PROJECT NAME:

Diversifying voices in journalism 2022/441-451

SECTOR:

Civil Society

PROJECT VALUE:

Total cost of the project: 388,888.88 EUR EU contribution: 350,000.000 EUR

DURATION:

36 months Start Date: January 1, 2023 End Date: December 31, 2025

IMPLEMENTING PARTNER:

Kosovo Glocal (Kosovo 2.0)

DIRECT BENEFICIARY:

- the general public, and particularly women, sexual minorities, ethnic minorities and the youth - the youth, including journalism students and early-career professionals, together with independent media and media-producing organizations Final beneficiaries: CSOs, researchers and activists; media; institutions, and particularly policy makers and civil servants

COVERAGE/IMPACT:

Main target area: to protect media pluralism through quality journalism, professional standards and media literacy Secondary target area: human rights protection, youth empowerment

OVERALL OBJECTIVE:

To support quality, public interest journalism, and to support the understanding and trust of journalism professionals, the media and the public towards independent journalism.

PROJECT PURPOSES:

SO1: To build the capacity of media outlets and media-producing organizations to engage in public interest journalism dispelling dis- and misinformation SO2: To increase the ability of the youth, including journalism students and professionals, to understand and produce quality journalism, including by increasing their media literacy SO3: To produce innovative and explanatory multimedia journalism that challenges problematic narratives that are based on dis- and misinformation and on exclusionary portrayals of marginalized groups; SO4: To increase the involvement of women in quality journalistic production, and to improve the media representation of women.

PROJECT STRATEGY:

With this action, K2.0 seeks to promote media pluralism in Kosovo by addressing the existing information gaps in the Kosovar media environment through in-house production and support to third-party production of quality journalism, and by building the capacity of media, media-producing organizations and young or aspiring journalists to produce journalistic content that adheres to the highest professional standards. Being this skills-development exercise centered around the original production of multimedia journalistic content by beneficiaries, K2.0 also seeks to increase their understanding and integration of media literacy concepts. Ultimately, K2.0 aims to counter the endemic spread of dis- and mis-information and improper journalistic practices in Kosovo by supporting quality, public interest journalism. Together with capacity-building and citizen engagement-enhancing activities, this is expected to foster the understanding and trust of journalism professionals, the media and the public towards independent journalism and its irreplaceable democratic function. As it happens, the failure of journalism in Kosovo to do what it is supposed to do — that is being informative, educative and thought-provoking — creates a cleavage with the people it is meant to serve: the public. For this reason, this action adopts a rights-based approach (RBA), by building the capacity of the media to produce the content the public needs, and by promoting the engagement of the public towards journalism, aiming to increase both the media and the public’s ability to discern, appreciate and produce trustworthy information. It also focuses on marginalized groups, by involving them both as writers and as voices of quality information. Finally, it is K2.0’s view that, when it comes to independent journalism, the most appropriate way to raise the ability of the ultimate duty-bearers (i.e. institutions) to meet their obligation is through journalism itself. Where independent and uncompromising journalism flourishes, democracy does too, as it increases the capacity of citizens to challenge institutional failures, to develop the tools to participate actively in society, and to feel the sense of agency that is necessary for pluralism and justice to prosper. By building the capacity of media and related organizations to produce journalism that is diverse and of quality (Act. 1 “Media grants”), by raising the capacity and interest of the youth and journalism students / professionals to understand and produce good journalism (Act. 2 “Participatory Journalism”), by adopting an intersectional approach to activities and by engaging ourselves in independent and public interest journalistic production (Act. 3 “In-house multimedia journalistic production”), this proposal advances SO4 of the EU program “Support to civil society, media and human rights actors in Kosovo 2022,” namely, to protect media pluralism through quality journalism, professional standards and media literacy. In particular, it targets the priority areas related to the availability of qualitative and trustworthy investigative reporting to citizens, and the countering of disinformation.

ACTIVITIES:

Act. 1: Media grants: Yearly program including training and third party funding for socially-engaged media and media-producing organizations wishing to engage in editorial productions that improve the media representation of diversity and dispel dis- and misinformation. Act. 2: Participatory journalism: Act. 2.1: Blog Calls (component 1): Yearly program targeting the youth, and allowing them to publish small-scale stories on K2.0 magazine, while receiving editorial supervision and mentoring from K2.0 editors. Act. 2.2. Journalism Hub (component 2): Yearly program targeting the youth through individual third party funding, and providing intense training on multimedia journalism tools and ethics, as well as the possibility to produce high-quality editorial productions cooperatively, under close and continued mentoring from K2.0 trainers and editors. Act. 3: In-house multimedia journalistic production: Production and publication of long videos (5-15 mins), often investigative in nature, breaking down complex events or concepts for the public, with the use of text, audio and video/animations, and covering issues dealing with a) human rights, b) politics and good governance, c) rule of law and access to justice, d) culture and arts.

RESULTS:

1. The ability of media outlets and media-producing organizations throughout Kosovo to produce quality journalism is enhanced. As a result, media pluralism is positively impacted, and media outlets and media-producing organizations strengthen their skills in independent, fact-based, people-centered journalism. 2. The ability of youth, including journalism students and early-career professionals, to take part in quality journalistic productions is increased. As a result, their ability to understand, use and produce information is increased (media literacy), and their perspectives integrated into media productions. Young and aspiring journalists and media professionals are better equipped to follow the highest professional standards in their future careers. 3. The general public is presented with diverse, high-quality journalistic content speaking of under- and mis-reported issues of key relevance to democracy. Among the general public, marginalized groups such as women and ethnic minorities benefit from increased representation and inclusive, relevant and respectful reporting. As a result, a culture of solidarity and human rights respect is promoted, and the fundamental public function of journalism is enhanced. As a result, the expected impact of the action is: quality, public interest journalism is supported, and the key stakeholders of journalism — journalists, the media and the public — are better equipped to appreciate and produce professional, fact-based, socially-aware journalism. As a result, existing forces that threaten the independence, quality and civic purpose of journalism are countered.