Journalist Training in Kosovo Led by Professor Anthony Adornato via Fulbright Program
In a three-week stint as a Fulbright Specialist in 2025, Anthony Adornato provided valuable training to journalists at Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK), focusing on social media and audience engagement. This collaboration is expected to continue into the future, with plans for ongoing knowledge-sharing and training.
During his time at RTK, Adornato shared trends and best practices in modern digital journalism, emphasising the importance of leveraging social media platforms for expanding audience reach and interaction, and developing content strategies that enhance audience engagement. He also highlighted the need to integrate traditional journalism with digital tools to maintain relevance in a changing media landscape.
The training sessions combined practical fieldwork with classroom-style sessions, providing a comprehensive framework on current communication trends for Kosovo’s national broadcaster. RTK, as Kosovo’s public service broadcaster, serves a linguistically diverse population with concerns about editorial independence and sustainability due to its state funding.
RTK plays a crucial role in a young democracy like Kosovo, helping build trust and connect news organisations more deeply with their communities. The broadcaster also plays an important role in countering disinformation from foreign actors, such as Russia and Serbia, in Kosovo.
Journalists at RTK work under challenging conditions, including outdated equipment, staffing shortages, and low wages. The International and European Federations of Journalists, along with the Association of Journalists of Kosovo, have urged authorities to ensure stable funding for RTK.
Currently, RTK is navigating a severe financial crisis due to the failure of institutions to allocate the legally approved budget. The broadcaster's role is critical in building democratic systems, particularly a free press, and informing citizens in a post-conflict society. RTK's services are available through terrestrial and satellite networks, reaching not only people in Kosovo but also members of the significant Kosovar diaspora.
A Fulbright experience is personally and professionally enriching, offering a unique opportunity to share expertise while learning from colleagues abroad. For Anthony Adornato, his collaboration with RTK was a fulfilling experience, contributing to the development of digital communication practices in Kosovo's national broadcaster. The ongoing collaboration between Adornato and RTK is set to continue, promising further advancements in digital journalism for RTK journalists.
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- In light of the challenging conditions faced by journalists at RTK, Anthony Adornato's ongoing collaboration with the broadcaster aims to foster education and self-development, as he continues to share valuable insights on modern digital journalism and audience engagement.
- During his Fulbright tenure, Adornato emphasized the importance of education-and-self-development in the realm of digital journalism, providing RTK's journalists with practical tools to counter disinformation, build trust within their communities, and maintain editorial independence while adapting to the evolving media landscape.
