BIRN Stöd till undersökande journalistik 2022- 2025

Results 2023: The narrative report for 2023 informs that BIRN has overperformed on most indicators and that outreach has increased. The number of pageviews has increased with 67 %, unique visitors with 13% and followers on social media with 20%. Further, the training of journalists has proceed as planned and 12 students are now half-way through their studies. BIRN has also been forwarding fund to three partners: the online magazine Sakam de Kazam (SDK), the research organization Center for Civic Communications (CCC) and the TV-show 360 degrees. Many stories have been picked up by other media. Some examples include: On November 11, 2022, BIRN revealed that North Macedonia had granted citizenship to a former Ukranian lawmaker who fled the country after he was investigated for money laundering and corruption and who was placed on the US sanctions list. Onyshchenko had become scandal in international politics by January 2021 when the United States imposed sanctions on him for being a member of the Russian network for influence at the US presidential election that took place earlier in 2020. However, the Equestrian Sports Federation, North Macedonias Olympic Committee, the Sports and Youth Agency and the National Security Agency - all four gave a positive opinion of Onyshchenko to become citizen and represent the country in equestrian sports. Most importantly, the National Security Agency was the agency obliged to check BIRN Macedonia the applicants personal background and after a year of checks it gave a green light for his request for citizenship. BIRNs revelations were republished by every major news outlet and the story was in the top news stories for weeks as public pressure mounted on authorities to provide answers about the role of the National Security Agency. AS BIRN published the story also on its publication in English, Balkan Insight the investigation also attracted attention abroad and was republished by international media drawing more unpleasant questions for the authorities. The President Stevo Pendarovski called for responsibility saying the case was a big blow for the credibility of the Agency. Parliaments committee for oversight of security agencies summoned the director and held dedicated hearings on the topic. The National Security Agency launched an internal inquiry to determine how the decision came about. On December 6, less than a month after the investigation was published the government decided to revoke the decision to grant the citizenship to Onyshchenko. Soon after the head of the Agency was replaced and an internal inquiry was launched to determine how the decision came about. In 2023, BIRNs journalist Frosina Dimeska won EU award for investigative story. The judges recognised the impact of Dimeskas investigation, leading to the government revoking Onishchenkos North Macedonian citizenship In February 2023, the government was preparing to enter a special partnership with US-Turkish consortium that would build roads worth 1,3 billion euros from the state budget. Numerous issues over the contract passed with a special law and bypassing standard procurement procedures have been raised by anti- corruption organisations and have been largely ignored both the government and media. In early March, BIRN uncovered that one of the partner companies in the supervision consortium was led by an individual that escaped Armenia, where he was indicted for large scale fraud while working on a highway contract. The story reconstructed how a fugitive who left Armenia on another mans passport and with help of Macedonian diplomats ended up on a list of partners winning the lucrative government contract worth 22 mil euro. The investigation attracted a lot of attention and other media followed up by focusing both on the supervision contract and the deal. As a result, both issues were under the spotlight for weeks.  -In late September, media were awash with details about a gruesome murder in the small town of Kobani where a woman was brutally killed in a knife attack on the street by a man that both police and media speculated was her lover. Given how the country struggles in containing violence against women and femicide is rarely recognized as such BIRN reporters traveled to Kocani look into the case. They documented in detail how the 40-year-old woman was in fact blackmailed for seven years and forced to take bank loans to pay her abuser, a former colleague. Only after she shared her story with a friend, she gained the courage to report the case to the police and was killed soon after, one morning as she was walking to work. BIRNs story published in mid-October exposed the lack of action by the police, lack of any kind of assessment for the risk on her life but also the shocking lack of empathy of interviewed residents who claimed she deserved to be killed as she was involved with her killer, a Roma man - a claim that was inaccurate. The story examined the response of the institutions and numerous shortcomings in similar cases, well documented by civil society organisations, but also showed how the toxic environment prevented the victim for years to seek help and eventually contributed to her death. BIRNs expose attracted a lot of attention, the story was extremely shared on social media and republished by other media and was also praised by civil society organisations as a showcase how to report on femicide.  Further, BIRN published dozens of stories related to the high-profile court cases stemming from the wiretapping scandal in 2015. Numerous senior officials were charged since 2017 for various crimes from abuse of office in the wiretapping case to bribes, money laundering and election fraud to the cases related to Skopje 2014 revamp of the capital. BIRN regularly reported on the fate of these cases throughout the project period and analysed the consequences as cases were either dropped or reached statute of limitations. Simultaneously, BIRN is closely following the developments related to judiciary reform that in the past period led to several affairs of political meddling and undue influence that resulted in controversial appointments and sackings and turmoil in the Judicial council and higher courts. BIRNs reporting also shed light on political moves to amend the criminal code and influence Supreme Court to bring back to life former presidents pardon that would pave the way for the return of fugitive ex PM Nikola Gruevski, currently living in Budapest. Another prominent result is from CCC: - CCC: s research on the capacities of the emergency medical services was conducted among all 33 health centres and was initiated from the increasingly frequent criticisms of the citizens of the emergency medical services. The research showed staggering results that the country lacks 52 emergency medical teams to meet the minimum law requirements. The capital city of Skopje lacks most of the emergency medical teams, 18 in total. Half of the 33 health centres have fewer teams than needed and for the last 8 years, the number of emergency medical teams has decreased by 22. The range of the number of inhabitants covered by an emergency team per day varies from 1,000 in some cities up