The killings of journalists and the level of impunity for such crimes is a persistent problem. Between 2006-2013 593 journalists were killed and the current level of impunity, based on states’ responses to UNESCO, is 93.3% (UNESCO’s DG’s report to IPDC, November 2014). This problem is widely recognised amongst IGOs, NGOs and the media community and has become a priority agenda item for the UN. The UN has developed a ‘Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity’ in 2012 in an attempt to combat, crimes against journalists and impunity and ultimately to ensure...
Regions: Europe and North America
The South Caucasus is comprised of three diverse countries, each facing different challenges becoming democratic and open societies where political processes represent the needs of constituents. The media in this region is largely limited to the traditional forms of print, TV, and radio. Because media organizations rely on these models that are no longer sustainable because of the internet and technology, they are susceptible to the financial control and bias of political parties and special interest groups, which in turn influences the content and quality of their journalism. Audiences in...
The proposed project will address the lack of science media associations and limited professional capacity of science media workers in the Balkan region. BASJ, a newly created regional journalists association, will promote online education and cooperation with other international and regional organizations and institutions in the Balkans. It will offer a 6-month online training course delivered through webinars and online lectures using BASJ's Science Media Network platform. The course will upgrade the skills of 20 journalism trainers, enabling them to teach new media competencies. The...
Belarusian internet provides a platform for relative freedom of expression when compared to other media outlets within the country which are characterized by a state monopoly. This, combined with the soaring numbers of internet users (almost 30% of the population in 2010 thanks to the development of faster and better quality online technologies), makes internet television a prime opportunity for increasing the plurality of media in Belarus. At present, no Belarusian website has engaged users to create video content or share videos online. This project from the BelaPAN Information Company...
Despite rapid growth in the development of the Armenian media which recently has come in the form of increased internet accessibility, there is still a worrying lack of access to information for more than half of the Armenian population today, with the latest national survey on internet accessibility conducted by the World Bank in 2008 revealing that only 5.8% of Armenians use the internet. Citizen journalism has been identified as a possible means of attracting interest in new technologies and existing civil society resources, as well as promoting youth activism in the region. The...
This project will upgrade the professional skills of young journalists and graduates from the faculties of journalism of the Universities of the CIS countries: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Russian Federation engaged in the coverage of complex inter-ethnic, multi-confessional and cultural relations inside their countries and in relation with the neighbouring states. The main goal of the seminar is to show how to reflect the objective reality on these subjects in radio, print and electronic media: tactfully and with respect to the civil rights of an ethnic...
Public broadcasters are among the most effective media in delivering knowledge on climate change mitigation opportunities and adaptation processes in raising public awareness through the dissemination of scientific data and options comprehensible by the public at large. However, most regional journalists know little or nothing about the issue of climate change and its effect on the viewers. The reasons why climate change issues are poorly covered or go unreported are many and complex. Journalists need more environmental training and networking opportunities. Environment, science and...
The media sector in the MENA region (Middle East and North-African countries) is experiencing an intense growth in terms of quantity of new players (privatisation in national TV sector and emergence of Pan-Arab satellite channels), which offer diversification, scope of action and technological progress. The existing training opportunities for journalists provided by the training and academic institutes operating in the region are not sufficient in comparison with the needs, in particular in the field of specialised training. The analysis of the current media landscape shows a large...
This proposal seeks support to organise a 3-day national training seminar to foster professional capacities of broadcast journalists in covering climate change issue as well as raise the public awareness about risks of climate change. This seminar will be conducted in order to put this project within the context of the International Conference on Broadcast Media and Climate Change organised by UNESCO in September 2009. The training will aim at building capacity of journalists to cover the issue as well as to localise main points of the Paris Declaration on Broadcast Media and Climate...
Today, traditional mass-media, being by nature a 'one-way traffic' of information, gain an opportunity to create interactive grounds: it opens prospects for further development, and is a challenge, since most of mass-media have lost the skill to carry on a dialogue with an audience or have never been able to establish it. Besides, Internet is a new democratic space where each one has a freedom of speech. However, any mass-medium that knows and understands its audience information needs, is able to see a concrete person, family or group behind the audience. Thus, understanding their social...
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