South East European Media Observatory

2013

Building Capacities and Coalitions for Monitoring Media Integrity and Advancing Media Reforms

SEE Media Observatory is a regional partnership of civil society organisations aimed at enhancing media freedom and pluralism, and influencing media reforms in the countries of South East Europe. It addresses obstacles to democratic development of media systems by providing a regional instrument for media research and monitoring, support to investigative journalism and civil society engagement. It also offers a regional framework for debates, consultations and coalitions among key stakeholders.

SEE Media Observatory particularly addresses the problems with integrity of media and journalism in the region, focusing on harmful patterns of media ownership and media finances.

In 2013 and 2014 the regional observatory concentrates on media integrity in Albania, Bosni and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia.

South East European Media Observatory is envisaged as a long term, continous activity of the network of CSOs South East European Network for Profesionalization of the Media (SEENPM).

The regional partnership includes most relevant and vital national civil society organisations in five countries aspiring for EU membership (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Serbia) and two neighbouring EU member states (Hungary and Slovenia) engaged in efforts for media professionalization and media policy changes in their countries. The partners are: Peace Institute, Ljubljana (project leader), Albanian Media Institute (Tirana), Media Center Sarajevo, Investigative Journalism Center (Zagreb), Center for Independent Journalism (Budapest), Macedonian Institute for Media (Skopje), and Novi Sad School of Journalism.

Project associates: Kosovo Media Institute, Montenegro Media Institute, Medya Dernegy, Istanbul, The Guardian Foundation.

The project is funded by The European Union Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA); Civil Society Facility programme (CSF)