8th Annual South East Europe Media Conference - Journalism in times of crisis
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The media have always been a crucial pillar of democracies, but informing the public on issues that matter to their lives and holding those in power to account is even more important in the context of crises such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, fulfilling their important role in society has become increasingly difficult and dangerous for journalists, as they face growing challenges, amidst a rising tide of mistrust and safety risks.
This year’s South East Europe Media Conference (SEEMC) "Journalism in times of crisis", organized in co-operation with the OSCE Presence in Albania, serves as a call to affirm the importance of journalism as an essential public good and pillar of democratic societies. It aims to foster regional co-operation to address media freedom challenges by exploring opportunities for furthering the media environment in the region, within the context of the present health crisis.
The 8th SEEMC, to be held in a hybrid format in Tirana on 11-12 October 2021 (CEST time zone), will bring together journalists, relevant State actors, policymakers, media and legal experts, and researchers from the region and beyond to strengthen their co-operation, with a common goal towards enhancing media freedom and freedom of expression in the South East Europe region. It will examine the role of governments, the media community and civil society, including by looking into existing best practices and innovative ways forward, and by examining how these can be replicated elsewhere in the region.
To this end, the conference will highlight four key topics:
- Disinformation and quality investigative journalism;
- Safety and working conditions of journalists, with a special focus on the impact of media during the COVID-19 pandemic;
- Women journalists and women media managers;
- SLAPPs as an increasing threat to independent media.
Considering the importance of young voices in the public sphere, the conference will also offer a platform to discuss the future of journalism through the lens of young journalists. During this discussion, young journalists from the South East Europe region will share their perspectives on challenges to media freedom, next to providing solutions to improve the situation of journalists in the region.
Women journalists are targeted online more often, and in a more personal and sexualized nature than their male peers, with the clear aim to harm journalists' reputation and silence them. This form of disinformation undermines all perspectives on media freedom that will be discussed at the conference. This year’s conference will therefore hold a special side event to launch the different translations of the #SOFJO Resource Guide on the safety of female journalists online, which is now available in Albanian, Macedonian, Serbian, English and Russian. The session will engage experts from the field, to discuss concrete and feasible actions as proposed in the Resource Guide.
Engage in the conference topics on Twitter via @OSCE_RFOM using the hashtag #SEEMC2021.
Livestream
Day 1 (Including the Side Event): Monday, 11 October, 09:30-16:45 (CEST)
Day 2: Tuesday, 12 October, 09:15-13:45 (CEST)