11.07.2016
THE PRESS COUNCIL IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IN COOPERATION WITH THE KAS SOUTHEAST EUROPE MEDIA PROGRAM
realized
THE SECOND REGIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL OF MEDIA ETHICS
for young journalists and journalism students from Southeast Europe
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Monte Negro, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldavia, Romania and Serbia
The Press Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cooperation with the KAS Media Program South East Europe realized the Second Regional Summer School of Media Ethics for young journalists and journalism students from Southeast Europe, in Konjic from the 3rd to the 8th of July 2016. The School gathered 20 young journalists and journalism students from different countries of South East Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Monte Negro, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldavia, Romania and Serbia.
During the School, the participants, along with practical work, attended lectures on media ethics, media self-regulation, freedom of expression and online media, freedom and responsibility of media coverage, moral and ethics in psychology of behavior, mechanisms of protecting journalists, copyright protection and specific areas of coverage. The aim of the Summer School was to provide a new perspective of social responsibility of media and journalists.
A huge contribution to the realization of the Summer School was made by the renowned lecturers, media experts and professionals from BiH, Bulgaria, Belgium, Serbia, United Kingdom and Austria: Christian Spahr, KAS Media Program for South East Europe, Bulgaria; Alex Jagi Bibanović, Artflame Cyber Media, Belgium; Aidan White, Ethical Journalism Network, United Kingdom; Alexander Warzilek, Executive Director of the Austrian Press Council, Austria; Milica Šarić, Center for Investigative Journalism, CIN, Serbia; Miranda Patručić, Investigative journalist, Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), BiH; Ljiljana Zurovac, Executive Director of the Press Council in BiH and Maida Bahto Kestendžić, Project Coordinator for Complaints in the Press Council in BiH.
The Second Regional Summer School of Media Ethics provided the opportunity for participants to acquire additional education from the fields and topics, which are not encompassed by the university curriculum, including the practical knowledge relevant for professional journalism.
The participants of the School were acquainted with the essential principles of media self-regulation, which is a mechanism necessary for achieving and protecting citizens’ rights to professional, objective and current information, as well as a mean for protecting media freedom and professional journalism from political, economic and all other kinds of pressures, endangering the freedom of information. The agenda of the Second Regional Summer School of Media Ethics included practical work as well – the simulation of the work of the Complaints Commission of the Press Council in BiH and Austria. Through analysis of citizens’ complaints regarding the press and online media, participants were acquainted with the practical process of media self-regulation.
The School was opened by Ms. Ljiljana Zurovac, Executive Director of the Press Council in BIH and Mr. Christian Spahr, Director of the KAS Media Program for Southeast Europe. Ms. Zurovac held a lecture on “Media self-regulation”, where she touched on media ethics, the relation between the law and media self-regulation, citizens’ complaints regarding inaccurate and unprofessional media coverage, as well as the practical application of the Press Code of BiH. Further, Ms. Zurovac and Ms. Spahr presented the students the Recommendations for Press Councils, formed as a result of the work of the KAS Media Program and the Working Group “Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights” (European University Frankfurt/Oder).
The first day of the School, Mr. Aidan White, Director of the Ethics Journalism Network from the United Kingdom, held a lecture. Within the topic “Media and Ethics – Foundation for Free and Responsible Media”, Mr. White spoke about today’s media coverage, media weaknesses of newsrooms in everyday work and coverage on certain topics, founding values of ethical journalism, specificities of online coverage, political propaganda, hate speech and freedom of expression, challenges of the digital age, as well as practical applications.
The second day of the School began with the lecture “Moral and Ethics in the Psychology of Society” by Mr. Alex Jagi, Interdisciplinary Multimedia Maestro, Motivational Coach and Psychological Self-Help Coach from Artflame Cyber Media, Belgium, who provided students with answers about questions of societal behavior and the creation of standards of group behavior, the wish to belong and the need to be free, as well as the imperative of changing established norms.
During the afternoon hours of the second day, Mr. Alexander Warzilek, Executive Director of the Press Council of Austria, spoke about the Alliance of Independent Press Councils of Europe (AIPCE), as well as the work of the Complaints Commission of the Press Council of Austria.
The third day of the School, Ms. Miranda Paturic, Journalist of the Coverage of Organized Crime and Corruption Project (OCCRP), and Ms. Milica Saric, Journalist of the Center for Investigative Journalism in Serbia (CINS), spoke about investigative journalism, their professional experiences and gave valuable advice for those who wish to pursue investigative journalism.
The last day of the School, Ms. Milica Saric spoke about the mechanisms of journalists’ protection, sources of information as well as coverage on the basis of one source or without sources of information.
Upon the end of lectures, the students visited the Tito’s Bunker Museum, while the Certificate Award Ceremony took place in the evening.
The four days of lectures encompassed fruitful, constructive discussions amongst students and lecturers, what gave students the opportunity to express their opinions, solve eventual dilemmas, seek advice and adopt new knowledge and information.
Besides acquiring additional knowledge, participation in the Second Regional Summer School provided students with the opportunity to socialize with colleagues from the Region, make new friendships and future professional contacts. The knowledge acquired in the Summer School will facilitate the young journalists’ and students’ professional work in media and provide them with a basis for further research in the field of media ethics.