Donor name: National Endowment for Democracy
Overall objectives: The overall objective of this project is to increase the availability of and public demand for high quality news and information on key societal issues and developments in the Western Balkans with a view to strengthening the resilience and professionalism of journalism.
Partners: The South East European Network for Professionalization of Media (SEENPM)
Specific objectives:
- To contribute to the advancement of news literacy in the region through activities partly based on the revived public appreciation of professional journalism during the coronavirus crisis “infodemic,” with engagement of key information actors (editors, senior journalists, media regulators and self-regulators, health workers, government officials, civil society activists, educators) as well as citizens in efforts to make sense and full use of lessons learned;
- To provide journalists and journalism students with opportunities to improve reporting skills through a series of training and consultation activities and apply those skills through a series of reporting assignments resulting in the production and publication of a substantial volume of news content;
- To continue efforts to revive media criticism as a discipline of journalism and tool for generating critical discourse on media content.
Activities:
- Regional Barcamp organized online with participation of key information actors (editors, senior journalists, fact-checkers, media regulators and self-regulators, health workers, government officials, civil society activists, educators) and citizens;
- Development and dissemination of guidelines and tips for key news and information actors based on the Barcamp and wider expert assessments and findings;
- Standalone course on reporting in “infodemic” conditions created;
- Standalone course on the role of editors and journalists in raising news literacy levels among their audiences;
- Other resources (on open source investigations, fact checking, interviewing techniques, source cultivation, data journalism) will be adapted/translated according to participants needs;
- Live online course on reporting in “infodemic” conditions;
- Live online course on the role of editors and journalists in raising news literacy levels among their audiences;
- Story mentors discuss and assign topics for stories;
- Journalists and journalism students work on producing stories;
- Stories edited, published and promoted;
- Topics for stories on the six target countries aimed at international audiences discussed and assigned;
- Journalists and journalism students work on producing stories;
- Stories edited, published and promoted;
- Teams of senior writers confirmed in each country, with frames of reference and publication schedules set by country coordinators;
- Starting 3rd month of the project and running for nine months, media criticism pieces produced and published fortnightly in each target country;
- Pieces widely promoted on social networks; republications secured; and
- Media criticism or other types of content focused on freedom of expression translated and adapted for publication nationally.
