A view from the Prizren castle

A view from the castle 

REFLECTING FORWARD: 50 YEARS OF TESOL INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION

 

Maryland’s largest city , Baltimore, is known for its magnificent inner harbour, Edgar Alan Poe, The Orioles baseball team and delicious Crabs. This colorful and diverse city was the next stop in my ELT endless journey.

Author: Fazli Rrezja

I had the opportunity to participate and present at the 50th anniversary of TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo, one of the largest gatherings of English language teachers in the world, which was held in April in Baltimore, Maryland USA. The act of walking into the Baltimore Convention Center, for the first, was itself a unique and life changing experience. Being in this linguistic cosmopolitan venue, among  more than 6000 ELT professionals and 122 exhibitors, I was tremendously  excited  to  learn through  presentations from teachers all accros the globe.  After the long flight crossing the Atlantic Ocean, I could not escape the jet leg, but the huge and diverse ELT community in TESOL International Convention still inspired and energized me. In this event, there were about one thousand sessions and it was impossible to attend all of them, however I was able to take part in many inspiring sessions, workshops and keynotes. I was part of a group presentation with nine other english teachers from Southeastern Europe. Our presentation  aimed at sharing the experiences of being part of the course ‘English for Journalists -The Little MOOC That Could’. This course offered by UC Berkeley and www.edx.org, was sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and developed in partnership with the RELO in Central and Southeastern Europe, the Voice of America, and English language educators across Central and Eastern Europe.

My conference anticipation was magnified during plenary sessions by three keynote presentations. The first plenary presentation of Aziz Abu Sarah, ‘Revolutionizing Education: Building Peace in a Divided World’ was beyond the scope of English teaching. His talk, based on his experience as a teacher, in very simple terms gave the message that teachers can help students to open their minds to prosperity, overcome cultural diferences, break the walls of fear and think out of the box, beyond politics and religion.  ‘Reflecting Forward, Reflecting Back: Looking in the Mirror at 50’ was the next presidential Keynote by Andy Curtis, the 50th president of TESOL International Association. This plenary was thought-provoking which pointed out the idea of reflective practice of teachers based on the questions: What has changed in English language teaching and learning, how did we get here and where are we going?  The last keynoteby Anne Curzan ‘Survey Says . .. : Determining What English Usage Is and Isn’t Acceptable’ emphasized how english has changed over the past five hundred years. She talked about the usage panel who decides on new english words and highlighted that language is always changing and in this aspect, therefore even native speakers struggle with issues related to usage of language.

It is always a pleasure to see familiar faces when you are far away from home. At the conference  I met two former English language fellows whose poster presentations I enjoyed. Beside the conference, I thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the small museum house and grave of my favorite American writer Edgar Allan Poe at the grounds of Westminster Hall. On my last day I visited Baltimore harbour, filled with  ships  and was impressed as I walked into ‘United States Coast Guard High Endurance Cutter’, known as the last ship floating that fought in the attack on Pearl Harbour.

On my way back home, I had extra luggage with me: a luggage full of  enlightenment and wonderful memories. Reflecting on my conference time, I figured out that TESOL has created many outstanding opportunities for English language professionals in the field and has significantly contributed to English language development, an evolution that touches me and the lives of all scholars, worldwide. 

English for Jounalists

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/kosovo/312585/2015/English4Journalists.pdf
https://www.edx.org/course/english-journalists-key-concepts-uc-berkeleyx-colwri15-1x
http://aab-edu.net/en/english-journalists-blended-media-course-pilot/
http://www.urchance.org/summerwinter-schools/2084/english-for-journalists-blended-media-course-in-kosovo
http://www.trainingsnews.com/english-for-journalists-blended-media-course-in-kosovo/

English for Journalists 

Description

Deadline: 30 March 2016
Open to: currently employed, early- to mid- career and practicing journalists
Venue: 12 April- 20 June 2016, American Corners in Pristina, Prizren and Mitrovica, Kosovo

1. In the first phase will cover following topics: The job of the journalist, Ethics in journalism, Inclusive journalism, Local vs. global journalism and Citizen Journalism;

1. The modules in the second phase will cover following topics: Free speech, Sports writing and broadcast, Humor and satirical news writing, Science and technology in journalism and Media trends.

