Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey

The focus of the project is on:

Reinforcing national media accountability mechanisms: This component of the project aims at supporting the long-term sustainability, visibility, and functioning of press councils in the region. To do that, UNESCO sponsors existing press councils to organise advocacy actions for ethical journalism, to take part in public debates, to revise their ethical guidelines and adapt to the digital era, and to participate in regional and international meetings related to media ethics and self-regulation, among others.

Increasing media internal governance: This component involves increasing the commitment of media decision makers in the region to editorial and ethical codes. It also aims at improving the commitment of editors and media owners to labour rights standards, guaranteeing that all employees, including part-time and freelancers, are covered by proper work contracts. The planned activities include the creation of a Labour Rights Expert Group for South East Europe and Turkey, training of trainers on the implementation of labour rights standards, and the conducting of internal audits on ethical practices of chosen media outlets. (Click here to read more about the internal auditing process as described on one of the project partners, Ethical Journalism Network (EJN)'s website.)

Strengthening MIL: This component aims at increasing public demand and support in the region for quality media by empowering people through: National MIL consultations in the region; a South Eastern Europe Association of Viewers', Listeners' and Readers' Interest; training on MIL; and an awareness-raising campaign.

The project is providing:

• At the level of the media profession: support to existing press councils, regional training on media ethics, training on journalists on labour rights, and surveys (see below).
• At the level of the media company: ethical audits within media companies and good governance seminars.
• At the level of media users: social media campaign on MIL, MIL national consultations, and training on MIL.

To cite a particular example, in addition to a survey about the financing mechanisms of press and media councils, as part of the project, the School of Journalism and Public Relations (SJPR) in Skopje carried out a survey entitled Back to the Drawing Board: Crafting the Ideal Journalism Education Curricula for South East Europe [PDF]. Building on existing research and publications on this topic, such as the UNESCO Model Curricula for Journalism Education, the survey presents the findings of an analysis of 26 journalism curricula across the SEE region, focusing on issues such as the level and quality of journalism education, the impact of formal journalism education on the democratic process in the relevant state, and the measures by which journalism education across the region can be improved. The findings of the research highlight ongoing issues in the media across the region, such as the deteriorating levels of safety for journalists, the political influence of media content, low labour conditions, and the widespread intrusion of business interests in editorial policies.

Click here to access other publications to emerge from the project, such as a guide for journalists on how to access government information. This resource draws upon one project activity: In 2014-2015 UNESCO, in cooperation with Access Info Europe and SEENPM, UNESCO organised 7 "Legal Leaks" training workshops in Ankara, Tirana, Sarajevo, Podgorica, Belgrade, Pristina, and Skopje. About 200 journalists and students in journalism from South East Europe were trained to make full use of access to information laws in their daily work.

Media Development.