Supporting media a cornerstone of freedom
EU Neighbourhood
MEDIA PRESS PACK
Supporting media a cornerstone of freedom
EU Neighbourhood
MEDIA PRESS PACK
September 2014
Media freedom – a fundamental right
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The Regional Communication Programme
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Supporting the media in the Neighbourhood
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‘No Disconnect’ – the EU in defence of online freedom
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PHOTO GALLERIES CULTURE and MEDIA: EU Cooperation with Neighbours
VIDEOS Press freedom day 2013 SUCCESS STORIES
Media Neighbourhood project
Think web, write web, film web This publication exists only in electronic format. It has been prepared by the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre, a project funded by the EU. It does not represent the official view of the European Commission or other EU Institutions. The European Commission accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content or the use made of this publication.
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LibyaBlog, giving youth a voice A movie from Gaza to London: Awatif’s mission impossible Seeking film producers to portray the ‘Arab Spring’
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Media freedom – a fundamental right
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Freedom of expression is a fundamental right safeguarded by international law, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, and forms an integral part of the functioning of a pluralist democracy. It belongs to the values on which the EU is founded and is enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
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At the same time, freedom of expression is also often a precondition for other rights and freedoms. Deprived of a free media, citizens are denied the right to balanced and reliable information, without exposure to bias and propaganda that can undermine democracy and the effectiveness of institutions. A pluralistic media landscape serves to reveal the multifaceted nature of society and promotes dialogue and tolerance. Critical scrutiny by media of the political processes guarantees their transparency and ensures that government can operate independently from the interests of narrow pressure groups.
MEDIA PRESS PACK Assisting the transition to more democratic societies is one of the fundamental objectives of the EU’s cooperation with its Neighbours, a priority spelled out in the revised European Neighbourhood Policy, and its financial arm the European Neighbourhood Instrument, which lists as targets for support: “Promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, principles of equality and the fight against discrimination in all its forms, establishing deep and sustainable democracy, promoting good governance, fighting corruption, strengthening institutional capacity at all levels and developing a thriving civil society including social partners.” None of these objectives can be fully achieved without a free and independent media. It is therefore no surprise that support for the media is a high priority in EU cooperation with its Neighbourhood partners.
Playing a key role in highlighting human rights violations, journalists and media workers are also particularly important in the defence of human rights. In some countries across the world, attempts to silence journalists involve killings, arrests, arbitrary detention, torture, harassment, or the abuse of legal frameworks such as censorship (see Reporters without Borders World Press Freedom Index 2014).
Libya – a voice for new media An independent media has a key role to play in restructuring democratic and civil society, and new social media is no exception. The EU decided to support the creation of a young, responsible and active Libyan blogosphere, where Libyans can express themselves freely and build relationships with other bloggers around the world. Forty young Libyan journalists and activists have been trained, a website set up and more than 300 articles published, many of which deal with controversial issues such as federalism, torture and human rights violations. Read the full story here
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“Free, diverse and independent media constitutes one of the cornerstones of a democratic society by facilitating the free flow of information and ideas, and by ensuring transparency and accountability.” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton
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EU Neighbourhood
The Regional Communication Programme
MEDIA PRESS PACK
The Regional Communication Programme runs from 2011 to 2014, across the entire Neighbourhood – East and South: it contributes to greater understanding of EU policies, and highlights cooperation actions carried out in the region; at the same time, it develops sustainable communication networks and strengthens the capacity and competences of journalists in the area of European affairs.
