Journalism students and journalists participating in the second edition of the Information Integrity Academy were lectured today about the verification of facts, information, videos and images.

This module, taught by Shkëlzen Osmani – founder of the fact-checking platform, hibrid.info, showed the participants an online platform on how facts, videos and images can be verified. During the examples that were discussed, the participants had the opportunity to practice online fact-checking tools, videos and images. Practical examples allowed them to apply these tools practically.

In addition, crucial aspects of information integrity were discussed and the challenges of image and video verification, including deepfake technology, were addressed.

The Information Integrity Academy will continue with four more modules in the following months.

PODGORICA, 17.11.2023. – During 2021, in the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica, three cases were formed and then archived, because, even though numerous information and data were checked, they did not lead to new evidence about the perpetrators and those who ordered the murder of the editor of “Dana” Duško Jovanović, “Vijesti” reports.

The cases formed after the murder of Jovanović – the first after the crime in May 2004 and then several more from 2013 to 2022 – were prosecuted by several prosecutors at the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica.

This is stated, among other things, in the report of the head of the Higher State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica, Lepa Medenica, on the actions of the prosecutors in the cases formed after the murder of the editor of “Dana”, which is being considered by the Prosecutor’s Council.

After more information, several persons were interviewed and other expert examinations were carried out, no new evidence was found.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called the Serbian government to implement European Commission recommendations aimed at improving media regulations and combating Russian disinformation.

A press release said that Serbia must revise media reforms to respond to disinformation challenges in line with EU calls.

“The Serbian parliament recently passed two media laws but, in the European Union’s view, progress in this area is still limited. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges the Serbian government to adopt the European Commission’s recommendations in order to improve media regulation and combat Russian disinformation more effectively,” the RSF press release said.

It recalled that the European Commission’s latest progress report noted that Serbia made limited progress on media freedom because of frequent and virulent verbal attacks against journalists by public officials, the lack of independence of the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM), the lack of transparency on media ownership, and the dissemination of Russian disinformation by many media outlets. It added that newly adopted media laws allow the state to buy media outlets via the Telekom Serbia company.

“We welcome the adoption of these two media laws in Serbia, which contain real solutions for improving press freedom. However, these reforms are not up to the challenges. The possibility of a return to state ownership of the media and the lack of a real overhaul of the REM are prompting concerns about renewed pressure from the Serbian authorities and a prominent place for Russian propaganda. As a candidate for accession to the European Union, Serbia must be more ambitious in its reforms. We call on the government to review these laws in light of the recommendations in the European Commission’s report,” the press release quoted RSF EU-Balkans desk chief Pavol Szalai as saying.

“RSF calls on the Serbian government to follow the European Commission’s recommendations to: take measures to combat the dissemination of Russian disinformation, ensure the independence of the REM and protect journalists against all forms of violence and intimidation.

RSF also recalled that the two new media laws were put forward by the government at the last minute and were adopted late at night with by-laws still to come. “The government could still improve or, on the contrary, toughen some of the laws,” it said.

Source: N1

Working as a journalist has never been easy. However, the specificity of today’s times is the increasingly frequent threats, primarily security-related, directed towards journalists and media professionals, it was stated at today’s meeting of media representatives and media associations representing the majority of media outlets in Croatia.

Because of all this, the Croatian Journalists’ Association and the Trade Union of Croatian Journalists’ recently agreed with the Ministry of the Interior on a Cooperation Agreement regarding police procedures at public gatherings and in the event that journalists and media professionals become victims of criminal acts while performing their duties.

At today’s meeting with media representatives and media associations representing the majority of media outlets in Croatia, we presented the Cooperation Agreement, Protocol on police procedures in cases of criminal offenses against journalists on assignment, and the Protocol on police procedures for journalists and media professionals at public gatherings of public interest. We also invite you to familiarize yourselves with these documents.

The representative of the Ministry of the Interior, Marina Mandić, emphasized that the Protocols establish a process and presented specific steps for implementation. The Protocol on procedures at public gatherings was first activated during three parallel protests that took place after the start of the terrible conflicts in Israel and Gaza.

“Some journalists were aware of the Protocol, some were not. They all came to report because they recognized the spokesperson of the relevant police station, who is also the contact person for journalists and media professionals regarding security questions at gatherings. In this case, the journalists did not use the safe place defined by the protocol, but they welcomed the fact that it exists,” described Mandić how the first application of the Protocol went.

The representative of the Croatian Employers’ Association – Association of Newspaper Publishers, Tomislav Wruss, welcomed the structuring of police procedures in this way during events of high security risk. This sentiment was also echoed by the representative of the Croatian Association of Digital Publishers, Ozren Kronja, as well as the Director of the News Program of Nova TV, Ksenija Kardum, and the representative of HRT, Renato Kunić.

The meeting was also an excellent opportunity to further acquaint employer representatives with the activities of the Ministry of Culture and Media. The Director of the Media and Creative Industries Development Department, Jasna Vaniček-Fila, reported that they are still working on educating judges regarding SLAPP cases, as well as the Council of Europe’s campaign on journalist safety.

“This campaign is a platform open to as many participants as possible who can devise useful measures to protect journalist safety,” explained Vaniček-Fila, adding that the National Plan for the Development of Culture and Media, which is under development, has as its first measure the protection of journalist safety and the improvement of the profession’s position.

Times are challenging, there are many problems, but dialogue is certainly the best way to start addressing them. Therefore, we believe that today’s meeting is just the first in a series of meetings with media employers and the beginning of social dialogue.

Journalists Fatos Hetemi and Irfan Maliqi from the local media outlet Plus TV were threatened with death.

The editors of Plus TV have informed the Association of Journalists of Kosovo about receiving death threats from a Facebook account. These threats came after the publication of their recent media coverage on the two mosques in the Municipality of Vitia.

“The threats to kill are addressed to PlusTV journalist Irfan Maliqi and director Fatos Hetemi. These threats are in reaction to Plus television’s series of reports on the problems and concerns regarding the mosques in Skifteraj and Ramnishte, both located in this municipality. According to the Islamic Community of Vitia, which is affiliated with the BIK, the two mosques, one in Skifteraj and the other in Ramnishte, are not within the BIK’s control or management and are frequented by suspicious individuals”.

Plus TV stated that they have notified the Kosovo Police in the Gjilan Region about the threats.

AJK considers the threat very serious and dangerous and strongly condemns it.

AJK invites the Kosovo Police to ensure the safety of journalists and other media workers and work intensively on identifying and arresting the individual responsible for the threat.

The AJK has been informed that a crew from the “Insajderi” portal was attacked in Vushtrri by a local imam.

According to journalist Preniqi’s statement, Imam Halili physically attacked her after hearing the question.

“Hoxha turns to me yelling, ‘Get out of here quickly. He grabs my arm, squeezes it, and pulls me about a meter away. He refers to me with the words “One of those you are asking is you too,” she stated, adding that Halili attempted to attack her with a tiny stool even after the police came.

The AJK considers the physical attack against the journalist team to be serious and unacceptable since it jeopardized their safety and hindered the development of their professional work. Even though the attack kept going in the presence of police, the imam was released after being questioned as per the prosecutor’s orders.

AJK urges the authorities to prioritize the investigation and charge the person who physically assaulted the journalists.

The Croatian Journalists’ Association (HND) strongly condemns the outburst of the Minister of Culture and Media, Nina Obuljen Koržinek, directed at Telegram journalist Dora Kršul. Kršul had investigated and documented irregularities at the Faculty of Geodesy, funded by the European Union without a public tender, through the Ministry of Culture and Media. Employing the “shoot the messenger” method, the minister attempted to discredit Kršul on a personal level, casting doubt on her professional integrity in the public eye when faced with uncomfortable questions about the arrest of the dean of the Faculty of Geodesy and the investigative actions of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office related to the discoveries made by our colleague.

We are talking about an old and proven method of avoiding responsibility by diverting attention from the hot topic and focusing on the journalist as a topic of interest. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case but a standard communication tactic employed by high-ranking officials when dealing with journalists. We expected a better from the Minister of Media.

Dora Kršul is the president of the Association of Investigative Journalists and a member of the Executive Board of the Croatian Journalists Association. She is among the best journalists of her generation and a multiple recipient of HND’s annual awards, including two for investigative journalism. The Minister of Media should be familiar with the fundamentals of the media department she oversees and aware of her position when attacking journalists instead of addressing the questions raised. HND considers the way top officials belittle journalists to evade public accountability as dangerous and expresses concern because the minister, who one day defends the media and the next day criticizes journalists from a position of power, reveals her stance on the importance of independent and professional journalism in a democratic society.

For the Executive Board of the Croatian Journalists’ Association,

Hrvoje Zovko, President of HND

Chiara Bilić, Vice President of HND

Drago Hedl, Vice President of HND