Graduates

Presentation of some KIJAC graduates

Abit Hoxha

Graduated:
Fall 2007

Short description of the Master thesis:
This study of 'Reporting in Kosovo: War and Post-War", focuses on the discourse analysis of two periods of reporting in Kosovo. The past few decades have been very difficult for Journalism in Kosovo, often considered by the different sides in the conflict as subjective and unprofessional. In these two crucial periods, it emerged that journalists and their reporting were subject to widespread politicised feelings of nationalism. In the 1990ʼs the Media served as a propaganda tool, while after the war the media faced a new environment of competition and pluralism. How were journalists able to change their viewpoints from the perspective of reporting during the war into a post conflict situation and later democracy, while at the same time accommodating within the new kind of journalism that emerged. It is almost impossible for journalists to claim objectivity since individuals are subject to their feelings, especially when reporting on events directly linked to their personal lives. This study attempts to build an overall picture of reporting in Kosovo from analysis of the following cases; war reporting, peace reporting and ‘civil disobedience’.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
KIJAC has been one of the great things that to the Kosovar Publc life and media scene. It involved both practical and academic work that becoming professional was unavoidable, and facilities are above every expectation that a student in Balkans can have...

Employer:
Support to Security Sector Development/UNDP Kosovo

Title:
Communications Officer

Work tasks:
• Develop internal and external communications strategies for the relevant Kosovo Institutions in the security sector;
• Develop communications and media projects relevant to the security sector system;
• Drive forward the process of capacity-building for relevant GOK security institutions;
• Drive forward the process of capacity-building for relevant media and civil society institutions; security sector capacity development;
• Assist in the development of a strategy for a GOK Communications Office;

Contact:
abit.hoxha@gmail.com; mobile: +37744331874

Gjergj Filipaj

Graduated:
November 2007

Short description of the Master thesis:
Cultural Studies: Masculinity Representation in Kosovo Television Media

Thoughts about KIJAC:
cool place :) :) :)

Employer:
KIJAC

Title:
Print and Web Coordinator

Work tasks:
Lecturing

Leonard Ibrahimi

Graduated:
November, 2007

Short description of the Master thesis:
Media's Role in Political Participation (Supervisor: Terry Threadgold, PhD). The Thesis represents an empirical research that directly contributed to debates on media's role in promoting of civic values.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
An institution that gives you an enlightening experience!

Employer:
KIMP (Kosovar Institute for Media and Policy)

Title:
Executive Director

Florent Gorqaj

Graduated:
2007

Short description of the Master thesis:
My Master thesis was about Asylum and immigration. The main focus of my research was to find out to what extent the immigrants’ voice is being heard in public sphere.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
Kijac is an institution in which I can apply the knowledge gained during my studies.

Employer:
KIJAC

Title:
Coordinator for audio and video visuals

Luan Latifi

Graduated:
Spring 2009

Short description of the Master thesis:
“Local TV News and Public Information in Kosovo” - This study investigates the role of local TV stations in Kosovo and their impact on public opinion. In addition, it aims to explore how the Kosovan public is informed about local relevant issues.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
A greatest place in the Republic of Kosovo for professional journalism capacity building! J

Employer:
Independent Media Commission (IMC)

Title:
Head of Licensing Division

Work tasks:
Supervising the issuance and amendment of broadcast licenses, including the formulation of licensing criteria, qualifications, amendments to existing licenses, explanatory guidelines on licensing policy and procedures.

Shqipe Breznica

Graduated:
May 2009

Short description of the Master thesis:
Shqipe’s master thesis was a research about what Opinion Makers in Kosovo think and describes the Kosovar Identity. After the 1999 war and in particular after the Kosovo Declaration of Independence on 17 February 2008, it was expected that the debate about Kosovar Identity would synthesize as a topic for discussion. The research and the discussion on Kosovar identity is very important since very little have been done about this so far in Kosovo. This research outlined that in Kosovo the will of Kosovo Albanians (the majority) to remain Albanian, resulted in the creation of the new state of The Republic of Kosovo. This study involved ideas by opinion makers in Kosovo regarding the creation of a possible new national identity in Kosovo. Through employing secondary sources, in-depth interviews and observational techniques as methodologies for the research it was found that citizens of Kosovo, are still not ready to accept Kosovar identity as national, but only as state identity. The question whether states create nations, or visa versa, is addressed through in-depth interviews, with the overwhelming majority of interviews stating that nations are created before states. While conducting this research, another important factor that was discovered was that Kosovo governmental institutions have not exhausted all alternatives to create the sense of belonging for all its citizens, such as providing services in order to create a functional multiethnic, multicultural and diverse environment.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
I want to thank KIJAC wholeheartedly and appreciate everyone’s contribution to better our professional expertise. Professors at KIJAC managed to transfer so much knowledge to all of us. I strongly consider that KIJAC professors have had a very positive impact on us, since we all became more professional, more open-minded, flexible, more knowledgeable, and positively argumentative and definitely academically more mature. I believe that making someone think differently is one of the most challenging tasks, and KIJAC successfully accomplished this task.