Eligibility

• Currently employed, early- to mid- career and practicing journalists;

• Citizens/residents of Kosovo;

• Have at minimum an intermediate (B1) level of English language proficiency;

• Be able to dedicate 5 hours per week over the 10-week period on the course;

• Be able to participate both online and attend face to face sessions once a week with course facilitators.

Costs

How to Apply?

1. CV;

1. Motivation Letter;

1. Brief video self-introduction (must be submitted as a youtube or vimeo link);

1. Report from the Diagnostic English Proficiency Test received at the EducationUSA – American Advising Center.

This innovative 10-week course couples online learning with face-to-face meetings to maximize learning possibilities. This program was designed by English teaching and journalism professionals from Kosovo and nine Central and Southeastern European countries along with experts from Voice of America and the University of California at Berkeley. The course will run from April 12 – June 20, 2016 at American Corner in Pristina (located in the National Library of Kosovo), American Corner in Prizren (located in the Inter-municipal Library in Prizren), and American Corner in Mitrovica (located in the Public Library ‘Vuk Karadzic”in Mitrovica). By the end of this course, participants can expect to have a greater knowledge of critical journalistic activities, and the English language skills and abilities required to perform them.

The course is divided into two phases:

Programme is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, University of California Berkeley and developed in partnership with the Regional English Language Office in Central and Southeastern Europe and the Voice of America. This program will be implemented in close cooperation with the U.S. Embassy Pristina, American Corners, EdUSA – American Advising Centre, Kosovalive News Agency and the English Language Fellow.

If you are interested please send your application to kosovoedexchanges@state.gov and english4journalists@gmail.com. Application package must include:

1. CV;
2. Motivation Letter;
3. Brief video self-introduction (must be submitted as a youtube or vimeo link);
4. Report from the Diagnostic English Proficiency Test received at the EducationUSA – American Advising Center.

YOU HAVE MADE IT TO A QUARTER OF A CENTURY!

The 25th International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL)  Conference in Budapest  (9-11 October 2015)

Author: Fazli Rrezja

Due to the support of the Regional English Language Office (R.E.L.O.) based in Hungary, I was able to attend the 25th International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL) Conference in Budapest. Attending this conference, entitled “Looking Forward, Looking Back”, was a great experience. The journey to Budapest from Prishtina is only 896.6 km, but it took me a whole day to get there by plane! After having landed in Budapest at 20:30, I was tired, but that feeling soon turned to happiness when I received a message from Nora Tartsay, the President of IATEFL Hungary, inviting me to join several other presenters for dinner at Café Vian Gozsdu. Located in the former Jewish district, the Gozsdu passage is a beautiful area, full of cafes and young people. So, my exhausting day of travel ended with drink and conversation with English teachers from different countries.

IATEFL Hungary- Organizing Committee

 ‘Grow strong, grow together’

IATEFL-Hungary hosted a very successful and resourceful ELT conference. The location was pleasant, the people were kind, and the presentations were excellent. The Conference organizers and student volunteers were always busy and active, working to make the conference run smoothly. As one member of the Conference’s Organizing Committee stated, “We help our members with their professional career. We build our community and we plant trees; hopefully we’ll grow strong and grow together.”

