Report, it became possible to launch the Radio Justice project, which has generated considerable public interest from its inception.
Since August 2008 we have published more than 300 reports, which have been broadcast on radio and TV. All our written and audio reports are provided free of charge.
Our estimates show that Radio Justice reaches about one million listeners.
The BIRN team guarantees that Justice Report and Radio Justice reports are objective, timely and of the highest quality.
Inspired by the success of our print and audio reports, the BIRN Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina intends to start a new project called TV Justice. This will comprise half-hour TV programmes which will be provided free of charge to local TV stations for broadcast, starting from the biggining of next year.