Promoting co-operation and media diversity through journalist exchange programme, focus of Cyprus Media Dialogue event
VIENNA/NICOSIA, 26 November 2020 — Under the auspices of the Cyprus Media Dialogue project, the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM) organized an online event today to conclude the second exchange opportunity for journalists from the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities.
The project, closely developed with the Cyprus Journalists’ Union, the Basin-Sen/Press Workers’ Union and the Turkish Cypriot Journalists’ Union, aims to encourage co-operation between media outlets and journalists, and to advance accountable, quality journalism.
Today’s online event gathered representatives from all three Cypriot journalist unions and the 15 selected journalists who took part in the exchange programme, to highlight its usefulness and discuss lessons learned.
Tasked with preparing articles, photo stories, audio/video reports, or commentaries on a local topic of their choice, Greek Cypriot journalists worked in a Turkish Cypriot media outlet, and Turkish Cypriot journalists worked in a Greek Cypriot media outlet during the exchange in 2019. The results of the exchange can be viewed in an online news exhibition.
“Co-operation is paramount to enable a diverse media environment and to ensure the free flow of information,” said Jürgen Heissel, Director of the Office of the OSCE RFoM. “The activities under this project contribute to this cause by providing media content about the life of both communities to the Cypriot public. Whilst enhancing the understanding of everyday life across the island, the exchange opportunity also enables professional networking and the sharing of best practices from the newsroom.”
He added: “The Office of the OSCE RFoM remains committed to continuing the fruitful co-operation that has been established and to implementing joint activities with the island’s journalist unions.”
More information about the Cyprus Media Dialogue project can be found here: https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/cyprus-dialogue.