Fruitful presentations, plenary talks, and panel discussions

 Nearly one hundred presentations, plenary talks, and panel discussions were offered at the conference, so it was impossible to attend all of them. However, I will try to summarize the sessions that I was able to attend and share about the things that impressed me the most. Enik Csomay, Professor of Linguistics at San Diego State University, spoke at the opening plenary. She talked about lexical verbs in English and illustrated how teachers and students can benefit from using a large body of texts to answer questions about grammar and vocabulary. Hearing from experienced teachers is always helpful, so I went to the Gólyavár building next, to take part in a teacher training panel discussion on the past and the future of teacher training. Giving personal opinions, each panelist evaluated the current situation and considered options for the future. In the afternoon, Alan Maley, former IATEFL president, reflected on the topic “The Eternal Triangle—Past, Future and Present.” He reviewed major developments that have occurred in English Language teaching since 1960. He explained that an historical perspective is useful and placed emphasis on Danish philosopher Kierkegaard’s quote that “Life must be lived forward but can be only understood backward.” Another motivating presentation came from Adelina Holmes, whose session was titled “Mirror, Mirror: The Impact of Culture on Reflective Practices.” She showed examples of how the cultural background of a teacher or student can affect their responses to reflective practices. It is also worth mentioning Ádám Ná- dasdy’s plenary talk “Phonetic transcription—curse or blessing?” He pointed out some cases where distortion is scientifically justified and noted recent developments and innovations in representing English pronunciation in dictionaries. Two other useful sessions that day included “Teaching with TED Talks: Creating your Own Lesson with TED Ed” (ed. ted.com), presented by Margarita Kasior and Dimitris Tzouris, and “Conducting an EFL Mobile App development event”, in which Nora Tartsay and the Croatian team shared their experiences through an interactive talk. “Getting older…getting wiser”, by Jane Revell, was closing plenary. She made us think and laugh, and she gave us many ideas to take back home and use, both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to attending various sessions, I was pleased to be able to present, together with Timea Tiboldi, an English Language Teacher from Eötvös Loránd University, and George Chinnery, the Regional English Language Officer with the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. Our presentation aimed to share experiences from two aspects—that of English language and Journalism—and about a blended pilot course called “English for Journalists.” From July 2014-2015, this course was developed in Budapest by R.E.L.O., the U.S. Embassy, and Voice of America, with support from the coordinator, Professor Maggie Sokolik, at the University of California, Berkley. This project involved ten course developers, from different European countries (Belarus, Bosnia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, and Ukraine), who worked together to develop and implement the course for ten weeks. Students enhanced their knowledge about English language skills through Journalism and increased their knowledge about Journalism skills through English language. At the end of the course, one exceptional student from each country (including one from Kosovo) was offered a fully funded, two-week internship at Voice of America in Washington, D.C., in Fall/Winter 2015.

Budapest, Hungary

A truly vibrant atmosphere

For three days, this wonderful conference also contained an exhibition area where teachers could check out the latest ELT publications. There was a Nostalgia Room where participants who had never been involved in IATEFL activities could find out about past activities. The conference was full of raffle prizes, too, including a trip to Palma De Mallorca for the CITA Conference, two places for SOL teacher training course, attendance at a training course in Malta, and many more. Social events always bring joy and rhythm, and the Conference’s Steering Committee deserved a standing ovation for a surprising performance with their comedy show. Delicious pizza was offered by R.E.L.O. There was the Silver Amazing Jubilee Party where English teachers danced at the Könyvtár Klub, a club where books were hanging from the ceiling. The conference was filled with a truly vibrant atmosphere, and I am so grateful to have met wonderful English teachers from different countries: Beate, Agnieszka, Beatrix, Ilona, Zita, Marcin, Zsuzsa, Yeo, and so many others! Attending the conference provided me with a welcome distraction from the routine of everyday work, and the experience sparked motivation within me to bring new ideas into my English teaching world.  

Thrice I have traveled to the beautiful city of Budapest, known as the “Pearl of Danube”, on study visits, and I tremendously enjoyed visiting places like Castle Hill, the Opera House and the National Gallery, the Baths, Ruin Pubs, the Jewish Quarter, etc. This trip, as a presenter in IATEFL, was just as enjoyable, if not more so, and I would strongly recommend every English teacher consider this Conference as a must-do for their professional development in ELT world.

5,000 dresses transform Prishtina stadium into a powerful exhibition

On the 16th anniversary of the end of the Kosovo War, a powerful exhibition-‘Thinking of You’ is bringing tribute to survivors of wartime sexual violence. A conceptual artist Alketa Xhafa-Mripa has made a Prishtina city stadium into a powerful art exhibition, with thousands of dresses hung on in washing lines. 

Prishtina City Stadium 

“I want those thousands of dresses to hit you with the reality of what happened and I want people to talk about it. The installation can be grasped by anyone, no matter what language they speak,” said Kosovo born- British artist Mrs Xhafa-Mripa. 

Thousands of women were raped by Serbian police, military and paramilitaries during the 1999 Kosovo war as Albanian UCK Fighters fought against the Yugoslav regime led by Dictator Slobodan Milosevic.

“I started questioning the silence, how we could not hear their voices during and after the war and thought about how to portray the women in contemporary art,” said Xhafa-Mripa.    

