This collection includes articles I (Julie Poucher Harbin) wrote for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting 'Balkan Crisis Report' as a reporter & journalism adviser, and articles I edited as a journalism coach & editor for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting 'Afghan Recovery Report' (*marked as 'edited') as well as citations of my IWPR work
IWPR 'BALKAN CRISIS REPORT' | SARAJEVO, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA; ZAGREB, CROATIA; BELGRADE, SERBIA; VIENNA, AUSTRIA | JANUARY 2001 – APRIL 2003
• I collaborated with local and regional reporters in Bosnia, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Serbia on select investigative pieces — enhancing journalistic capacity and fostering stronger media practices in the region • I reported on political, media, and social issues during post-civil-war recovery in the Balkans; addressing human trafficking, drug addiction, domestic violence, youth brain drain, media aid & development, United Nations governance, foreign investment in mosques, the role of women and religion in parliamentary elections, and multi-ethnic sport and community healing, and an Olympics bid • I covered news briefings by international officials from NATO-SFOR, the OSCE, UNHCR, and OHR
CITATIONS: Some of my articles were translated and cross-published by Bosnian media and others were cited by media, the United Nations, and European governmental institutions and think-tanks, including ‘Multi-ethnic Football Kicks Off’ (referenced by The Guardian), ‘Bosnia: UN Handover Causes Concern’ (republished by the United Nations Relief Web site), ‘German Media Dominates the Balkans’ (cited by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media report ‘The Impact of Media Concentration on Professional Journalism’) and ‘Thousands of Women Lured into Bosnia Brothels’ (cited in the International Crisis Group report ‘Policing the Police in Bosnia’), and ‘ Investigative Report: Trading in Misery’ (credited for research by the IWPR reporting team)
'AFGHAN RECOVERY REPORT' | KABUL, AFGHANISTAN | JULY 2004 – JANUARY 2005
• I mentored Afghan trainee journalists on the article writing process — including how to concept a workable story plan, best-practices for sourcing, and tips on U.S./UK-style article structure and tone • I edited, for publication, the trainees’ articles on critical social issues such as divorce, mental health, sanitation and disease, soldier demobilization and disarmament, women's rights, and refugee concerns
NOTABLY: I successfully persuaded a staff of mainly male journalists with little journalism experience, limited English language skills, and no previous experience with a female manager, to learn and embrace an American reporting style that included unbiased, multi-dimensional and interactive reporting • I convinced a reporter to not only analyze a report about the waste management system in Kabul and conduct the appropriate interviews, but to travel for a day on a Kabul garbage truck to gain first-hand knowledge to report his story— journalism atypical of Afghan media