Fifth edition of OSCE Mission in Kosovo Media Fellowship Programme for young journalists kicks off in Prishtinë/Priština

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo launched today its fifth Media Fellowship Programme, an annual initiative that seeks to develop young journalists’ skills and establish a network of fellow journalists from different communities. 

Eight journalists from across Kosovo will visit local journalist associations, public broadcasters, press councils, and investigative media outlets in Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade. They will learn first-hand about professional reporting standards, journalism standards, qualitative reporting, media and information literacy and adherence to the codes of ethics.

“The OSCE Mission’s Media Fellowship Programme is bringing young journalists from different communities together, giving them an opportunity to network with renowned journalists and experts, and helping them to thrive in a fast changing media landscape,” said Ambassador Michael Davenport, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. “As they forge their own professional paths, these young journalists will shape future public discourse, and will I hope champion both press freedom and access to reliable information,” he added.

Launched in 2017, with a two-year break during the pandemic, the Media Fellowship Programme cultivates local journalist talent, while promoting gender equality. It continues to serve as an opportunity to strengthen inter-community relations among the journalists from different communities and their insights into how the media functions in the region.

To date, 38 journalists from different communities in Kosovo have participated in the program and joined the Media Fellowship Alumni.

Journalists selected for this year’s Fellowship include Shkodrane Dakaj, BIRN; Unitet Berisha, T7; Vlera Shabani, Kallxo.com; Zoran Savić, KOSSEV; Dušica Stanković, Kontakt Plus Radio; Uroš Nikolić, RTV Mir; Donjeta Zeqiraj, Telegrafi.com; and Armand Hoti, ATV.

“I wanted to be part of the Media Fellowship Programme because I think that collaborating with others in the programme can be beneficial in multiple ways. You can exchange ideas, receive feedback on your work, and gain insights from different perspectives. These interactions can spark creativity, inspire new story angles, and help us refine our storytelling skills,” said Shkodrane Dakaj from BIRN.

“My expectations from this assessment visit to the media in Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade is that I will have the opportunity to see and observe how the big media work. What makes me especially happy is that I will have the opportunity to maybe attend a live program on a television with a national frequency. As a journalist, I believe that this experience will mean something to me in my future work and advancement, because I will have the opportunity to talk with colleagues who have many years and even decades of work behind them,” said Dušica Stanković, journalist at Kontakt Plus Radio.

“Being part of this program will help me a lot in my future work. I know that I will meet people with whom I will collaborate in the future. I also appreciate the fact that I will also meet colleagues with whom we will share different ideas about our work, and also share our experiences,” Unitet Berisha from T7 said.

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human rights protection and promotion, democratization and public safety sector development. It helps safeguard freedom of media and freedom of expression and supports media development.