BIRN was founded in 2004 as a network of non-governmental organisations to promote a strong, independent, and free media in Southern and Eastern Europe.

[3] It reports from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Romania and Serbia.

[2] Neue Zürcher Zeitung reported that Balkan Insight is a "highly regarded Internet portal"[4] and BIRN is "valued for its independence and seriousness".

[1] According to Robin Wilson, Balkan Insight is a valuable source of objective analysis of ex-Yugoslav countries, in contrast to Yugoslav media that split up along nationalist lines.

[6][7] Donors to the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network include the Austrian Development Agency, Balkan Trust for Democracy, the philanthropic initiative Civitates, Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, ERSTE Foundation, European Commission, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, The Dutch Fund for Regional Partnerships/Matra and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.