Incidents in the digital sphere in the South Eastern Europe used to occur only occasionally. Until a couple of years ago, there were no clear signs of organised attempts to dominate the public space by controlling the social discourse and using the techniques of information warfare. One of the recent reports, related to Serbia, shows that journalists are one of the most endangered categories of human rights defenders.
The role of the digital space became vital for investigative journalism while on the other hand the digital environment is making journalists more vulnerable than ever. We’d like to enroll experts and investigative journalists into a panel discussion, from countries with rise of authoritarianism and grief on basic freedoms (Croatia, Hungary, Serbia), where the smear campaigns and online attacks are becoming a very powerful weapon for disabling public to enjoy their basic right to know , to discuss with them on:
- How it looks to be a journalist in CEE/SEE, focusing on their own countries and how they deal with challenges?
- Differences / similarities between investigative journalism practices in the CEE/SEE space and the rest of Europe?
- Who are the main players in spreading fake news and propaganda in SEE, and who are the “usual suspects” when it comes to attacks on professional journalism and digital rights in SEE?
- How does the relationship between SEE countries affect the nature of investigative journalism in this space?
This summer, the SHARE Foundation and BIRN have started a joint regional project to monitor digital threats and trends, raise awareness about violations of digital freedom and provide policy recommendations on how to improve the state of human rights in the digital environment. The database aims to document and to show the amount the frequency of these attacks on various groups, including journalists. The database is part of BIRN Investigative Resource Desk – an innovative interactive platform created for journalists who want to keep up-to-date with the fast-changing world of technology without sacrificing their ethics or the standards of professional journalism.
This panel will serve as a platform for investigative journalist from SEE and field experts to share their experiences and to discuss useful practices for combating threats and pressures which are mainly happening in the digital environment.
Moderator:
- Sofija Todorovic – BIRN, Project Coordinator (Serbia)
Speakers:
- Andrej Petrovski – Share Foundation, Director of Tech (Serbia)
- Marija Ristic – BIRN, Regional Director (Serbia)
- Peter Erdelyi – 444.hu, Senior Editor (Hungary)
- Tatjana Lazarevic – Kossev, Editor in Chief (Kosovo)
- Domagoj Zovak – Prime Time, Editor and Anchor (Croatia)
Check out the full programme here.
Registrations are open until Friday 17 January, 2020 here.