Strengthening the capacities of civil society organizations, media professionals and activists, as well as citizens in order to better understand the trends and challenges related to the freedom and integrity of the media in the Western Balkans and Turkey, are among the main goals of the regional project “Our Media”. which will be implemented in the next three years (2023-2025).
The project will be implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey, by the partner organizations that are part of the South-East European Media Professionalization Network (SEENPM), the Albanian Media Institute, the Montenegrin Media institute, the Council for Ethics in the Media of Kosovo, the Macedonian Media Institute, the Novi Sad School of Journalism, the Peace Institute from Ljubljana and Bianet (Turkey), with financial support from the European Union.
At the beginning, a series of research activities will be carried out that should identify the main trends, risks and opportunities for media sustainability in the region, as well as map good practices of media activism to support media freedom and media and information literacy (MIP). The research findings will be used to strengthen the capacities of media organizations and other stakeholders committed to addressing challenges in the media sector.
The professional capacity of journalists, media and media organizations will be addressed through a series of advocacy and engagement activities within the national MIP coalitions. Local and national media and other social actors will be encouraged to report on gender inequalities in the media through activities related to media activism. Young leaders will acquire skills to deal with harmful policies and learn about practices to counter discrimination and gender stereotypes, as well as to promote gender equality through their work. Through financial support of civil society organizations in urban and rural areas, the project will seek to reach out to local communities in order to improve citizens’ MIP skills, to promote the freedom and integrity of the media, but also to deal with the polarization resulting from propaganda.
200 representatives of civil society organizations will be trained to generate effective MIP practices, and at least 18 civil society organizations in urban and rural areas in the six countries will be supported in order to act at the local level by implementing MIP-related actions.
70 media professionals and representatives of self-regulatory bodies will advance knowledge about the state of self-regulation in their countries and in the Western Balkans region and will be informed about the needs and opportunities for the advancement of ethical codes and standards/practices for self-regulation.
15,000 young people will be involved and learn about media and information literacy through interactive quizzes, and at least 500 will be involved in the activities of the national MIP coalition.
21 participants (young activists, youth workers, educators, journalists, young politicians) will improve competence in media literacy and activism, including topics such as: media freedom and integrity, political economy of media, media ecology, digital participation.
The regional program “Our Media: Civil Society Action to Encourage Media Literacy and Activism, Countering Polarization and Promoting Dialogue” is implemented by the partner organizations: SEENPM, the Albanian Media Institute, the Montenegrin Media Institute, the Council for Ethics in the Media of Kosovo, the Macedonian Media Institute, the Novi Sad School of Journalism, the Peace Institute from Ljubljana and Bianet (Turkey), with financial support from the European Union.
This text was prepared with financial support from the European Union. The content of the text is the sole responsibility of SEENPM and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
