CIVIL presented five awards, 25 more remaining for citizen journalists

CIVIL – Center for Freedom presented five rewards for five most successful video and photo materials prepared by citizen journalists. They were accompanied by short stories that further explain the video and photo material. The awards were presented as part of the Civic Lenses Project.

Despite the cold and rainy weather, the meeting room in Hotel City Park, which is located in the center of Skopje, was full. The event was attended by participants and lecturers of the seminars on training citizens journalists, which were carried out in the last two months of the previous year. In addition, civil society activists, interested citizens, journalists and editors were also present at the ceremony.

The first to speak was the President of CIVIL, Xhabir Deralla, who presented the Project and the Commission comprised of three members: Biljana Jordanovska (President), Biljana Everet and Ermin Klimenta, who are part of CIVIL’s team.

CIVIL invited journalist and editor Branko Geroski to address the audience. According to Geroski, the “Civic Lenses” Project has great potential to create changes in the development of Macedonia’s journalism, which currently is at its lowest level for the past 35 years.

Actor Pero Arsovski spoke afterwards, who, among else, spoke about CIVIL’s positive role in society. “CIVIL is the type of NGO just as I imagine what one organization should be like” – said Arsovski.

“To talk about CIVIL, you need to write an entire book” – said Paljusi Saliji, representative of the NGO Natura from Lipkovo, who requested to speak in order to invite CIVIL to continue with their cooperation that dates back from the time of the conflict in 2001.

The citizen journalists that were engaged in the “Civic Lenses” Project submitted several information articles and stories, as participants in the “Be a citizen journalist” contest. Many of the texts, photos and video-materials testify of party misuse and pressure throughout the country.

The ceremony for presenting the awards began immediately after the introductory speeches. Deralla presented one of the two fourth place prizes for the paper “Why isn’t there a CIVIL in America” . Author Biljana Milanovska from Probistip, who previously requested that she remain anonymous, did however, decide to present her paper in front of the guests of the event and agreed to have her signature on the paper, which generated an applause among those present in the room. “The video is too good to remain anonymous” – stated Milanovska before she accepted the award.

The fourth prize is for the text titled “Bishop Agatangel inspired by the government”. Citizen journalist, author of the photo news is Dimce Velev from Veles.

The Commission of CIVIL presented the third award to Bozidar Barlakoski from Prilep, for the photo-story titled “Prilep: Party propaganda and manipulation of minors”.

Journalist Tanja Kangalova from Stip is the winner of the second prize, for the video material titled “I don’t trust anyone”. Kangalova, a journalism student, also applied for a voluntary position within CIVIL, for journalist and research engagement in the editorial board of CIVIL Media. Her application has been accepted.

CIVIL awarded the first prize for the video material titled “A convoy of buses for Union of Women of VMRO-DPMNE”, and the text “Party threats in the Union of Women of DPMNE”, a video that generated over 10.000 views on CIVIL’s YouTube channel in just a few hours. The author of this material decided to remain anonymous.

“We remain true to what we have been doing until now, and that is for us to be an expression of the citizens will when they need it most”, is the statement with which Deralla concluded the official part of the ceremony of presenting the Civic Lenses awards, and urged the citizens journalists to continue submitting video and photo materials, within the framework of the competing cycles of the “Be a citizen journalist” contest.

 Marija Tegovska

Photos by: Biljana Jordanovska, Sonja Eftovska, Atanas Petrovski