A presentation about cross-border journalism took place in Veliko Tarnovo

The blog ”The Bridge of Friendship” was an object of research as part of a journalistic conference in the old capital of Bulgaria

On 8 november 2018 Vladimir Mitev made a presentation in the University of Veliko Tarnovo about the cross-border journalism, which is practiced by the blog ”The Bridge of Friendship”. The presentation discussed about western cross-border journalism, which is known through investigations such as ”The Panama Papers” – the joint work of tens of journalists from different countries and media. An accent from the presentation was how the local application of the western cross-border journalism in Bulgaria – known through the work of the site ”Bivol”, has its limits. It often transforms the journaists in prosecutors or judges, while it convinces the public that ”all (the elite) are the same”, which leads to the apathy of Bulgarians.

The blog „The Bridge of Friendship“ makes another kind of cross-border journalism, which doesn`t have investigative character and doesn`t use software in order to process massives of data. The cross-border elements in it are its addressing of readers in different languages, the attempt to present a Romanian-Bulgarian point of view towards some social realities and that the blog has authors from Romania and Bulgaria. The presentation made in Veliko Tarnovo is an attempt to find the place of the cross-border journalism, practiced by the blog, among the diversity of journalist genres and approaches.

The people present at the media conference at the University of Veliko Tarnovo had a lot of questions with regard to the presentation. How many people maintain the blog, what are the relations with the other media in Rousse, is it possible for it to publish a critical title towards Romania, is it possible to make cross-border journalism from Veliko Tarnovo, to what extentd the blog is known in both countries and creates desire for cooperation – were just few of all the public`s questions. It was joy to see the students` curiosity towards the blog. The lively discussion after the presentation showed that the Bulgarian academic circles are open towards getting to know new forms of journalism.

The presentation can be downloaded here.

Read in Romanian language!

Read in Bulgarian language!

About Author

Vladimir Mitev

Vladimir Mitev is a Bulgarian Romanian-speaking journalist. He has interacted with many Bulgarian and Romanian media outlets, including Bulgarian National Radio, Mediapool, all major Bulgarian television stations, Darik Radio, and more (Bulgaria); Radio Romania, The Liberal Community 1848, all the major Romanian television stations; DoR; Libertatea; PressHub; and others (Romania); The Analysis, Acorn Radio (USA); Open Democracy (UK); voxEurop (France); the Observatory for the Balkans and the Caucasus; The Other News (Italy); The Institute for Central Europe (Poland); Argument (Czechia); Merce (Hungary); Bilten (Croatia); and Agora (the Republic of Moldova).
He promotes the idea of non-hegemonic, mutually empowering interactions in Central and Southeastern Europe that could contribute to the formation of a dynamic regional identity and connect citizens to the global community.

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