Among those who donated dresses for this exhibition are the world popstar Rita Ora, Tony Blair's wife Cherie Blair, famous American/Albanian actress Eliza Dushku, Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga etc

Ëndërr brenda ëndrrës / A dream within a dream

Ëndërr brenda ëndrrës

Këtë puthje time merre në ballë!

dhe duke u ndarë nga ti,

lejome që të të them

që nuk gabon nëse mendon

që ditet e mia ishin një endërr,

dhe nëse shpresa fluturoi larg

në një natë apo në një ditë,

në një vegim apo hiq gjë,

a është për këtë me pak e zhdukur

Gjithçka që shohim, ajo çfarë ngjajmë

nuk është tjetër veç se një ëndërr brenda ëndrrës.

Qëndroj në mes së ushëtimës

të një bregu të munduar nga perplasja e dallgës,

dhe shtrëngoj në njerën dorë

kokrra të arta rëre

vetëm disa! E sesi rreshqasin,

nëpërmes gishterinjëve të mi, bien në thellësi!

dhe une qaj – unë qaj!

O Zot! A nuk mund i mbaj

më një të shtrenguar më të fortë?

O Zot! A do mundem ndonjeherë ta shpëtoj

të paktën një, nga e pameshirshmja dallgë?

gjithçka që shohim, ajo çfarë ngjajmë

nuk është tjetër veç së një endërr brenda ëndrrës?

A dream within a dream

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow —

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand —

How few! yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep,

While I weep — while I weep!

O God! Can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God! can I not save

One from the pitiless wave?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream?

------------------------------------- 
Poezi e Shkrimtarit amerikan Edgar Allan Poe e përkthyer nga Fazli Rrezja  12/07 2010.

Jorge Luis Borges (Instants)

 

 Çastet 

Nëse do mundja ta jetoja përsëri jetën time

në  tjetrën, do përpiqesha të bëja më shumë gabime.

nuk do tentoja  të isha kaq i përsosur,

do të isha relaksuar me shumë.

do të isha më i marrë seç kam qenë

në fakt, do merrja pak gjëra me seriozitet .

do të isha më pak higjienik.

do rrezikoja më shumë.

do shkoja në pushime  më gjatë.

do sodisja më shumë perëndime të diellit

do ngjitesha në male më shumë, do notoja në shumë lumenj

do të shkoja në vende që s’i kam bredhur kurrë

do të haja më shumë akullore e më pak bizele

do të kisha më shumë probleme reale, e më pak të imagjinuara

Kam qenë nga njerëzit që kanë jetuar  me kuptim e begati

në secilin minutë të jetës së tij;

Sigurisht, kam pasur edhe momente gëzimi.

Por sikur të mundja të kthehesha prapa,

Do të  shijoja vetëm momentet e mira

Sepse  nëse nuk e dini, vetëm prej çasteve përbëhet jeta,

 mos humb çastet e ditës së sotme.

Unë kam qenë një prej atyre që kurrë

nuk shkuan ndokund pa termometer,

pa shishe me ujë të ngrohtë,

ombrellë e parashutë.

Po të jetoja përsëri do udhëtoja më lehtë

Sikur të jetoja sërish.

do ecja këmbëzbathur nga pranvera

deri në fund të vjeshtës.

do luaja më shumë nëpër karusele

do sodisja më shumë agime mëngjesi ,

e luaja më shumë me fëmijë,

sikur të kisha një tjetër jetë para meje

.

Por siç e shihni, jam 85 vjeç

dhe e di që jam në buzë të varrit.

------------------

Poezia ‘Instants’ e shkrimtarit  argjentinas Jorge Luis Borges përkthyer nga Fazli Rrezja

 

Freedom and accountability of the media in the emerging democracies

Media’s role is to develop democracy, while stimulating politic interests of citizens and providing the information for citizens in order to held the government responsible for any malfunction in state system that acclaim to be in the service of the society.

by Fazli Rrezja   (Published on 01/06/2007)

Free media in democracy acts on behalf of citizens need and education that can be called also as the “guardian of democracy”.  Media plays a great role and has a deep influence in societies which are passing through emerging democracies, especially in newly emerging democratic societies where the legacies of oppression, hatred, pain, xenophobia, religious justification for war, are applied.   

