The only Bulgarian woman in the team of over 300 reporters from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists who won Pulitzer for 2017 is the journalist Aleksenia Dimitrova, member of the Board of the Media Development Center.

The team’s prestigious prize is for the Panama Peppers Investigation for offshore celebrity accounts.

“I think when the spirit of the bottle comes out, it could hardly be taken back. In my opinion every politician or any public figure who decides to make any misuse or to hide money and taxes will be more careful from thins moment on. I have the pleasure of working with colleagues from all over the world. It was an honor for me to be part of this world journalism. All colleagues are happy that our work has been appreciated,” Alexenia Dimitrova said.

The Media Development Center prepared and presented regional report
„Media Literacy and Education Needs of Journalists and the Public in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbiа “ during a regional conference in Macedonia

On 28 and 29 March in Skopje the Macedonian Institute for Media held the regional conference “Media Literacy and Education Needs of Journalists and the Public”. The event was organized within the framework of the project “Partnership in Southeast Europe for Media Development”, co-funded by the European Union. The conference was attended by more than 50 experts, academics, representatives of society and institutions from countries in Southeast Europe and Turkey.

During the event a special study on the need for adequate education for both journalists and the public in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia was presented. The project was implemented by the Center for Independent Journalism, Romania, in partnership with the Media Development Center, Bulgaria and other organizations representing the media from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

Adriana Popova and Yana Pelovska from the Media Development Center prepared the regional report “Media Literacy and Education Needs of Journalists and the Public in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia” which was presented by Alexenya Dimitrova, member of the Management Board of the MDC.

Alexenya Dimitrova presenting the report “Media Literacy and Education Needs of Journalists and the Public in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia” prepared by the Media Development Center

The project objectives are to:

– support the development of independent and accountable media in the Western Balkans;
– improve the capacity of media organizations to address working and education conditions of journalists;
– improve knowledge, skills and attitudes of journalists with respect to advocacy and media literacy;
– inform and sparkle educated public debates on freedom of expression in general, and media freedom in particular;
– broaden the stakeholders’ and civic support for media sector reform processes;
– support the accession process of the five IPA countries in the project (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia)

The participants had the opportunity to discuss results and recommendations of the report on the media literacy and educational needs of journalists and society in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro. Discussions were also held on the types of journalistic education, the media literacy of the public, and the importance of freedom of speech and the media.

The Center for Media, Data, and Society at the School of Public Policy of Central European University, is announcing an open call for candidates for its certificate-based legal training program for journalists, civil society advocates and media lawyers in Central and Southeastern Europe. European Journalism in the Digital Age (EJDA) is a unique ‘hybrid’-style online and offline course that focuses on providing participants with the fundamentals of media and freedom of expression law in the digital age and practical solutions for combatting threats from litigants, hackers, and hostile governments. The course features an intensive two-day workshop in Belgrade on the weekend of May 20-21, 2017, followed by nine weeks of top-level online instruction.

The program is highly selective.  We are looking for the region’s most highly skilled and committed practitioners, regardless of age or experience.  The program, which seeks to create an elite network of journalists, activists, and lawyers, covers all expenses, including tuition and travel.

• codes of ethics and professional standards for public watchdogs;
• access to information in possession of public bodies;
• defamation and libel;
• privacy;
• source protection and working with whistleblowers;
• working with documents that are leaked, classified, illegally obtained;
• personal and digital security.

Tuition for the 10-week course is free. All expenses will be paid by the program.

The program features an all-star team of instructors, including Gillian Phillips, the top in-house lawyer for The Guardian, Nani Jansen Reventlow, a noted human rights and freedom of expression scholar and advocate on the international scene, Djordje Krivokapic, Legal and Policy Director of SHARE Foundation and lecturer at the Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Belgrade and Dean Starkman, a Pulitzer-prize winning investigative reporter and noted media critic. The course is funded by the Open Society Foundations and is supported by SHARE Foundation, Serbia.

Successful participants will receive a professional certificate from the CEU School of Public Policy, signed by the Dean and verifiable for employers.

We think of this course as some of a first aid kit and survival guide for European journalists and others in the digital age to protect themselves from legal, regulatory, digital and physical threats, and to head off trouble before it starts.

But it’s something else, too. EJDA also seeks to forge lasting bonds between our participants and staff to create a network of committed journalists, advocates and lawyers to help defend journalism, media independence and democracy generally. Apply today and join us. Application deadline: March 31, 2017, at 17.00 (5pm) Central European Time