Working in partnership with the Radio Netherlands Training Centre, we established the European Centre for Broadcast Journalism in Belgrade. It aims to improve journalism standards and increase the independence of the regional media in Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo.
Start: 2001
Finish: 2004
Media types: Television and radio
Issue: Human rights and governance
Country: Serbia
We delivered an extensive training programme through the European Centre for Broadcast Journalism, covering issues such as:
- Training for trainers
- How to report on the past
- Internet communications
- Interview techniques
- News management and human rights reporting
One of the centre's courses resulted in a series of television documentaries on war crimes and Balkan issues relating to the Milosevic era.
All courses involved training in the ethics of journalism, especially in areas where 'hate speech' had been commonplace.
Impact
The centre has enabled broadcasters in the region to provide professional news, programming and current affairs to listeners and viewers.
- 29 training courses were held during 2001 and 2002
- 340 radio and TV journalists attended
- 15 local trainers were trained
- An 11-week post-graduate production course was also established
Kosovo Mreza initiative
Due to tension in the region, Kosovo's minority Serb population has become isolated. They have a great need to access unbiased information.
Working with the Kosovo Mreza initiative, the the European Centre for Broadcast Journalism has provided training to support a network of 27 Serb stations in the enclave.
Working in partnership
We worked in partnership with the Radio Netherlands Training Centre to establish the European Centre for Broadcast Journalism.
We also worked closely with, among others:
- The Journalism Department at the Belgrade Faculty of Political Sciences
- IREX offices in Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro
- Fund for Open Society Yugoslavia
- The Montenegro Media Institute
- ANEM - the Serbian Network for Electronic Media
- Kosovo Mreza