      Photo source: The Guardian 

Free Media is supposed to serve in favor of process of democracy on different communities within one certain society, must constantly act to promote diversity, political tolerance, the rights and welfare of citizens, factual reality and not to develop mistrust, rivalries, hatred and misuse information like in wars in Rwanda and former Yugoslavia, where media reflected in favor of conflict and violence.

 Where markets are imperfect, increased freedom of speech will be tend to exacerbate nationalist mythmaking unless institutions and norms correct the flaws in the market

The well-institutionalized market place of ideas requires anti-trust and equal time regulation guaranteeing media access, the training of journalist in the verification of sources and the separation of fact from opinion.

Without such regulatory institutions, free speech by itself will not guarantee that a range of voices is effectively heard, that competing arguments are forced to confront each other on the merits that participants are held accountable for the accuracy of their statements, that factual claims are scrutinized, that experts’ credentials are verified, that hidden source of bias are exposed, or that violators of the norms of fair debate are held up to public censure[1]      

Free speech and media is not absolute. All law systems tolerate to a certain point the code of ethics in order to protect several state, collective and individual interests.     

In emerging democracies media often is exposed toward the threat imposed by different interest groups and that’s why its role is mixed and often losses the path of impartial and balance reporting.

Narrative liberal theory of a free press offers a coherent view of the different ways in which increasingly free media strengthened the democratic process, in which, the media extended the political nation by making information about public affairs more widely available and promoting a culture of democracy. The media also empowered the people by subjecting authority to critical scrutiny and representing public opinion to government, so media enhanced the functioning in emerging democracies by encouraging constructive and reciprocal communication between different groups in society.     

Discussion of the media’s democratic role is intimately bound up with the debate about the media’s organization and regulation[2]  the principal role of the media, according to traditional liberal theory, is to act as a check on the state. So, the media should monitor the full range of state activity, and fearlessly expose abuses of official authority.     

 But, often media reporting in emerging democracies countries where the situation is fragile, reports are in a risk of losing the track of responsibility or accountability while going beyond the freedom, identity and integrity. And that’s one of the reasons why they apply the code of ethics and regulations imposed by different organizations and states  

Codes serve three basic functions. First, they outline the conditions of journalist’s accountability to the state, the public, their employers, their sources and to their profession. Second, most codes in Europe and the USA are voluntary so they act as a way of making the press appear responsible. Finally, codes are important in protecting the freedom, integrity and identity of journalists[3]  

In Kosova, after war period, the special representative of Secretary- General ordered the establishment of Temporary Media Commission (TMC) in 2000[4], to manage the frequency spectrum, establish broadcast and press codes of practice, an act as a result to help in improving reporting while the print and broadcast media in both languages were prone to issue threats of violence against groups and individuals, spread disinformation and inciting the violence.

Journalism remained a risky profession with sporadic acts of violence against both ethnic Serb and Albanian journalists reported throughout the province’[5]

 Good reporting of media is when it develops trust and respect between different cultures through the spirit of good reporting that helps in improving the democracy in certain emerging societies while it provides the assistance in foundations for political and economical order and stability.    

A role of a journalist or a reporter has a high importance in a country that is in transition and where the democracy is fragile. He/ she must access the spot of event, get the facts straight and tell the truth.

One of the main functions of the media in promoting democratization and good governance in emerging countries is to help in creation of an effective system of information where citizens can act freely in order to receive true economical, law, political and all spheres of information.

Besides, the other key factor of media in emerging countries is to monitor the function of political and social institutions in order to engage the trust or doubt of citizens in their state. Without the sufficient trust, citizens will withdraw from participation in the political processes, or even can be riot taking part into a conflict that will excavate deeper the turmoil situation in their country. Conflicts are often developed because of the disappointment of citizens on their economical welfare. Government legitimation often fades regarding to citizens losing their trust in government effective function. Jurgen Habermas has developed the theory on “legitimation Crisis”, in which people expect from their government to interfere in economy in order to provide economical welfare, if not, the legitimation of government is on doubt[6] . Most of countries that face emerging democracy also have instable economy that tackles the pulse of media and citizens.