Employer:
Hope Fellowship Program of the National Albanian American Council

Title:
Program officer

Work tasks:
Responsible for curricula design, development and implementation for Leadership and Advocacy Training Cycles; Actively recruit and select the participants for training cycles; Recruit and select trainers/facilitators for the courses in training cycles; Conduct and monitor the execution of the training cycles; Working and reporting to the HQ Office, NAAC-HF office in Washington DC; Monitor the implementation of participant’s leadership initiative; Reporting, and evaluating the project implementation; Reporting to the Chief of Party based in Skopje, Macedonia and so on.

E-mail address:
shbreznica@gmail.com

Fazli Rrezja

Graduated:
Spring 2009

Short description of the Master thesis:
Master thesis: The International News Agencies and Discourse of the Protest (Supervisor: Dr. Paul Mason, Director of Postgraduate Research at Cardiff University).
International news agencies frequently are challenged to cope with clashing of discourses for a certain event; similar to boats that sailed the ocean in the same watercourse but not in the same water. This study examines the discourse occurred the following day of a protest in news reporting, through the sources, images, labels, themes, and facts/figures presented in international news agencies (BBC, Reuters, AP). The principal aim of the research undertaken for this dissertation was to examine whether and how international news agencies have influence in creating a discourse on “Self-determination” Kosovo protest. The dissertation employs qualitative and quantitative methods, and it is mainly based on three news articles, as a core material, and literary review as a very crucial support to complete this research.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
I consider KIJAC as a very professional institute in the Balkan region for journalism education and training. I was impressed not only by its modern facilities and professional journalism tools but also by the lecturers who are experienced international reporters, journalists and media specialists deeply committed to journalism teaching.

Employer:
Technical Assistance to Customs and Tax Administration

Title:
Translation Coordinator

Work tasks:
Coordination of Translation/ Interpretation activities of EU-TACTA project; Translation of different types of documents (mainly of legal and economy nature, Customs and Tax); Interpretation in meetings and field work, simultaneous and consecutive interpretation in all EU-TACTA activities in Kosovo and abroad.

Contact:
frrezja@hotmail.com

Gjyle Morina

Graduated:
Spring 2009

Short description of the Master thesis:
My master thesis was about, Media Ethics and Print -Kosovo – “Koha Ditore”, “Express”, “Zëri”. The main focus of my research was to find out to what point the code of ethics is respected in three daily newspapers in Kosovo: In order to find out about media ethics, code of conducts and what journalists think about print media in Kosovo. The dissertation employs qualitative and quantitative methods.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
Several benefits have already been realized being part of KIAC. The KIJAC has strengthened as an institute with a common goal and a shared professional journalism for improving the quality of the educational experiences of students. KIJAC has also established an Institute of Critical Thinking acting as a critical thinking resource center not only for the Institute community, but also as a professional development resource for other institutions. KIJAC helps us learn a lot of techniques that help us be proactive and smarter with our work. It has helped me and my colleagues to achieve a much more strategic way of thinking.

Employer:
Journalist, (RTK ) Radio Kosova

Title:
Journalist

Contact:
gjmorina@yahoo.com Tel: 044 167/706

Isak Vorgucic

Graduated:
Fall 2009

Short description of the Master thesis:
This research explores layered relations that church and media have in general: how they use and misuse each other, how is the church represented in the media, on what occasions, how the media are used by the church for inner-church relations, discourse representation, or disputes, and generally, for what occasions/purposes the church uses the media. Analyses of news articles published with church themes and clergy discourses, as well as audience survey, showed that media reporting about the church does not differ on the basis that reporting on the public and private matters differs, which would be plausible for the church. So, until the church insists on public exposition of religious convictions and practices, all issues of church, either feast-days or scandals, would remain the issues of any professional public media.

Thoughts about KIJAC:
KIJAC provided unique studying conditions in this part of the world, where professional journalism and communications abilities are rare but most welcomed skills. Professors from all corners of the globe made me proud to have been their student.

Employer:
Radio KIM (Kosovo Information Media)

Title:
General Manager

Contact:
isak.vorgucic@gmail.com