Albanian- and Serbian-Kosovo media teams joining forces in the editing booth and in docu-mentary scripting.
"Brave are the ones who have taken the initiative to treat such a topic. The will and the cour-age of the TV teams should be rewarded. They could not have done this without cooperating. This is a good thing in itself because people should com-municate – only good can come out of it.”
- Tahiri, member of the docu-mentary screening audience in Gjilan
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Since the end of the NATO intervention in 1999, the international community and Kosovo’s leaders have worked to build a society based upon respect for ethnic diversity. However, with the majority of Albanian and Serbian Kosovars speaking their respective language and, to a large extent, living in separate communities, this remains a challenging task. In 2006, as Kosovo’s future state status was being negotiated, USAID funded the Support to Peace and Stability in Kosovo project to increase the flow of information, understanding, and confidence among the people of Kosovo.
One component of the project was Kosovo Team Reporting. Through this activity, teams of paired Serbian Kosovar and Albanian Kosovar wrote, filmed, and edited a full length documentary and nine 28 minute-long episodes. The programs, which explored communications “gray zones,” presented stories representing the views of both the Albanian and Serbian communities on issues such as security. The shows were broadcast locally and nationally on both Albanian and Serbian-language TV stations, helping to improve cross-community dialogue and dispel deep-rooted misconceptions on social issues. More importantly, local television stations took the unprecedented step to air unaltered content which originated from the other community. Results from the documentary were positive; viewer feedback indicated 79% of respondents felt more positively than before about the future of inter-ethnic relations and 82% felt it gave them insights into t!
he other community’s perspective on Kosovo’s future status.
The project also fostered new working relationships and skills among the journalists and cameramen involved. One Serbian Kosovar Journalist from TV Puls said, “What I learned was patience and tolerance, my colleagues from [Albanian-language] TV Vali were very tolerant …they taught me that working together means listening to one another.” Albanian and Serbian journalists and cameramen were seen as dialogue facilitators who opened up channels for inter-community discussions through their joint broadcast pieces, which explored the real views, feelings and experiences of Kosovo’s citizens.
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