Call for Journalists and Researchers on Electoral Integrity and Political Discourse in Albania

BIRN is offering three grants for journalists and researchers to cover their expenses while conducting investigations and writing stories on topics related to electoral integrity and political discourse in Albania, as well as mentoring by experienced editors.

The project aims to contribute to the enhancement of integrity, transparency and equal competition in Albania’s electoral processes by addressing some of the fundamental challenges and deficiencies, particularly those in relation to:

• Misuse of public funds and public administration in relation to electoral processes;
• Electoral crimes and the work of law enforcement bodies;
• The impact of elections on the public administration and its politicization;
• Transparency of political parties’ finances during election campaigns;
• Involvement of persons with a criminal past in political parties and electoral processes;
• Misuse of digital/social media or Artificial Intelligence and prevalence of hate speech in the political discourse;
• Barriers encountered by women and youth toward political participation, etc.

Award Information

• The awarded journalists and researchers will receive a scholarship of 1,500 euros gross (minus personal income tax). They will have around three to five months to dig deeper and research their ideas. They will also have the opportunity to work with experienced editors as mentors to guide them through the process of writing in accordance with BIRN standards.

Eligibility Criteria

• The call only applies to journalists and researchers from Albania with previous experience on this topic.
• All applicants must be independent and free from conflicts of interest in the responsibilities they undertake.
• Applicants may submit more than one application, but only one proposal per candidate will be selected.

For more information, visit Balkan Investigative Reporting Network.