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The programme covers three projects:
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre
Information and communication campaign support The project develops and sustains communications channels across the entire EU Neighbourhood area through a dedicated electronic platform on EU cooperation programmes and relations with neighbourhood countries, with a wide range of information disseminated on a daily basis. The project has also produced dozens of success stories in the region and has a photo gallery containing thousands of images, as well as a virtual library bringing together hundreds of key documents. The centre also organises training workshops on the communication of cooperation programmes and offers a support service for EU delegations in their communications activities www.enpi-info.eu
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Media Neighbourhood
journalist training and networking The project offers training sessions for journalists from partner countries on EU relations, cooperation and policy, while working on setting up a network of journalists from the European neighbourhood area to strengthen dialogue and share experience. The project has so far organised 108 events, with more than 1,000 journalists, editors, media owners and journalists having benefitted from the training and the project’s peer-to peer activities. www.medianeighbourhood.eu
EU Neighbourhood Barometer opinion polling and media monitoring
The project monitors and provides media analysis of European cooperation activities in the neighbouring countries of the EU, and produces opinion surveys in the form of European neighbourhood barometers, thereby making it possible to measure perceptions of the EU in the partner countries. The project carries out two surveys per year of the public at large in each of the 17 partner countries and a special survey on a hot topic as well as polls of opinion leaders. euneighbourhood.eu
Transforming the debate How is the Media Neighbourhood project developing skills among journalists, building networks and transforming the debate? Reda Fhelboom is a journalist from Libya: “The programme is very, very useful for journalists in countries in transition, like Libya, where no training has taken place for 42 years.” “It’s really a sharing of expertise,” says Media Neighbourhood trainer Petko Georgiev, “a mutual effort towards developing a better future for journalism, so that’s really exciting.” Watch the full video here
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key quotes Browse key quotes on culture and media issues by top EU officials, projects and beneficiaries on the ground.East and South
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Supporting the media across the EU Neighbourhood A number of other programmes and instruments provide support for journalists and the media across the Neighbourhood, from assisting with national regulatory frameworks, all the way down to empowering individual bloggers and community journalists. Media and Culture for Development in the Southern Mediterranean (2014-2018) Running from 2014-2018, the EU has launched a programme aimed at reinforcing media and culture as vectors of freedom of expression and contributors to sustainable economic development. In the framework of this €17 million programme, a flagship project was launched in the media field, MedMedia towards media sector reform in the southern Mediterranean. The project aims to create an enabling environment for media reforms in the Southern Mediterranean region and focuses on media legislation, regulation, programming, strategy and leadership networking, with a view to helping state media fulfil their public service mandate and compete with the commercial sector. MedMedia also works to build public trust by strengthening the media’s role as an independent watchdog and a forum for democratic debate. MedMedia has put in place an innovative mentoring scheme to support the exchange of experience between high-ranking media professionals from the region. It also plays a part in strengthening the broadcasters’ networks in the region, such as the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) and the Conférence permanente de l’audiovisuel meditéranéen (COPEAM), thus supporting media reforms in the Southern Mediterranean. MedMedia on Facebook and Twitter
Support for the unsupported – the European Endowment for Democracy Set up with EU support in 2012, the European Endowment for Democracy (EDD) supports actors for democratic change, in particular those who operate in a very uncertain political context, with difficult access to funding. Prominent among those receiving support are journalists and bloggers. Support to independent media has ranged from support to grassroots newspapers in Syria, to emergency support for the Kyiv Post to allow uninterrupted coverage of the Euro Maidan protests, while in Moldova the EED supports an online platform for investigative journalism in the SME sector. A selection of all the initiatives supported can be seen here. www.democracyendowment.eu/
EU Neighbourhood
MEDIA PRESS PACK
European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) The EIDHR provides support for the promotion of democracy and human rights in non-EU countries. Among the activities that it supports are those that focus on: “the right to freedom of opinion and expression including artistic and cultural expression, the right to information and to communicate, including freedom of the media, fight against censorship, and access to the Internet.” Among the many actions it has supported, the EIDHR assisted Reporters Without Borders to put in place a desk coordinating a rapid response to calls for assistance from media at risk, under threat or in difficulty. Thanks to this support, legal aid is provided to journalists in prison or on trial and financial aid to their dependants and to the families of murdered journalists. It funds medical expenses where necessary, helps obtain visas for media forced to flee their countries and subsidises accommodation for displaced journalists. www.eidhr.eu/home
Media for dialogue – the Anna Lindh Foundation The Anna Lindh Foundation runs the largest network of civil society organisations involved in the promotion of intercultural dialogue across Europe and the Mediterranean. It is co-financed by the 43 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean and the European Commission. Media is one of the priority fields of action for the Foundation, supporting journalists in reporting across cultures. Since 2006, the Foundation has organised a Mediterranean Journalist Award, to recognise the role of journalists in reporting on cultural diversity and providing balanced coverage beyond the ‘clash of civilisations’ headline.
