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UNESCO presents the results of the project “Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey” at the 2019 EU-Western Balkans Media Days.

In the context of the 2019 EU-Western Balkan Media Days, UNESCO presented the results of its EU-funded project to build trust in media in South East Europe and Turkey. The Media Days took place in Podgorica on 12 and 13 September 2019 and gathered more than 350 representatives of media and civil society organisations, as well as policymakers from the region and the European Union (EU). For the first time, national authorities from the region joined the conference as well, to discuss their actions to improve the conditions for journalists and independent media. Ongoing EU assistance to the region includes a number of programs fostering regional cooperation, including a long-standing partnership with UNESCO to promote and support media accountability and Media and Information Literacy (MIL).

“The strategy chosen by UNESCO to build trust in media in the region by focusing on strengthening media professionalism, good governance and media users’ critical thinking proved very relevant and timely. Results of this project call for continuous efforts in these areas to ensure citizens’ resilience to disinformation and increased demand for quality content.”

Results of the project

The lessons learnt of the Project Building Trust in Media in South East Europe and Turkey implemented from 2016 to 2019 include:

These lessons set the ground for a Phase 2 of the project, which should start in autumn 2019.

“Independent and quality media are not only crucial for providing factual and trustworthy information which enable citizens to make informed decisions and to participate actively in the democratic process. They are also crucial for holding governments to account, representing in this function a key ally in the full-scale implementation of the rule of law”, reminded EU Director-General Christian Danielsson in the opening remarks of the conference.