One-month Regional Exchange Progrmme

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) invites media from six Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) to become host media in the One-Month Regional Exchange Programme during 2023 and/or 2024. This programme is a unique opportunity that will allow both parties to share their expertise in investigative news production and foster knowledge exchange.

ABOUT THE ONE-MONTH EXCHANGE PROGRAMME

The One-Month Regional Exchange Programme is a capacity-building opportunity for media, editors and journalists from the Western Balkans. The aim is to facilitate a quality news and investigative production environment, by enabling both parties to engage in knowledge exchange, comprehensive mentoring and cross-border approaches.

BIRN and the hosting media will develop exchange programmmes for 2023 and 2024, addressing the needs and expectations of both hosting media and editors/ journalists. The programme will serve as a guideline for the whole exchange and will result in the production of cross-border stories, enhancing both short-term and long-term regional collaboration between the host media and the participating editors/ journalists, enabling them to investigate stories with effects that surpass national borders.

WHO IS IT DESIGNED FOR?

The exchange programme is designed for both media and editors / journalists from the Western Balkans. This programme will create opportunities for the host media to share their knowledge with colleagues from other media and Western Balkan region. On the other side, it will enable the editors / journalists to spend one month immersed in a host media from another country while at the same time working together.

Both the host media and the editors / journalists will be selected through an open call, in accordance with the selection criteria. The editors / journalists will be given an opportunity to select host media in a different from their home country.

WHAT IS THE HOST MEDIA`S ROLE?

Within this call, BIRN is looking for hosting media from Western Balkan countries that will:

  • Collaborate with BIRN to develop the exchange programmme for 2023 and 2024, addressing the needs and expectations of both hosting media and editors/ journalists. The programme will result in the production of cross-border stories, enhancing both short-term and long-term regional collaboration between the host media and participating editors/ journalists, enabling them to investigate stories with effects that surpass national borders.
  • Host editors / journalist through the one-month exchange programmes during 2023 and 2024. One media can host up to two journalists.
  • Provide the participating editors and journalists with an opportunity to exchange experiences with more senior colleagues from the host media and gain insider knowledge on different editorial policies and journalistic techniques, which can be replicated in the newsroom back home.
  • Guide participating editors and journalists to work on the production of cross-border in-depth stories.
  • Ensure production and publication of at least two (2) cross-border in-depth stories per participant.

BENEFITS AND LOGISTICS FOR HOST MEDIA

  • Gain fresh insights and inputs from participants working in diverse settings and potentially different countries.
  • Collaborate with participants on in-depth stories that can be published by both the host media and the participants’ own media houses.
  • Engage in knowledge-sharing and experience exchange with all participants, promoting cross-border collaboration on journalistic projects.
  • Receive a monthly fee of 500 euros separately for each participant. One media can host up to two journalists within the two years. The participants will be provided with a fellowship that will cover accommodation, travel and a bursary.
  • Coordinate the time for the exchange programme (during 2023 and 2024), subject to mutual agreement between BIRN, media and the participants.
  • One host media can host an editor / journalists both in 2023 and 2024.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Media outlets registered in any of the six (6) Western Balkan countries are invited to apply to this call.

Hosting media will be selected based on the following criteria:

  1. Interest, motivation, commitment and capacities to host journalists / editors as part of the regional exchange programme.
  2. Mutual thematic alignment between hosting media and the preferences of editors/journalists for cross-border investigations. Editors/journalists will have the opportunity to choose from a curated list of hosting media outlets that align with their interests. 

HOW TO APPLY?

 Please share your interest to be a host media by filling in the application form latest by October 16.

If you have questions about the programme and the call, please contact Marija Vasilevska at marija.vasilevska@birnnetwork.org.

This call is part of the project “Strengthening Quality Journalism in Western Balkans and Türkiye II”.