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RFE/RL’s Balkan Service

RFE/RL’s Balkan Service provides independent news in a polarized media landscape.

About

  • Reporting from five bureaus throughout the region, RFE/RL’s Balkan Service covers economic issues, corruption, Russian influence, migration, and minority issues.
  • Investigations about disinformation on Srebrenica genocide led Google to remove content.
  • Counters Russian disinformation, with stories on Russian paramilitary organizations’ activities, including reports on Serbian volunteers who fought on Russian side in Ukraine.
  • Serbia's Prosecutor's Office for Cyber-Crime initiated investigation into Telegram group "Z-Orlovi" following Balkan Service report on how it targets Russian citizens living in Serbia opposed to Russian's invasion of Ukraine.
  • Reports on Chinese malign influence, including debt in Montenegro.
  • Counters violent extremism: investigated how pro-Nazi, white-power bands operate in Serbia.
  • Women's Shadows is a resource for victims of gender- motivated violence.
  • Reported on 2022 Bosnian and Serbian elections, giving a broader perspective on unstable political environment.
  • Service on the scene during December 2022 border tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.
  • Host of Jiri Dienstbier Journalism Fellowship with Czech Foreign Ministry; Service mentors aspiring journalists.

Awards

  • A 2021 story on medical waste won Best Web Story of the Year by Association of Journalists of Kosovo.
  • Belgrade correspondent Dusan Komarcevic 2021 finalist for Annual Award for Investigative Journalism for investigation into "gamification" of extremist violence.

Impact

January – December 2022

  • Website: ​18 million visits; 27.2 million page views
  • Facebook: 486.2 million video views; 28 million engaged users
  • Youtube: 17.8 million views; 102,000 subscribers
  • Instagram: 2.4 million video views; 34,000 followers

Updated: April 2023

Media Climate

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