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website www.annalindhfoundation.org webpage on media www.annalindhfoundation.org/media
In Syria, the EIDHR has supported a project to protect the Internet freedom of independent bloggers, writers and journalists. Activists have been trained to circumvent Internet censorship and to protect themselves at digital level. Because of the risk that such activities involve, the project also physically protects activists, both in normal conditions and in cases of emergency. EIDHR: Delivering on the Arab Spring
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Eastern Partnership Media Freedom Watch Funded by the EU and developed within the EaP Civil Society Forum, the EaP Media Freedom Watch project aims to protect freedom of media and expression by raising awareness of media freedom and journalists’ rights in the Eastern Partnership countries. The project has launched a website which daily tracks the situation around the rights of journalists and the media in the region, while also producing an Index of media freedom and regular reports on media freedom. http://mediafreedomwatch.org
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‘No Disconnect’ – the EU in defence of online freedom In the wake of the Arab Spring, the EU in December 2011 launched its ‘No Disconnect Strategy’ to protect Internet access as a driver of political freedom.
EU Neighbourhood
MEDIA PRESS PACK 1
Media awards Samir Kassir Award
The Samir Kassir Award perpetuates the commitment of murdered Lebanese journalist Samir Kassir to human rights and the rule of law. Organised every year since 2006 by the EU Delegation in Lebanon and open to journalists from the Southern Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Gulf, the €10,000 awards reward journalists who have proved to be an example to others by the quality of their work. www.prixsamirkassir.org EU Neighbourhood Info Centre feature – Award improves journalists’ lives
Announcing the Strategy, the Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, said: “In 2011 video-sharing services helped expose regime abuses. They made us aware and better able to take action. Repressive regimes now understand the power of these networks and have tried to turn them off. They did not succeed. And the EU is working to ensure online rights are respected like offline rights.”
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Georgia: EU prize for journalism Launched in Tbilisi for the first time in 2012 to mark World Press Freedom Day, the Prize is the first of its kind in Georgia to recognise Georgian journalists who have demonstrated journalistic integrity and professionalism. A second edition of the prize was held in December 2013.
The ‘No Disconnect Strategy’ assists people in four ways:
1. Developing and providing technological tools to enhance privacy and security of people living in non-democratic regimes when using ICT.
2. Educating and raising awareness of activists about the opportunities and risks of ICT. In particular assisting activists to make best use of tools such as social networks and blogs while raising awareness of surveillance risks when communicating via ICT.
3. Gathering high quality intelligence about what is happening on the ground in order to monitor the level of surveillance and censorship at a given time, in a given place.
4. Cooperation Developing a practical way to ensure that all stakeholders can share information on their activity and promote multilateral action and building cross-regional cooperation to protect human rights.
In the Southern Mediterranean, the EU also funds a €10 million programme in Jordan to support civil society & media that includes building capacity for an independent, quality based media sector, while in Libya, a €3 million project – Media in Libya - Stability through Structure – was launched in March 2013, aimed at consolidating democratic reform by supporting the emergence of a free, highquality press and media. In the Eastern Partnership, the EU funds an ethical journalism initiative implemented in Azerbaijan, and a project supporting media professionalism in elections in Georgia. Details of bilateral projects funded can be found on the ‘projects’ section of EU Delegation websites.
