BIRN Strategy

BIRN Network Mission: to build and strengthen its interconnected cadre of journalists across the Balkans, probing and analysing key transition issues and the process of European integration for policy-makers and the public at large. BIRN Network Vision: to secure its position as the premier Balkan investigative and analytical journalism organisation, addressing the need for objective, quality, sustainable reporting on the region’s political, economic and EU integration challenges.

The Challenge:

While violent conflict in the Balkans appears to be over, the political, economic and social transition needed for recovery and integration into Euro-Atlantic structures is proceeding slowly and painfully. The prospect of EU membership is the single most important incentive to ending 15 years of violence, lawlessness and poverty, but in order for it to retain this quality, the integration process must be understood and endorsed by the region’s public.

Dislocation of the population from this historical project threatens its prospects of success, with negative consequences both for the EU and the region. Dramatic and sometimes painful reforms require a groundswell of public participation and support if they are to succeed.

But the local media’s track record in this respect is disappointing. Journalists and analysts specialising in EU issues are few. Their opinions are mostly concerned with general trends and do not translate the practical implementation of EU policies to citizens. Genuine attempts to engage in serious reporting and analysis are stunted by lack of understanding, interest, professional skills, funds and the ability to resist political and economic pressure.

At the same time, the investment made in Balkan media and civil society over the years by international donors is set to reduce. As the crisis passes into the long, difficult phase of political and economic development, it is crucial that progress to date is not lost and work continues on the great needs that persist – with more focus on local capacity for improvement.

BIRN’s Approach:

Many international donors have over the years made a significant and crucial investment in BIRN’s international predecessor, the IWPR Balkans programme, during which time it has transformed and achieved a great deal. Primarily, it has created a team with remarkable journalistic, educational, networking and management skills and potential.

The localised BIRN Network seeks to consolidate that investment, in the coming period further strengthening its structure and capacity to produce essential investigative reporting and analysis on the political and economic development of the Balkans region and its integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, particularly the EU.

Specifically, this means increasing the strength of the teams of journalists and analysts across the region which create the unique output; the BIRN Network hub and its member organisations that support them; and the BIRN Network’s capacity to reach out to other media, NGOs, institutions, policymakers and society at large.

Building Investigative Teams in the BIRN Network:

The BIRN Network will support its existing teams and build their numbers by providing serious on-the-job training. Sustained mentoring of small numbers of promising and enthusiastic journalists will lead to the production of the highest quality output for publication.

The BIRN Network will only train practically, by working intensively with journalists throughout the editorial process. They will become part of the Network, given opportunities for further professional development.

The BIRN Network plans thus to produce a substantial number of reports, in-depth analyses and investigations from throughout the region on a weekly basis.

Reporting of this quality and relevance can’t be found anywhere else. Over 16 000 people currently subscribe to BIRN’s weekly Balkan Insight reports, with countless more reading them online or in republications in local and international press.

The BIRN has been providing the content of IWPR’s award-winning weekly online publication Balkan Crisis Report for the past 6 years, also achieving high readership and republication figures.

Across the region, almost all daily and weekly print publications, regardless of political preference, publishes the BIRN Network’s output. In 2004, 77 outlets republished, meaning an average of 4 republications per article. Additionally, BIRN Network publications are regularly cited on national news programmes throughout the region, occasionally prompting special features. Investigations and in-depth analyses are often used as a base for such programmes, as well as being serialised in print publications, thus making a considerable impact on the policy sphere.

A recent Macedonian analysis of judicial reform brought about essential changes in the government’s reform programme, staving off developments which could have caused considerable damage to the country’s bid for EU membership.

In BiH, investigations into indicted war crimes suspects, such as recently apprehended Milan Lukic, have kept up the pressure to bring to justice the individuals who devasted the country’s society.

These examples go to show that the BIRN Network’s low cost, low infrastructure, vocational training really works. Journalists who have gone through the painful process of rewriting their articles and checking their facts over and over will testify to this.

Building the BIRN Network’s internal capacity:

The BIRN Network Hub and member organisations will improve their skills, knowledge and resources, seeking in the process to become more self-sufficient, efficient, effective and sustainable centres of journalism excellence, results-oriented training and public dialogue.

Capacity will be built by strengthening the services and operation of the hub, providing staff training and support, therby allowing further devolution of additional, specific activities to local NGO competence, with the hub coordinating cross-regional activities, opportunities for synergies and quality control.

Supporting the BIRN Network to build capacity externally:

In the absence of good quality, understandable news journalism, and Western Balkans think tanks, the BIRN Network provides something which fills both gaps. In this way, a culture of accountability, consultation and quality in policy making will be nurtured by the BIRN Network.
It seeks therefore to improve its outreach, building its website, increasing and targeting dissemination of its reports, and conducting at least one topical debate per month.

The BIRN Network’s reports, by focussing on EU integration, post-conflict justice and peace-building, political transformation and democratisation, economic development, international interventions, social trends and regional cooperation, are more than just good journalism – they give a platform to the main actors in the region’s development to communicate their message to the wider public, and vice versa.

This is because of the way the BIRN Network’s output is distributed: published online at the BIRN Network’s website and distributed via email, it is read by local and international decisionmakers, experts and academics; but it is also promoted to local media for republication and citation, thus reaching a wide and diverse audience. Broadcast projects linked to investigations reach an even wider public.

To make sure that information is absorbed and acted upon, public debates are developed from issues raised in the output. They bring local and international decisionmakers, activists and journalists to debate in front of a public audience the implication of information published in the BIRN Network’s reports, and encouraged to seek progress and action.

Sustainability:

The BIRN Network also seeks support to implement its plans for sustainability. Currently, two approaches are being pursued, drawing on the existence and quality of BIRN’s journalistic network, training and research expertise, the professional prestige and readership of reports, and the BIRN Network’s prominent yet neutral position in society.

Namely, BIRN plans to generate income through its reporting activities within an online political and economic magazine, while its specialism in serious investigative reporting and analysis of complex reform dynamics will be channelled towards training consultancy for other media institutes, outlets and NGOs.

BIRN has so far received very promising feedback from a range of potential readers, customers, investors and advertisers.

Expected Results:

This strategy will allow BIRN to keep local and international decisionmakers, stakeholders and general public reliably and objectively informed of key political and economic reform dynamics in Southeast Europe, thus creating a positive context for reform-minded policy and its implementation, as well as investment in the poor economies of the region.

Additionally, it will also provide support to BIRN at a strategic moment, helping consolidate its localisation and establishment in the region, and bolstering its plans for self-sustainability in the near future. Ultimately, this will mean an extremely valuable addition to the media in the Balkans, and worldwide.