UNESCO: Could you present yourself and introduce how you become committed to promoting media freedom?
Vita Dreijere: “I am a journalist by profession, but at the moment expert at the SSE Riga Centre for Media Studies and board member of the Latvian Journalists' Association. When I was in my early 20s, I worked at a Latvian national daily newspaper. I was excited by this experience, realizing my life my motto that ‘Journalism is the best difficulty in the world’. And then in 2009, at the beginning of the financial crisis, the newspaper was sold to unknown owners, who step by step uncovered their ties with [certain so-called] ‘political/business elite’. This contrast helped me very explicitly realize I could not work in journalism and maintain credibility, without autonomy.”
UNESCO: What is the mission of the Organization you are working for?
VD: “The Latvian Journalists' Association stands for quality journalism and media freedom as a cornerstone of democracy. It stands for the improvement in media professional environment, encourages discussions about ethical and professional standards in journalism practices, protects professional, social and economic rights of journalists, participates in legislation making process about media issues, and supports the professional growth of Latvian journalists.”
UNESCO: What will you do thanks to the grant by the Global Media Defence Fund?
VD: “A new project that will allow journalists to receive legal aid in order to protect the freedom of the press in Latvia.”
UNESCO: What will be the impact of this action?
VD: “The establishment of legal aid network as the protection mechanism for journalists that will contribute to a long-term change in Latvian media legal assistance system. Legal protection of journalists will contribute to well-being and development of post-soviet democracy. The first phase of the project might contribute to legal protection of around 10 Latvian journalists.”
UNESCO: Any suggestions/recommendations you would like to make to UNESCO as administrator of this Fund and to its donors?
VD: “To prioritise the increase of the budget or limit the number of grant receivers in order to provide an amount of funding that could help to raise the impact of supported projects.”
