Montenegro, Boka News: Local solutions for local problems

min read

BokaNews

Boka News from Tivat, Media for All beneficiary, has been one of the most successful media when it comes to Engaged Citizens Reporting (ECR) tool active usage. Guided and mentored by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), and using the ECR tool, Boka News managed to produce 8 engaging articles with solutions for local problems stemming directly from local audience.

Prior to creation of each article, media published a callout to which on average 200 citizens responded providing their insights and useful information. The callouts and articles produced reached 22,748 people via web and 200.823 people reached on social media networks.

“Usage of the ECR tool enabled us to cover topics relevant for the local community, such as devastation of architectural and cultural heritage, environmental protection, legal problems over the ownership of coastal property (beaches and piers), strategy for cruising tourism development and land restitution of Tivat Airport,” explained Miro Marušić, owner and editor of Boka News adding that “the competent authorities responded to almost all the issues the media outlet covered and expressed interest in solving the problems.”

As result of this activity, the number of web users increased from 66,049 in November 2020 to 95,058 users in August 2021. The trend of growth was evident on social media as well gaining more than 2,500 new followers on Facebook. Currently, Boka News is undergoing the process of the new website development. After initial needs assessment, design and mockup solutions have been developed and approved by the team, the new website is supposed to be live by the mid-November.

Boka News is one of the most widely read portals in Boka Bay. It was founded in 2014 and is led by experienced journalists. The portal, aside of regular informative reports, engages in investigative journalism, covering current topics on pandemic, cultural heritage, tourism, and environment.

Journalift is an online resource platform with state-of-the-art hands-on practices and knowledge for people who want to know more about media development, media business and the newest trends in the media industry. It has been designed as a knowledge hub focused on the media outlets needs.
We see ourselves as ‘game changers’, in the media development community that bring new ideas, innovative tools and result-based approaches to media businesses operation.

Related articles:

Top stories from Journalift:

Topics:

Latest Articles:

Why you should not give up on the subscription model?
The period of the pandemic caused by the corona virus has greatly influenced the change in the habits of citizens
How can local and investigative journalists collaborate better?
It is often a challenge in the media business to produce successful collaborations and cooperation between journalists, especially when it
Innovation in the Newsroom – How to Stay Ahead in the Digital Age
With the wave of discussions, dilemmas and worry that the introduction of Chat GPT created across the industry, media organisations
The ABCs of Mobile Journalism and why you should consider it
What do you do when in front of a breathtaking view, or when an unusual thing is happening in front