HUNTINGTON — Independent journalists in Romania are about to get a helping hand from Kathryn Koegel, a Huntington resident who recently landed a Fulbright award that will bring her back to the eastern European country where she did similar work in the 1990s.
Back then, Koegel went to formerly Communist countries, including Romania, to help them establish business plans for newly free media. This time around she will be helping journalists develop robust business plans.
“I’m so honored to have been chosen, because, for me, this is a real validation of the work I have done, both in helping to develop media and in being a journalist,” said Koegel. “The idea that somebody remembers you from something you did in a dramatic period of their history, and wants you back, I thought was very compelling. There’s a whole lot of steps and approvals in the process, but they want me back, and I’m going.”
Koegel will go to Romania in January to begin her Fulbright at Freedom House, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that promotes freedom, democracy and human rights, and PressHub, a network of independent journalists supported by Freedom House. The Fulbright Specialist Program sends academics and established professionals to carry out project-based exchanges at host institutions.
Koegel is returning to Romania to develop a business plan for PressHub, to help them pay salaries and continue to report news without influence from political parties, government or oligarchs. The process will involve interviewing regional and national publications about their models, and considering fundraising, subscription, and advertising components of the business of media.
“I was approached in the summer by a woman who I knew when I was there. She remembered what I had done. She was hoping I could do similar things, and got in touch with me. I thought it was a total long shot,” said Koegel. “I am so honored that the people in Romania that remember me from back then thought that I could help them now.”
From 1996 to 1998, Koegel worked in Romania, Bosnia, and Belarus, developing business plans for media in formerly Communist countries. Under Communism, there was no free media, so as these countries began to develop more robust news sources and free press, they needed to figure out how media could survive and pay journalists, independent of government influence.
Koegel stayed for two years, based in Bucharest, Romania, finishing her project in 1998 with the formation of Romania’s first press association, BRAT.
“I met probably the most interesting people of my life when I was there. I met people that ran national newspapers, I met the person who literally stormed the TV station after Albania’s violent revolution in 1989 and declared that the country was free,” said Koegel. “It just was such a dynamic time, and then when I came back to the United States, it just so opened my eyes and made me think about democracy and the role of press in a very different way.”
On Friday, Dec. 6, the same day Koegel received the Fulbright, Romania’s top court annulled their ongoing presidential election, citing Russian interference. Russia may have used social media to promote relatively unknown Calin Georgescu, a far-right, pro-Russian candidate, who was facing Elena Lasconi, a centrist, pro-European Union candidate, in the second round of elections.
“Romania is considered a fragile democracy. It’s only existed since the early 90s. It’s just going to be an incredibly dynamic period to go back. They will hold new elections in January, when I will be there,” said Koegel.
“I am honored to have been chosen for the Fulbright program at such a pivotal time when journalism independent from political influences is more important than ever.”