Podgorica, 11 May 2016 – Mirko Boskovic, journalist at the Public Service Broadcaster RTCG, won the first prize of the EU award for investigative journalism for stories published in 2015. Montenegro Media Institute, which organised the contest in Montenegro, received 22 entries for the award. Boskovic won the award for an investigative story “The Promised Land” broadcast within the TV show “Mechanism” aired on national television.
The second prize was awarded to the journalist Milena Perovic Korac for investigative stories published in the weekly “Monitor”, while the prize for the best investigative story among young journalists was awarded to Ana Komatina and Vladimir Otasevic, for a series of texts produced within the Centre for investigative journalism and published in daily “Vijesti.”
Decision on the awards was taken by a five-member jury consisting of renowned journalists and CSO representatives: Snezana Nikcevic, Olivera Komar, Sonja Drobac, Olivera Nikolic and Dragoljub Vukovic. “The jury worked in a very positive and constructive atmosphere without any problems or incidents,” explained the acting director of the Montenegro Media Institute Vladan Micunovic. Awards were delivered to the winners by the Head of Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, Ambassador Mitja Drobnic.
This is the second time that the EU Award for Investigative Journalism is awarded to journalists in Montenegro. The goal is to award journalists whose investigative stories contribute to transparency and reporting on societal issues related to abuse of power and fundamental rights, corruption and organised crime that otherwise would not have been brought to the public’s attention.
The EU award for investigative journalism is a regional initiative established by the European Commission. Within this project, organisation of annual competitions is envisaged in candidate and potential candidate countries (Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo * and Turkey) during a three-year period, (2015, 2016 and 2017).
This contest comes as a result of the Speak Up! 2 Conference of June 2013. Montenegro Media Institute is responsible for its implementation in Montenegro, while the Ljubljana Peace Institute is the regional coordinator of the initiative.
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