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Useful Links
MEDIA PRESS PACK
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre www.enpi-info.eu Media Neighbourhood www.medianeighbourhood.eu
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EU Neighbourhood Barometer http://euneighbourhood.eu MedMedia Network www.facebook.com/MedMedianetwork
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EaP Media Freedom Watch http://mediafreedomwatch.org EIDHR www.eidhr.eu
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Samir Kassir award http://prixsamirkassir.org Anna Lindh Foundation media www.annalindhfoundation.org/media
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European Commission Media Freedom and Pluralism https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/media-freedom-and-pluralism Regional Communication Programme Resources EU Neighbourhood Info Centre webpage Culture & Media (east) EU Neighbourhood Info Centre webpage Culture & Media (south) EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Journalists’ Handbook Anna Lindh publications on media EIDHR Delivering on Human Rights Defenders Report (2012) EIDHR Delivering on Democracy Report (2011) EIDHR Delivering on the Arab Spring Report (2011)
EU Neighbourhood Library Our online database
World Press Freedom Day 2014 Home page
Action plans Agreements Country reports Declarations Resolutions
press packs
Strategy documents
Other Info Centre Press packs are available online: EAST and SOUTH
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Documents
MEDIA PRESS PACK
Other resources for journalists UNESCO World Press Freedom Day
EU Neighbourhood Handbooks From the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre website, a number of different handbooks can be downloaded, offering tips to media professionals for improved coverage of EU cooperation activities, but also providing information on how to access EU funding or to navigate through EU jargon. A wealth of knowledge at your disposal, just a click away on www.enpi-info.eu.
European sites for Journalists European Journalism Centre - www.ejc.net EU4 Journalists - www.eu4journalists.eu Media Websites UNESCO information and communication activities Arab states Europe IFJ Middle East and North Africa Europe IFJ - Journalists and Media Staff Killed in 2014 Reporters without Borders Middle East and North Africa Europe and ex-USSR International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) Middle East and North Africa Europe and Central Asia Institute for War and Peace Reporting Caucausus The Arab Spring Lebanon Libya: Media in Transition Syria Tunisia Arab Press Network (World Association of Newspapers) The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information International Press Institute
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Media Neighbourhood A Handbook for Journalists This toolkit helps journalists find their way around the European Union and its many institutions and contains essential information on what is the ENP, and how cooperation works between the EU and its neighbours. It is a tool to help report on the EU and the partner countries’ relations with it. Journalists will find here what they need most: contacts, links and web references. www.medianeighbourhood.eu/journalismhandbook/ EU Neighbourhood Info Centre A Journalist’s Handbook
Reports Press freedom: safety of journalists and impunity – UNESCO Freedom of the media in the EU and neighbouring countries (2012) – European Economic and Social Committee Eastern Partnership Media Freedom Index Freedom House Report: Freedom of the Press 2014 – Freedom House Handbook for Bloggers and Cyber-Dissidents – Reporters without Borders
This handbook aims at guiding any journalist interested in covering the EU’s relations with its Neighbours, as well as anyone else interested in finding out more about the partnership. It guides readers through the plethora of information from the EU itself, where it is, which site to visit and who is responsible for what. It also includes a list of jargon guides and where events calendars can be found. www.enpi-info.eu/files/publications/PB%20 journalist%20ENG.pdf
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MEDIA PRESS PACK The EU: a major donor for the Neighbourhood
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EU support to the region is mainly channeled through the European Commission’s Directorate General for Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid
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The European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) funding approved for the period 2007-2013 was € 11.2 billion. As from 2014 the ENPI will be replaced by the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), which will provide faster and more flexible funding, allowing for incentives for best performers, to 16 partner countries to the East and South of the EU’s borders.
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Eastern Neighbours: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine. Southern Neighbours: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria*, Tunisia. * EU Cooperation with Syria is currently suspended due to the political situation The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. www.enpi-info.eu
Stay connected Stay connected Stay connected A project implemented by
EU Neighbourhood Info Centre An ENPI project The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. This presspack has been produced by the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre.
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Photos: AFP/EPA for the EU Neighourhood Info Centre Copyright EU/EU Neighbourhood Info Centre 2014
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