Fellowship Diaries
22 Aug 12
A Vicious Circle
As I investigated the condition of children without parental care in Bosnia, I realized that I could only get so far without filling in the bigger picture.
22 Aug 12
Mountain Rescue
The wildfire on Mount Vitosha broke out just as the fire of the protest movement, down in dusty Sofia, was slowly dying.
20 Aug 12
The Anonymous Host
I asked my friend Sanja to wait in the car while I conducted the interview. “He doesn’t want to speak on the record,” I told her. “I can’t see why I would stay for more than 30 minutes.”
20 Aug 12
The Best of a Bad Deal
Long before the global economy was brought to its knees, good jobs have been scarce in my part of the world.
20 Aug 12
Grassroots Support
Great players are not the only legends honoured at Glasgow’s Ibrox stadium, home to the Rangers football club.
17 Aug 12
Mixed-up and Moderate
Outside London’s central mosque, I approached a young woman who was distributing leaflets urging assistance for children caught up in Syria’s war.
17 Aug 12
Squatters’ Rites
In the beginning, this story seemed to have many of the ingredients of a classic investigation: Corruption allegations, tycoons, politicians, puzzles and reams of paperwork.
15 Aug 12
Another kind of communist
While the former Eastern bloc still has plenty of diehard communists, men like Trifon Cañamares are an endangered species at the other end of Europe.
14 Aug 12
Less than minimum
After meeting migrant workers in London, I studied the receipts from my trip and wondered how some of my interviewees stayed alive.
14 Aug 12
No fit state
To make passers-by part with their small change, the street children of Sarajevo will wash cars, perform songs and dances, or simply beg for alms.
Stories
Cheap, and Far from Free: The Migrants Building Britain
Job restrictions have left Romanian and Bulgarian construction workers underpaid and vulnerable to exploitation, a BIRN investigation reveals.
The Minority Report: Jobless Ethnic Albanians “Let Down by the State”
Frustration unites members of the minority across the region – but hopes of EU entry may have eased tensions in Montenegro.
Occupy the Military: Squatters Struggle for the Balkans’ Derelict Barracks
Activists and the Serbian authorities fail to find common ground in a battle of ideals and real estate – unlike in Croatia and Slovenia.
Abandoned Twice: Bosnia’s Orphans Left in the Lurch
The fractured state is unable to monitor its orphanages properly, and nor can it provide any decent alternatives to the institutions.
Collective Punishment: How a Socialist Farm Lost its Way to Market
BIRN digs deeper into the sale of a once-successful Croatian farm that went the way of many privatisations in the region – leaving workers jobless and out-of-pocket.
Green Revolution: How Eco-Activism Made Bulgaria Care Again
Environmental campaigners have shown they can fight the system – but how far can they fix it?
Political Football: The Balkans’ Belligerent Ultras Avoid Penalties
Hooligans in Macedonia stoke the embers of ethnic strife, and – like their Serbian counterparts – often escape punishment.
Secrets and Lies: Victims of Albanian Communism Denied Closure
Former political prisoners want truth and compensation – but their quest has become entangled in the country’s murky politics.
‘Want to Work? Join the Party’: Contacts Trump Merit in Balkan Job Market
Governing parties in Macedonia stand accused of reserving desirable public sector jobs for their supporters, driving frustrated youth abroad.
Fissures in the Faith: Rise of Conservative Islamists Alarms Kosovans
Followers of stricter forms of Islam are demanding more rights in Kosovo, provoking a backlash among secularists.
About the project
The recipients of this year’s fellowship are considering subjects as diverse as hooliganism, activism and migration in search for employment – all under the broader theme of “communities”. Read more about the project on the official Fellowship web site >>