No journalist can be completely objective. Journalists like everyone, carry the values of their own country, their religion and their own ethnic group. That is why professional journalist has standards for accuracy, impartiality and responsibility to remove our personal values and bias.[7]

Media manipulation often plays a central role in promoting nationalist and ethnic conflict, but we argue that promoting unconditional freedom of public debate in newly democratizing societies is, in many circumstances likely to make the problem worse. Historically and today, from French Revolution to Rwanda, sudden liberalization of press freedom have been associated with bloody outbursts of popular nationalism[8]       

Whenever there is a conflict there is a reason of its origin and development, and a good reporter is one who should be there to find out impartially information and be objective in his reporting. Professional journalists do not set out to reduce conflict. They seek to present accurate and impartial news. But, it is often through good reporting that conflict is reduced[9]

Media in certain situations can be a danger tool to deal with, even if journalists follow the right direction not bias and so on but on the other side there are groups who think differently and the subjectivity becomes something both sides of a medal.

Newspaper and broadcast journalism can be a dangerous profession as evidenced by the numbers of journalists and crew who are killed or injured each year in the desire to be at the scene of the action and gain dramatic stories for newspapers, magazines, radio and television [10]      

When there is a violent threat in society the media sometimes takes sides. This happened in Nepal. The government declared a state of emergency against Maoist threat. The main media agreed and did not concern itself that the emergency took away media freedoms. And the media used the government words to describe the Maoist as terrorists. It was difficult for journalists to independently report on and analyze the government or the Maoists. Journalists censored themselves and lost impartiality[11]

 In this case probably was a difficult task for a journalist to be impartial and report the information from the both sides. Their access was impossible to reach the Maoist rebels, because they have reported government word and through media Maoist were considered as a terrorist.  But, during Kosova war in 1999 while the fierce NATO’s air assault against Serbia proved to be a difficult task for national and international journalists, where they have walked in a thin line of bias reporting. BBC journalist John Simpson decided to stay in conflict zone after most of international journalists harassed into leaving by Serbian authorities. Simpson interviews with Belgrade citizens suggested growing popular support for Milosevic, the opposite key aim of the Nato attacks and he asserted this point explicitly. After Serb claimed that NATO planes had attacked a refuge convoy, his report suggested that if Serbs responded by taking foreign journalists to the site probably was a NATO attack.   All this was too much for the British government who decided to attack Simpson directly, accusing him of deliberate pro-Serbian reporting and lack of objectivity. This attack drew both national and international criticism and paradoxically helped Simpson’s later reporting on the ground as Belgrade citizens began to see him (wrongly) as on their side and allowed him to report events during the war’[12]                  

 Simpson as a journalist of a very influenced broadcasting organization(BBC) was bound by the principles of due impartiality which requires journalists to provide balanced reports free from their own partisan views, has achieved report impartially, even though he was restricted  by the Serbs on what is he allowed to report and access places inside the conflict zone.    

In spite of media in Nepal where journalists were influenced by their government, Simpson used his professional journalistic skills, by walking on the thin line of bias just to achieve in the end the truth, and his efforts to be objective were more risky and courageous than those of  Nepal journalist.     

There is undoubted lengthy history of allegations of bias in journalism in many countries, So, perhaps an examination of bias might be more profitable route into understanding 

What journalism objectivity might refer to in practice given the problems in the conceptualization of objectivity, bias can’t simply be defined as the absence of objectivity.[13] 

Moreover, the crucial role of media in the emerging democracies should be at the same time free and responsible for its reporting. Reporting on different cultural contexts in a various conflict zone is often defamatory, malicious and corrupted

 Professional media should keep itself away from bias reporting on nationalism, patriotism in ethnic conflicts, reporting on minorities and other diversity issues.

 The key of success of one professional reporter in a conflict zone or in any emerging democracy situations is to keep the right track of accuracy, impartiality and responsibility while reporting his story. The essential element in a democracy, is when well informed citizens from the media information, can make decisions in their own interest and with a good media collaboration they can stand firmly as the foundation stone of the lighthouse of democracy.

 

---

[1] Jack Snyder and Karen Ballentine,”Media Institution and Norms” Nationalism and the Marketplace of Ideas, Kijac Reader ”Media law and Ethics”

[2] James Curran, Media and Power, published 2002, Chapter 8- Media and Democracy

[3] Vincent Campbell, Information Age Journalism, published 2004” Chapter Six- News Gathering and professional Ethics.

