Annual Report 2018
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NETWORK Annual Report 2018 Balkan Investigative Reporting Network is a network of non-governmental organisations promoting freedom of speech, human rights and democratic values in Southern and Eastern Europe. Balkan Investigative Reporting Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania and accurate and relevant information Network is a network of non- Serbia, while the Network is editorially and creating opportunities for them to governmental organisations also present in Greece, Bulgaria, participate in democratic processes. promoting freedom of speech, human Croatia, Moldova, Montenegro, rights and democratic values in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Poland, Through high-quality reporting Southern and Eastern Europe. Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. and by creating a pool of skilled journalists, BIRN examines and BIRN has developed a specific While the country organisations scrutinises key processes, steers network structure that includes local address local needs, BIRN debates and provides the public with independent organisations, gathered Hub, registered in Bosnia and impartial and reliable information. around an umbrella organisation Herzegovina, also implements – Balkan Investigative Reporting regional and international programs. The BIRN Network also monitors Regional Network (BIRN Hub) – a BIRN Hub brings extensive expertise and advocates for the transparency structure that has the advantage to journalists in post-communist and and accountability of public of combining local, country-based post-conflict societies, mainly through institutions and enables civil society expertise with unique regional sharing the accumulated knowledge organisations, CSOs and citizens to cooperation. from the Western Balkan region. influence decision-makers. BIRN has local organisations in BIRN strives to empower people Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, to access their rights by providing TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Foreword 6 Summary 16 Social and political context; media freedom in the region 19 People have increased access to accurate information 44 People have increased influence on democraticprocesses 57 Closing remarks FOREWORD tate capture, the rise of pressure on journalists, we brought level of media trust. Despite the hostile authoritarianism, weakening uncompromised coverage of the main environment, we were determined in Sof democratic institutions, developments in South and Eastern our mission to hold power accountable assaults on journalists and human Europe providing impartial and reliable and citizens informed through high- rights groups, self-censorship and information. The media landscape is quality journalism. protests – these are the topics you changing on a rapid scale, not just in could read most often on our flagship our part of Europe, but on a global Our hard work was rewarded as our website Balkan Insight during 2018. scale - disinformation, surveillance, readers were coming back to us in Amid the rise of the above mentioned pressure on media workers, even record numbers – we received 3.4 negative trends and continuous killings, financial challenges and low million visitors in 2018 on Balkan 5 Insight, while more than 8 million Our governments believe that the autocrats cooperate and their corrupt people visited our local websites. Our future is turning back to the past, we businesses go beyond borders, we articles were republished 40 000 times believe that with acknowledging the turned to alliances too – creating and in some of the most prominent articles past we are building a better future. nurturing partnerships not just with around the world from Guardian, New While our governments appointed media outlets alike, but also civil York Times to BBC, Suddeutsche war criminals to hold public offices, society organisations, academia and Zeitung, der Standard, but also in the we gave space to hear voices of other institutions sharing our vision region thanks to our local partners N1, the victims – we reported from war and values of democratic societies. Danas, Vreme, Vijesti, Koha, Tema, crime trials, wrote about reparations, As for the next year, we are keeping Faktor and many others. Last year, memorialization, lack of accountability the track of quality and investigative our journalists received eight prizes and prevailing impunity for the gross journalism, powered with new tools, for their work, while we shared our violations of human rights that took new regions, new colleagues and knowledge and skills with almost 800 place in the 1990s. partners, but with the old message: people who attended our trainings don’t copy-paste, investigate! and workshops. Beyond numbers, There is growing pressure on media our stories led to an opening of an in our region, as reported by our international inquiry, corruption cases colleagues in Reporters without Marija Ristic were sent to court, charges for the Borders and Freedom House, but there Regional Director of Balkan Investigative abuse of office were filed, officers were is also a need for more credible and Reporting Network suspended and files were open. quality journalism. At the time when 2018 BIRN Network Annual Report SUMMARY he media situation in the seven in, noting “election irregularities, by providing the public with reliable South East and Eastern Europe legal harassment and smear campaigns information through high-quality Thas become increasingly dire against independent journalists.” investigative journalism, making over the past year. Many governments democratic processes accessible to the in the region moved to control the In such an environment, only a people through monitoring, debates independent media and curb basic well-informed public can actively and cooperation with civil society, freedoms, which was rightfully noted participate in democracy and demand while simultaneously working to by the Reporters without Borders’ 2019 accountability from governments. improve its own capacities and World Press Freedom Index - Serbia The Balkan Investigative Reporting organisations alike. fell 14 places, Moldova 10 and Albania Network aims to make this possible 7 In 2018 BIRN and its affiliates published tens of thousands of articles, shared the stories of marginalised Visitors to groups and fought for greater government transparency, all while 4,000.000 training journalists both within the 3,500.000 Network and beyond to ensure the 3,000.000 continued strength of the voices that 2,500.000 speak for democracy. 2,000.000 1,5000.000 Even though the grip on independent media by governments and their 1,000.000 powerful friends grew bigger, so 500.000 did our visitors and subscribers. 0 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 BIRN’s regional English-language Web portal, Balkan Insight, had more than 3,380,000 visitors in 2018—1.1 million more than in 2017. BIRN HUB from corruption to war crimes trials to times in other publications. Through published more than 3,000 news pieces environmental issues, and these articles our local publications, we reached and 700 premium articles on topics were quoted or republished 40 000 more than 8 million people. 8 BIRN by the Numbers Content Released in 2018 Balkan Insight BIRN Albania BIRN BiH pieces in various news stories related news pieces 1,791 1,835 3,000 formats, including news, to war crimes, corruption, photo and video stories, organized crime, terrorism, etc. 700 premium articles features, interviews, etc.. Multiple documentary films. BIRN Kosovo BIRN Macedonia BIRN Serbia 24,300 articles on More than 300 articles 44 investigative stories. Kallxo.com focusing on corruption, public procurement, Multiple documentary films. 134 fact-checking articles transparency and more on Krypometer 65 televised debates 60 articles analysing expenditures of PM’s office 9 The Network’s regional outlets each published thousands of articles of their own and for their work BIRN journalists received eight awards from various organisations and publications. Beyond the numbers, however, lies the deeper story of BIRN’s fight to protect civil liberties and tell the stories of marginalised groups in the Western Balkans and beyond. A series of joint investigations with the BBC, including a television and radio documentary, pushed Facebook to take down at least 14 pages linked Award for BIRN Serbia movie “The Dark Shadow of Green Energy,” received at Green Fest to “Christian militant” organisation in Belgrade Knights Templar International. BIRN’s local organisations in Serbia small hydropower plants on local the best Serbian film at the Belgrade and Albania produced documentaries communities; “The Dark Shadow International Green Culture Festival. about the devastating impact of of Green Energy” was awarded as 10 BIRN continued to share the voices recommendations for further work in BIRN had some of its most tangible of marginalised and vulnerable the dealing with the past in the region. impacts in the fight against corruption communities in the region. In the past A database called The Last Despatches and for government transparency. year, BIRN Kosovo worked to change shared forgotten stories of journalists BIRN journalists sent hundreds of laws on inheritance that make it difficult who lost their lives during the fall Freedom of Information requests for women to claim the property. The of Yugoslavia, sending a powerful and reported on asset declarations, Balkan Transitional Justice team reported message about the importance—and government vehicles and appointments on victims of war and wartime rape, the bravery—of those who risk their to government positions. BIRN accountability for war crimes,