PRESS RELEASES, DECLARATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

SEEMO would like to release information about the three very successful “Dialogue Conferences” it organised in the first half of 2003, which were sponsored by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs:

1. The meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives from Kosovo and Serbia, in Ohrid, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), from 7-9 May 2003, which was organized in cooperation with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. This was a historical conference, since it was the first time that editors-in-chief, media managers and leading journalists from Kosovo and Serbia met. More than 100 participants came to the meeting, including editors-in-chief or CEO of all leading media in Serbia and Kosovo.

2. The meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives from Montenegro on 26 March 2003 in Podgorica, Montenegro, where more than 50 leading Montenegrin media representatives (editors-in-chief or CEO of all leading media in Montenegro) were present. It was a good opportunity to discuss the problems of media and media workers in Montenegro.

3. The meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives of Roma media from East and South East Europe on 2-3 July 2003, in Belgrade, Serbia, with more than 70 editors-in-chief or CEO of Roma media in the region of South East and Central Europe.

Also SEEMO would like to inform about a new book by Kemal Kurspahic, that was published by SEEMO. Together with the Media Centre in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and with financial help from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, SEEMO published in April 2003 the book, “Prime Time Crime”, (in Bosnian), written by Kemal Kurspahic, former editor-in-chief of the daily Oslobodjenje, Sarajevo. SEEMO will also publish a Serbian edition of this Book with Dan Graf publishing group in Belgrade.

Dialogue Between Editors-in-Chief and Media Executives from Croatia and Serbia

Vienna, 19 October 2003

SEEMO Holds Dialogue Between Editors-in-Chief and Media Executives from Croatia and Serbia.

The Vienna based The South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), an affiliate of the International Press Institute (IPI), is pleased to announce the meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives from Croatia and Serbia, to be held in Opatija, Croatia, from 21-23 October 2003.

The conference, organised in cooperation with the International Center for Education of Journalists (ICEJ) from Opatija and with the financial support of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs, is part of SEEMO South East Europe Dialogue Meetings.

The SEEMO Vienna office has registered over 90 participants from both Croatia and Serbia for the Opatija conference, as well as prominent international guests. This is the first meeting between such high-ranking media professionals from Croatia and Serbia since the war.

During 2002, in May and November, SEEMO organised dialogues between editors-in-chief and media executives from FYROM (Republic of Macedonia) in Ljubljana and Skopje.

In 2003 SEEMO organised numerous dialogues for the media: in March 2003, it organised the meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives from Montenegro in Podgorica; in May 2003, it organized the meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives from Serbia and Kosovo in Ohrid; and, in September 2003, it organized the meeting of editors-in-chief and media executives from Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Vojvodina in Salzburg. In July 2003, SEEMO organized a dialogue between editors-in-chief and media executives of Roma Media in South East and Central Europe in Belgrade.

All of these meeting were successful and they were the first such high ranking media meetings to help foster better communications and the exchange of information among leading media professionals.

SEEMO BELGRADE DECLARATION 2003

Belgrade, 3 July 2003

SEEMO successfully concluded a two-days conference of editors-in-chief, media executives and leading journalists of Roma media from East and South East Europe, which was held on 2-3 July 2003 in Belgrade. More than 70 editors-in-chief and media executives of Roma media, took part in the meeting, as well as various international guests. As result of the meeting, the following conclusions and appeals to the international community and political representatives were put forward:

In the last ten years, there have been several International meetings, where problems of the Roma media were discussed, including:

Conference of Roma Editors- in-Chief on 8-9 April 1994 in Novi Sad, Serbia.
International Conference of Roma Editors- in-Chief on 27-30 December 1994 in Belgrade, Serbia.
International Conference of Roma Editors-in-Chief in May 1997 in Budapest, Hungary.
International Conference of Roma Editors-in-Chief on 4-7 February 1999 in Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia-FYROM
Over the last five years, there have been at least ten similar meetings with national and regional character where topics concerning Roma Media were discussed. In general, the same questions and problems have been elaborated as the most crucial problems of Roma media.The SEEMO “Dialogue Conference” of Editors in-Chief, Media Executives and Leading Journalists of Roma Media from East and South East Europe, identified the following issues:

BASIC PROBLEMS

1. The situation of Roma Media, nationally and internationally, is not satisfactory. This is influenced by:

Legal regulations connected with minority media in some countries;
Lack of professional Roma journalists in the region;
Lack of financial sources for financing the work of Roma Media.
1. The situation of Roma Media, nationally and internationally, is not satisfactory. This is influenced by:
Legal regulations connected with minority media in some countries;
Lack of professional Roma journalists in the region;
Lack of financial sources for financing the work of Roma Media.
2. In order to overcome this unsatisfactory situation, especially in countries with large Roma populations, a network of Roma Media on a European level should be created. This is necessary because:
Roma Media have no means for presenting the wide spectrum of information available, because the conditions for information exchange are very limited.
One of the reasons for this situation, as concluded at the SEEMO meeting, is the lack of cooperation between Roma Media. Therefore, it was recommended at the SEEMO meeting to develop this cooperation between Roma Media as soon as possible.

The establishment of a data base for information exchange, about Roma or in the Romany language. The recommendation of the SEEMO meeting is that some of the existing Roma Media should take upon themselves the coordination of these activities.

3. It is especially important to emphasize the development of print Roma media. Print media in the Romany language are important because of:

The standardisation of the Romany language, which is realized through print media;
Creating reading habits within the Roma population;
The recommendation is that: Governments and governmental institutions should buy parts of these print copies published by Roma and distribute them free of charge to interested users.

4. In connection with the lack of professional journalists’ staff among Roma populations, it was concluded that: Editors and journalists of Roma Media are mostly people without appropriate education, and because of that reason it has been recommended:

To organize local and regional courses for journalists from Roma Media;
That the SEEMO undertake activities connected with training and courses for Roma journalists and editors, in cooperation with representatives of minority media and all other interested parties.

5. Because of the existing practices of different forms of discrimination against representatives of Roma Media, the recommendation is:

Roma journalists should inform SEEMO in Vienna about all the problems which representatives of Roma Media have during their work, especially with regard to police, customs or border police. On the basis of this information, SEEMO will act according to the practice of IPI.

To form a Board of five Roma Media representatives, which would take decisions about specific problems and activities connected with the education of Roma journalists and about other issues connected with the existence of Roma media.
Members of the Board are: Peter Stefanov – Bulgaria, Jarmila Balazova – Czech Republic, Zoran Dimov Republic of Macedonia – FYROM, Orhan Galjus – Netherlands, Dragoljub Ackovic – Serbia-Montenegro
Board meetings will be held in Vienna at SEEMO headquarters or at some other agreed place.
To form a Board of five Roma Media representatives, which would take decisions about specific problems and activities connected with the education of Roma journalists and about other issues connected with the existence of Roma media.
Members of the Board are: Peter Stefanov – Bulgaria, Jarmila Balazova – Czech Republic, Zoran Dimov Republic of Macedonia – FYROM, Orhan Galjus – Netherlands, Dragoljub Ackovic – Serbia-Montenegro
Board meetings will be held in Vienna at SEEMO headquarters or at some other agreed place.

6. Because of the lack of managing staff in Roma Media, it has been suggested:

To organize seminars for management of Roma Media;
To hold the first seminar in Opatija in November 2003, organised by SEEMO;
7. Special emphasis should be placed on production development and information exchange in Roma electronic media, as well as on the protection of copy rights.

8. With regard to the fact that in certain situations non-Roma Media display a misunderstanding towards Roma, we appeal:

To all non Roma Media worldwide to draw special attention to basic human principles of journalistic ethics.
9. Programmes in the Romany language should be initialised within all public services or state media in European countries. It has been recommended:

To send a recommendation to all Governments in countries in which Roma have these problems.
10. The Conference recommends to all employees in Roma media to become members of SEEMO, as also local and international journalists’ associations in order to preserve their rights and to protect the interests of their profession.