KAS Media Programme South East Europe

27/10/2026

“Why We Tell Stories” is a book published in February 2026 by the KAS Media Programme SEE. It brings together voices and experiences of journalists from across Southeast Europe – and they all answered one important question: Why we tell stories?

Seasoned Albanian journalist Lutfi Dervishi reflects on the motivations, challenges, and deeper meaning of journalism as a profession. Dervishi discovers that there is no single path into journalism. For some, it begins in childhood; for others - with curiosity, a sense of injustice or even the simple excitement of seeing journalism portrayed on television.

Read his full impressions here:

by Lutfi Dervishi

16/10/2026

After our study visit on Strategic Communication to Helsinki and Riga earlier this year, we now went to Berlin and Brussels. Together with experts from Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania and Serbia. Our group met with experts of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, the Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), the German Bundestag, the NATO headquarters, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the Martens Centre for European Studies.
We as KAS Media Programme will continue our efforts towards building the Strategic Communication capacities in Southeast Europe.

14/10/2026

At the International Conference for Political Communication (IKPK 2026) in Berlin, the KAS MPSEE hosted its annual panel discussion. The focus was on the topic „When the periphery is as important as the centre – Political Communication in the regions of South East Europe“. Expert panelists from Montenegro, Romania and Moldova came together to exchange their professional perspectives on current regional dynamics. The discussion gave an overview of the current political communication landscape at the local level within individual countries. The conversation expanded to analyze the role of the periphery on a broader national and European level. The main conclusion of the panel was that political communication is increasingly evolving into strategic communication aimed at protecting the values and achievements of the free democratic world. The lively discussion and numerous questions from the audience clearly demonstrated the high level of interest in South East Europe.

10/10/2026

This weekend, the Tag des Auslandsjournalismus (Foreign Correspondence Day) took place in Munich, with the support of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s Media Programme South East Europe.
Kristina Baxanova participated in the panel “The Forgotten World: Blind Spots in Foreign Correspondence”, highlighting the importance of giving South Eastern Europe greater visibility in Western media coverage.
The Director of the KAS Media Programme also joined a panel discussion on the role of foundations in international reporting.
Finally, we took part in a panel dedicated to our book, Why We Tell Stories, published earlier this year. Three of the book’s authors shared their experiences as journalists reporting on their home countries: Kosovo, Bulgaria/UK, and North Macedonia.
The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the importance of international reporting, diverse approaches on journalism, and the stories that deserve to be heard.

02/10/2026

The annual True Story Award has announced its official call for entries for its 2027 edition!

Based in Bern, Switzerland, the annual True Story Award is one of the world’s most prestigious awards celebrating excellence in journalism and outstanding journalistic storytelling.

The True Story Award celebrates outstanding journalistic work from around the world, recognizing excellence in three categories:
Research – for exceptional journalistic investigation and research
Storytelling – for outstanding writing and narrative quality
Impact – for stories that create meaningful societal impact

The 2027 award is open to journalists whose work was published between 1 October 2025 and 30 September 2026.

Submission deadline: 31 October 2026

Read more about it or apply here:

This international award for journalists from around the world is presented on the occasion of the opening of the True Story Festival.

24/09/2026

We successfully concluded our inspiring conference “Journalism and Media - Anything to Be Upbeat About?” on Lake Como, with participants from 11 countries.

And to answer the question we posed at the beginning- yes, there is still a lot to be upbeat about, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

22/09/2026

“The risks facing journalism have not driven young people away from the profession - they have driven them towards it.”

With these words, Robert Bierman, member of the Assembly of BIRN, opened our conference “Journalism and Media – Anything to Be Upbeat About?”, at Villa La Collina, the former holiday residence of Konrad Adenauer on Lake Como.

The American media expert also highlighted that we need quality journalism, more sourcing and more truth, but we also need to think about how that journalism is delivered and presented to the audience, because it’s fine for news to be enjoyable. It’s fine for news to be something that people want to engage with.

The conference brings together 26 media practitioners and experts from Albania, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States, from Gen Z to the “grey-haired” generation, to discuss the challenges facing journalism, the changes shaping the media landscape and, above all, what there is to be upbeat about.

10/09/2026

Day two of the First Balkan Media Conference in Tirana! 🇦🇱

Participants had the opportunity to hear from experts on topics such as the growing influence of Big Tech and the challenges of curtailing them. One point that stood out: algorithms tend to favour attractive speech over critical speech but journalists must not make compromises with their work.
Furthermore, although influencers and journalists may sometimes appear similar because they shape public opinion, a key difference lies in how they gather and verify information and how they present it to the public.
Today’s discussions highlighted the rapidly changing environment journalists are working in. Thus, we look forward to continuing the dialogue also after the conference draws a conclusion!

MediaAccountability MediaFreedom

09/09/2026

First Balkan Media Conference - “Journalism needs to reclaim Journalism” in Tirana, Albania! 🇦🇱

Today, we opened the first Balkan Media Conference, organised by the KAS Media Programme SEE, bringing together media professionals and experts from the whole region as well as from Germany to exchange perspectives on the challenges and opportunities that journalism is facing in the region.
The conference began with opening remarks by Christoph Plate, Director of the KAS Media Programme SEE, followed by Marja Freudeberg, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Tirana, who welcomed all participants to the conference.
“Journalism is worth reclaiming, and that is the responsibility of journalists.”
With these powerful words, Fatjona Mejdini, Director of the Observatory of Illicit Economies in South Eastern Europe, delivered a keynote that immediately sparked discussion among participants.
Her message set the tone for the conference: to exchange ideas, challenge perspectives, and strengthen the knowledge and expertise needed for the future of journalism in the Balkans!

04/09/2026

Russia's malign influence in the Western Balkans depends whether they are given opportunities. The newest report by the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) explains what can be done to prevent this.

And how? Hybrid COE suggests European Union enlargement, stronger democratic resilience to reduce the space for hybrid interference across the region.

Read the full report here: