AJK and UNMIK organized the first meeting within the framework of the "From media, for media" project
The Association of Kosovo Journalists (AJK), in cooperation with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo – UNMIK, over the weekend organized the first meeting within the framework of the “From media, for media” project. This project aims to create guidelines/regulation for the functioning and strengthening of professional standards of the media in Kosovo.
At this meeting, AJK was represented by the Chairperson of the Board, Xhemajl Rexha, the Vice Chairperson of the Board, Naile Dema Selmani and the Board member, Blerta Dalloshi Berisha. AJK Chairman, Mr. Rexha, described the joint project with UNMIK as an important effort to unify newsrooms through functional regulations and to strengthen professional standards in reporting and regulation.
During the meeting, it was emphasized that the project includes three main components: drafting policies and operating regulations, promoting interethnic dialogue in the media, and combating hate speech, through training and monitoring of the media in Albanian and Serbian language. The Deputy Chairperson of the AJK, Naile Dema Selmani, stated that the main goal is to create a comprehensive approach and that such a document would be welcomed by all media.
Nikola Gaon, Public Information Officer at UNMIK, said that this project represents the continuation of the previous work carried out through the trust-building forum. According to Gaon, the main idea is not simply to regulate the media, but to create a guide that provides assistance to the media in developing editorial policies.
The meeting was attended by representatives of various institutions and organizations, including the Independent Media Commission, the Information and Privacy Agency, the University of Pristina - Journalism Department, as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations and media operating in Kosovo. The possibility of this guideline serving as a supporting document for the work of The Press Council of Kosovo was also discussed.
A list of general principles was proposed to be included in the guideline, emphasizing the need for agreement and consensus from all media. Flutura Kusari, media lawyer, emphasized that such a document would help the media to summarize and formalize existing rules in a single document with universal principles and standards for every media.
This project is supported by the United Nations Mission in Kosovo – UNMIK, which will continue with other meetings and activities in the coming months.
