Kosovo Journalist Wins 2010 Balkan Fellowship Prize

Majlinda Aliu from Kosovo, wins first prize in this year's Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence Programme for her article “Trapped in Black: Balkan War Widows”.

Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence Programme
Belgrade

Majinda, a journalist with Kosovo public television RTK, received an award of €4,000.

Second-place, and a prize of €3,000 was awarded to Macedonian journalist Ruzica Fotinovska for article “Freed prisoners remain caught behind bars”, and third prize, and €1,000 went to Jeton Musliu for his article “Kosovars Turn Blind Eye to Fake Foreign Marriages”.

The three prize-winners, selected by a panel of judges including Croatian journalist and writer Slavenka Drakulic, Gerald Knaus, president of the European Stability Initiative and Josef Kirchengast from the Austrian daily newspaper Der Standard, were announced at an award ceremony in Vienna on Friday, November 12.

Members of the jury praised the quality of reporting of all three winning fellows and noted that articles covered topic previously unexplored in the mainstream media and felt that they could serve to bring about important debates on issues of relevance to Balkan society.

This year's writers addressed the topic of 'Taboo' from a host of different angles, exploring issues that shape and change society.

The awards presentation in Vienna was hosted by the ERSTE foundation, and was attended by eight journalists who participated in the 2010 Programme of the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence.

Initiated by the Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE Foundation in 2007, in co-operation with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, each year the Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence provides financial and professional support to foster quality reporting in the Balkans region.

Additionally, the programme encourages regional networking among journalists and provides balanced coverage on complex reform issues that are central to the region as well as to the European Union.

The eight journalists participating at this year’s seminar were chosen from among 149 applicants from nine Balkan countries.