7th Annual South East Europe Media Conference (SEEMC)
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In the context of the global coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, journalists face online, verbal, and physical attacks on a daily basis. As safety of journalists is a precondition for a diverse and free media, and must be ensured in order to maintain an independent media landscape, this year's SEEMC, entitled "The New Frontline: Working Together to Foster Media Freedom", will provide an online platform to examine the impact of COVID-19 on media freedom. To this end, the conference will address opportunities and challenges in establishing national mechanisms to ensure the safety of journalists.
Organized in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia, on 17–18 September 2020, the online conference of the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom the Media will gather journalists, representatives from national law enforcement institutions, the judiciary, media associations, civil society organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and regional and international experts.
Engage in the conference topics on Twitter via @OSCE_RFOM using the hashtag #SEEMC2020.
Livestream
Day 1: Thursday, 17 September, 09:30-13:30.
Day 2: Friday, 18 September, 09:30-13:30
Since its launch in 2011, the SEEMC has brought together people and ideas in a variety of events, to promote media freedom and underline its importance. This year’s online conference will provide an opportunity to further partnerships across national borders and fields of expertise, and to explore ways in which national law enforcement mechanisms can contribute to tackling the security challenges that journalists face when doing their jobs.
Considering that women journalists face the extra burden of being attacked and intimidated online, including through social media platforms, comments sections on websites, and direct digital communication, because of their gender, the negative impact on the work of women journalists through self-censorship and lack of reporting on sensitive topics will also be discussed.