to 40,000 in other. BIRN, 360 Degrees and SDK published separate stories from the research. The research was widely covered by all media in the country, resulting in a total of 84 media products. There was a variety of media formats published, such as news, reports, in-depth stories, interviews, live coverage, etc. Emergency medical services were asked to clarify the reasons for the current situation, to point to their immediate needs and to discuss the possible solutions. Under media and public pressure, the government reacted only a couple of days after the research was published. In a joint press conference, the President of the Government, together with the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance, announced that at the government session on December 28, a decision was made to approve full-time employment of 1,117 people in public health institutions in the country, wherever there are priorities for new employment. In addition, the Government decided to approve a purchase of 22 ambulances for the needs of the emergency medical services across the country. At the same time, the EU Delegation in North Macedonia decided to donate 7 fully equipped ambulances to the Skopjes emergency medical service. Results 2024: As for activities BIRN published 233 stories and 52 videos, SDK published 96 stories and 9 videos, 360 Degrees did 29 TV stories and 15 TV debates and CCC published 8 datasets one that was prepared but not published in 2023 and the other seven datasets that were prepared and published in 2024. The published stories are of different formats including investigations, in depth analysis, interviews, opinions, news and features. The number of pageviews at BIRN was 1.8 million, the number of unique visitors 390,000, and the social media reach 2.3 million. Sida assesses that the program has had a significant impact on the public discussion around corruption and transparency in North Macedonia. Summary of results BIRN: Post-elections, BIRN continued tracking the new government's performance, highlighting issues like lack of transparency, unfulfilled freedom of information requests, and the controversial appointments. Investigations in 2024 revealed: - Misuse of strategic investor status to benefit unqualified companies. - Sale of cultural heritage sites (e.g., Arab House, Bristol Hotel) to owners with questionable reputations. - Continued issues at Rek Bitola power plant using substandard coal. - Severe neglect of long-standing infrastructure projects, such as the Berovo border crossing. BIRN also addressed foreign labor exploitation, particularly the disappearance of Nepalese workers, prompting calls for policy reform. Education reporting focused on systemic failures in addressing bullying in schools, using citizen input via BIRN's ECR tool (392 responses collected in total for various topics). Environmental reporting centered on air pollution and public transport failures in Skopje, supported by citizen surveys and multimedia content, including 52 videos with over 1.2 million views. BIRN's young journalist Elena Gagovska received special recognition for her story "Anatomy of a Murder in Koani" at the 2024 journalism awards by the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (ZNM) and UNDP. Summary of results SDK: Sakam de Kazam published 96 stories, continuing its mission to expose corruption, ensure public accountability, and promote transparency in governance. The years reporting covered crucial issues such as judicial integrity, public sector corruption, local governance transparency, and regional development. Key Achievements: - The long-term impact of SDK.MKs 2023 interview with Supreme Court President Besa Ademi was felt throughout 2024. The interview, which revealed political pressure and threats against judges, led to public support for Ademi when an attempt to dismiss her was launched. The initiative was ultimately withdrawn in January 2024, demonstrating how investigative journalism can protect judicial independence and drive systemic change. - Played a vital role in unveiling corruption at the highest judicial levels. In May 2024 Supreme Court Judge Nake Georgiev was arrested for bribery, and in December Court Judge Enver Bexheti was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of State in December 2024 for significant corruption. These investigations emphasized the role of media in judicial reform and restoring public confidence in the legal system. - Revealed that a person was appointed as chief auditor for IPA funds without proper qualifications. The government swiftly dismissed her just five days after the story brokean example of media-driven accountability and a precedent for vetting public officials. - An investigation into the Beatfest cultural festival in Bitola exposed irregularities, including the absence of a public call for organizers. This led to the Public Prosecutors Office launching a pre-investigation, underlining the influence of SDK.MK in promoting transparency at the municipal level. Summary of results Center for Civil Communications (CCC)  In 2024, the CCC published 8 detailed datasets and reports addressing public interest issues such as healthcare, education, public procurement, municipal spending, and election-related finances. The findings led to 540 media articles across 184 outlets, sparking significant public debate and policy reflection. Key Highlights & Impacts: - Revealed major disparities in healthcare availability between citieslarger urban areas like Skopje are well-equipped, while towns like Krushevo face critical shortages. This led to 61 media articles and public demands for regional healthcare reform. - Found that 767,000 euros were overspent during elections compared to prior years, with 40% of tenders conducted via direct negotiation, echoing past controversial practices. Triggered calls for greater transparency in electoral procurement. - Disclosed that 146 million m of drinking water is lost annually due to inefficiencies, causing many providers to operate at a loss. Resulted in Skopje launching infrastructure improvements to reduce waste - Found that 50 companies secured 36% of all public contracts, mostly in construction and pharmaceuticals, raising concerns about fairness and influence in state spending Summary of results 360 Degrees In 2024, 360 Degrees did 29 TV stories and 15 TV debates. Main results include: - Investigated the $1.3 billion Bechtel-Enka Highway  project. Exposed irregularities in the tender process, revealed licensing discrepancies and staffing inconsistencies and prompted a public prosecution inquiry. - Uncovered that over €10.6 million in public money was used by political parties for campaign advertising. - Produced 15 hard-talk interviews with key political figures, including the President and Prime Minister.

The program has two objectives: i) Provide the public with access to credible information that enables them to make informed decisions and participate in democratic processes and hold authorities accountable and ii) contribute to strengthening capacities of media, strengthen professional reporting standards and ethics among journalists that leads to higher quality reporting and restore interest in the profession.