Recognising excellence in investigative journalism across the Western Balkans and Türkiye
As the national ceremonies for the EU Investigative Journalism Awards 2024 unfold, we are excited to introduce the members of the evaluation jury tasked with assessing the entries in the regional category.
This initiative aims to highlight exceptional investigative stories, encourage collaboration, and elevate the standards of investigative journalism across the Western Balkans and Türkiye. This year, we received a record number of applications—283! The applications were divided into 243 vying for national awards and the rest competing for the regional award.
Without further delay, let’s introduce the distinguished members of the evaluation jury responsible for reviewing the regional submissions:
Dunja Mijatović served as the Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2024. Her work focused on key human rights issues, including freedom of expression, journalist safety, and the protection of human rights defenders. She also addressed the rights of migrants and refugees and tackled discrimination and hate speech, with particular attention to women, children, and vulnerable groups affected by conflict and displacement. Previously, she was the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (2010-2017) and held leadership roles at the Communications Regulatory Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Council of Europe.
Drago Hedl is an accomplished journalist with extensive experience in Croatia and internationally. He has served as a long-term correspondent for Radio Free Europe and the Alternative Information Network (AIM) and contributed to prestigious publications such as The Guardian, Time Magazine, and Private Eye. Throughout his career, he has participated in approximately 50 international media conferences and authored 15 books, including five novels. Additionally, Hedl has worked as a screenwriter for four documentary films.
Can Ertuna has over 25 years of experience as a journalist for Turkish and international news outlets. Since 2019, he has served as an assistant professor in the New Media department at Bahçeşehir University, where his research interests include the political economy of mass media, broadcast journalism, and reporting from conflict and war zones. He has extensively covered conflicts, wars, and refugee crises in various regions, including Turkey. In 2014, he authored the book Arab Uprisings Diary and currently contributes as a columnist for the independent news outlet Kısa Dalga (Short Wave).
The award fund is the same as for the national prizes: 10,000 euros—5,000 euros for the best story, 3,000 euros for the second prize, and 2,000 euros for the third. The prize amounts are cumulative—in case two applicants share ranks, they will equally divide the prize allocated for that position.
The EU Award for Investigative Journalism 2024 is part of the broader project, “Strengthening Quality Journalism in Western Balkans and Türkiye II.” The activities under this project aim to recognise and promote exceptional achievements in investigative journalism while simultaneously enhancing awareness and capacities regarding the importance of quality journalism within the region.
The project is funded by the European Union, and it is implemented by a consortium that includes the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN Hub), Central European University (CEU) in Hungary, Association of Journalists (AJ) in Türkiye, Thomson Media (TM) in Germany, University Goce Delchev Shtip (UGD) in North Macedonia, The Independent Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) in North Macedonia, Media Association of South-East Europe (MASE) in Montenegro, and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Kosovo (BIRN Kosovo).
