Strengthen the Role and Capacities of Investigative Journalism in Kosovo

Kosovo

February 2025 – July 2027

BIRN Kosovo

The project aims to strengthen independent media and civil society in Kosovo by enhancing their capacity for professional, fact-checked investigative reporting on democracy, human rights, and European integration. It supports freedom of expression, media literacy, and digital rights through training, legal support, and targeted sub-grants and fellowships.

Summary:

Kosovo’s legal framework guarantees and protects freedom of expression, freedom and pluralism of media and access to public information. However, in practice, Kosovo and its media sector still face numerous systemic, economic, and social constraints, creating obstacles to the dissemination of objective, professional, and fact-checked information to the public. Kosovo’s media sector is in a difficult economic situation. It depends on political power and business groups and is also criticized by international organisations for its lack of professionalism. According to Reporters Without Borders, the media is financially fragile and therefore vulnerable to political influence. The Media Ownership Monitor found that “the market, through relatively small, is crowded, intensifying competition for limited advertising revenue and rendering media outlets vulnerable to external influences, including political and business interests”. In recent years, Kosovo’s media landscape has seen a profound transformation as a result of the digital age. Information sharing has changed dramatically as a result of the internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram, especially for young people. While TV is still the major source of information, having a long story in Kosovo’s media landscape, some radio stations now transmit their material online, so radio has, in some ways, also embraced the digitalization of media. On the other hand, online journalism is rapidly evolving as technology and internet usage increases. However, journalists often report harassment and intimidation, especially on social media. To address the issues stated above, BIRN Kosovo in partnership with the Press Council of Kosovo (PCK) and TV Mreža, a network of local Serbian language TV and online media in Kosovo, aim to strengthen the role and capacities of investigative journalism in Kosovo by bringing local, regional, and international experience in investigative journalism, media development, fact-checking, capacity building and professional experience within the proposed action.

Donor:

European Union

Main Objective:

Strengthen capacities of the media and NGOs on quality, professional, investigative and fact-checked reporting on democracy, good governance, human rights and European integration topics and expose disinformation and biased reporting.

Specific Objectives:

- Strengthening freedom of expression and the capacities of independent media to produce qualitative investigative journalism and qualitative programmes;

- Raising awareness of the media sector on the implementation of media laws related to Freedom of Information, defamation, whistleblowing, cyber-security, crises/hostile environment reporting, copyright and others;

- Assist on capacity building and qualitative and impartial investigative journalism of the media sector in Kosovo through workshops, trainings, sub-granting, and fellowship programs;

- Promoting media literacy, fundamental human rights, and European integration through capacity building and investigative reporting.

Main activities:

Activity 1: Produce and broadcast 30 in-depth investigative reports, 4 TV debates, 40 articles, 10 solution stories journalism stories, and 2 documentaries that will tackle a wide range of public interest issues such as rule of law, the justice sector, mismanagement of public funds, local governance, labor law enforcement, organised crime, migration, trafficking, education, health, women and minority rights, disability, the European Agenda, etc.

Activity 2: Organise 9 workshops, 3 training sessions, and a 5-day camp for at least 200 journalists and students of journalism to equip them with professional journalism tools, knowledge and share experiences on important current topics such as media ownership, financing of the media, women’s presence in the media, media regulations, ethics, gender-sensitive reporting, disability and LGBTQI+ issues, and legally safe and crisis/hostile environment reporting.

Activity 3: Organise the “Kosovo Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence” by awarding EUR 2,000.00 each to 20 investigative journalists to write in-depth investigative stories related to important topics.

Activity 4: Sub-granting program for national and local media in Kosovo to provide financial support for about 10 media organisations and outlets chosen through an open call for proposals with a comprehensive range of topics including those prioritised in the European Reform Agenda (ERA) Strategy.

Target groups:

• Media organisations
• Outlets and journalists working in Albanian, Serbian, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian or any other minority language, both in public and private media organisations
• Students of the final year at public or private university in Kosovo from the department of media, journalism, and/or production and young journalists working in media organisations and/or outlets
• Media regulatory bodies – IMC, PCK and AJK

Main implementor:

BIRN Kosovo

Partners:

TV Mreža, Press Council of Kosovo