[4] Peter Krug and Monroe E. Price, Content Regulation in Post Confict Zones, Kijac Reader ”Media law and Ethics”

[5] Julie Mertus and Mark Thompson, The Learning Curve: Media Development in Kosovo  

[6] Iain Mc Lean,The concise dictionary of Politics, Oxford University Press, published 1996.

[7] [7] Ross Howard ,‘Conflict Sensitive Journalism, International Media Support

[8] Jack Snyder and Karen Ballentine, Nationalism and the Marketplace of Ideas, Kijac Reader ”Media law and Ethics”

[9] Ross Howard ,‘Conflict Sensitive Journalism, International Media Support

[10] Richard Rudin and Trevor Ibbotson, An Introduction to Journalism, published 2002, “Chapter 10 -Health and Safety”  

[11] Ross Howard ,Conflict Sensitive Journalism, International Media Support

[12] Vincent Campbell, Information Age Journalism, published 2004, Chapter Seven- Objectivity and Bias

[13] Vincent Campbell, Information Age Journalism, published 2004,” Chapter Seven- Objectivity and Bias

Quotes

“Ships can sail the same oceans, but not the same water” 

“Crows pooping in your neighbor's roof, is not good news; one day they will be pooping in your roof too!”

“It’s not bravery to walk through the jungle with a lion’s escort, but it is with a rabbit “

“Life is a beach, swim or drown; get a sunburn or suntan, it is your choice!”


   ' Yesterday can not be changed, tomorrow is unknown and today is life '

Author: Fazli Rrezja  

One path more in the world of sounds

                                                              (Porta - Kur nata bjen)* 

   

Historik i shkurtër

PORTA –NJË SHTEG MË SHUMË NË BOTËN E TINGUJVE

Bendi PORTA rrjedh nga ish rok bendi REVENGERS i viteve të 90-ta nga qyteti i Prizrenit. Bendi është rigrupuar me emrin e ri PORTA në vitin 2003, në Prizren nga 4 anëtar : Bekim Koqinaj – (Beki);  Arlind Karanezi - (Lindi); Fazli Rrezja (Xia); Ardian Karanezi (Ardi).  Albumi  ‘Pas shumë vitesh’ (Demo - Version) është incizuar me 04.11.2003. Këngët janë kompozime që janë krijuar në periudhën 1994 deri 2003. Në këtë album mund të hasni zhanre të stileve të ndryshme, rok, pop dhe xhez; por me bazë të muzikës rok. Qëllimi ynë primar, është të krijojmë tinguj dhe këngë që ne dëshirojmë, duke mos qenë patjetër në ‘mainstream’ të trendëve aktuale të muzikës. Aktualisht, pjesa më e madhe e anëtarëve të bendit jeton jashtë shtetit, duke pamundësuar që ky bend të  jetë më shumë proaktiv. Albumi i parë i incizuar në CD, quhet "Pas shumë vitesh" dhe radhitet me këto këngë:

1. Pas shume vitesh ................5:03

2. Toka ....................................4:47

3. Zhvarrose të vërtetën ........3:59

4. Dua atë që s'kam.................4:49

5. Po vdes ngadalë..................4:48

6. Shiko ..................................2:57

7. Ku je ti ...............................4:26

8. Jeta .....................................3:52

9. Gjenerata ............................5:06

10.Kur nata bjen *..................2:47

   

Brief History

   

PORTA- ONE PATH MORE IN THE WORLD OF SOUNDS

PORTA band derived from the former rock band REVENGERS of  90-ies from  Prizren city. The band is regrouped with a new name PORTA in 2003, in Prizren by 4 members: Bekim Koqinaj -- (Beki); Arlind Karanezi - (Lindi); Fazli Rrezja (Xia); Ardian Karanezi (Ardi).  The album 'Pas shumë vitesh' (After many years) - ( Demo - Version ) is recorded on 04.11.2003. Songs are authentic compositions that were created in the period from 1994 until 2003. In this album one may encounter genres of different styles rock, pop and jazz, but mainly rock based music. Our primary goal is to create sounds and songs that we desire, and not necessarily being in current 'mainstream ' music trends. Actually most of the band members live overseas, disabling this band to be more proactive. The first album recorded on CD, named "After many years " is ranked with above written songs...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDi7NXYd3oYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDi7NXYd3oY