Event Reports
In the digital era, online media and entrepreneurship are becoming more and more important for journalists in South East Europe. Many media outlets in the region don’t provide optimal working conditions – low payment and restrictions on editorial freedom are common. Self-employment on the Internet has become attractive to many – this was the topic of a KAS seminar from 10th to 12th September in Belgrade.
Numerous journalists are looking for alternatives for permanent employment in traditional media. Therefore, more and more media representatives want to professionally re-orientate themselves on the Internet and do successful business there. But there is often a lack of detailed knowledge, such as how new journalism concepts can be implemented. "We think more about topics, not about business or marketing aspects," said a radio journalist and participant in the KAS workshop, which was organised for the second time by the KAS Media Program South East Europe.
Participants of the seminar were 11 journalists from Serbia and Bulgaria. Marko Nedeljković from the University of Belgrade, Miloš Petrović, CEO of the MWEB agency, and Veroljub Zmijanac from the GIZ BOSS project developed the training in cooperation with the KAS Media Program. On the basis of the seminar concept, an "Entrepreneurial Journalism Handbook" was created, which was presented during the workshop. The book provides many practical advices for strategic market analysis and the development of online platforms. It is therefore a useful tool for media representatives who want to become self-employed on the Internet. The handbook is available online in English and Serbian language.
The focus of the Belgrade training was the teaching of key skills in the field of online journalism and the analysis of successful paid content strategies. Writing for the Internet as well as the use of keywords, tags and CEO techniques were central topics of the training. Additionally, practical exercises were offered, in which the participants analysed their own journalistic texts and optimised them for the web. Extra attention was paid to the relationship between journalism and entrepreneurship from an ethical perspective.