Media in South East Europe: Not enough or too much information?

Link: Seemo

The Media Program South East Europe of the German Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), the Central European Initiative from Trieste and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), with partners UNESCO, European Commission, International Academy - International Media Center (IA-IMC) and South East and Central Europe PR Organisation (SECEPRO) and in cooperation with SEENPM, Macedonian Institute for Media, Association of Journalists of Macedonia (ZNM), Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe Integration and Foreign Affairs, Council of Europe (COE), European Broadcasting Union (EBU), Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso (OBC) and the M6 Education Center in Skopje announce the VIII South East Europe Media Forum (SEEMF) in Skopje on 16-18 October 2014.

SEEMF bringing together media CEOs, leading journalists, editors-in-chief, business professionals, CEOs from companies active in South East and Central Europe, representatives of marketing and public relations agencies, civil society representatives, academics and representatives of state institutions from South, East and Central Europe.

The topic of the VIII SEEMF is Media in South East Europe: Not enough or too much information? The discussions will include the right to access information, data journalism, privacy and the protection of journalists’ sources, self-regulation and standards of quality reporting. A session will also be dedicated to opinion making in times of conflict and will discuss the lessons of the media war on Ukraine.

"The CEI is committed to respond to the need of safeguarding media freedom and freedom of expression in the EU and across Europe. This is why we sponsor activities such as the South East Europe Media Forum and the Award for Outstanding Merits in Investigative Journalism” says CEI Secretary General Ambassador Giovanni Caracciolo. “This year, the Forum also includes a session on Ukraine, which shows our attention to media developments related to crisis situations in the region”.

Christian Spahr, Head of KAS Media Program South East Europe added:  "Nowadays, citizens and journalists don't  lack of information - they  are overwhelmed with it. But the information they get is often incomplete and biased. In times of conflict and political transition, we need to debate whether media inform or misinform. The South East Europe Media Forum takes it as its mission to  gather all relevant stakeholders."

Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General said: "SEEMF is the leading annual media event in South, East and Central Europe. We are bringing together every year several hundred media repräsentatives and the event is also an important support for media, professional reporting, press freedom and journalism in the host country".

Welcome Address to the SEEMF participants will be by Nikola Poposki Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, Skopje. One keynote will be by Johann Wadephul, Member of the German Bundestag and its Foreign Affairs Committee and one by by Danilo Türk, President of Slovenia 2007-2012. Special remarks will be given by Erhard Busek, former AustrianVice-Chancellor.

The SEEMF will also present the annual CEI-SEEMO Investigative Journalism Award. Prior to this forum, UNESCO, together with the Macedonian Institute for Media will organize an event to present the new press council in host country and discuss the perspectives and challenges for this media self-regulation organization, the youngest in the region. The International Press Institute will organise a workshop about defamation, and the Safety Net for European Journalists. will discuss about The censorship disguised in free countries.

On Saturday 18 October SEEMO will organise the annual Commission on Media Policy with topic Strengthening the Press under Pressure of War and Repression. During the Commission SEEMO will present a special diploma as part of the Dr. Ehrard Busek SEEMO Award for Better Understanding in South East Europe to Nenad Sebek, RCC Spokesperson.  The Commission was founded by former US president Jimmy Carter in 1990. Ellen Mickiewicz, Director of the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy at Duke University, and Erhard Busek, co-chair the Commission’s annual meetings.

Apart from working sessions, SEEMF offers a unique opportunity to meet leading professionals for an open discussion about media, press freedom, marketing, business and new media in South East and Central Europe.

III SEEMF working languages are English, German, Macedonian and Ukranian. SEEMF conference venue on 16 and 17 October is hotel Holiday inn, Mosa Pijade 2, Skopje and commission venue  is M6 Educational Centre, 810 Street, Skopje. SEEMF and Commission on twitter: @SEEMF_MEDIA

The South East Europe Media Forum (SEEMF) is a joint project by the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAS), Central European Initiative (CEI) and the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO). The first SEEMF was held in 2007 in Zagreb.

For more information and registration please contact: info@seemo.org, media.europe@kas.de, press@cei.int, mim@mim.org.mk, contact@znm.org.mk .