The ‘Matra
Rule of Law Training Programme’ offers a training on the Freedom of the Media
for civil servants working on the media law or policy from the Western Balkans countries, Georgia, Moldova,
Turkey and Ukraine. The training is fully financed by the Dutch Government and
is delivered by the Leiden
Law School, the Netherlands Helsinki Committee, and the Hague Academy for Local Governance. The
training will take place online from 1 March until 2 April 2021, and the
application deadline is 24 January. More details about the application process
can be found here.
The focus and aims of the training are described below by the organisers:
“Freedom of expression and media freedom are crucial
for every democratic society. Journalists and the media keep the public
informed on matters of general interest to society. They act as public
watchdogs who hold governmental authorities and other powerful forces in
society to account. They expose wrongdoings and corruption. They provide shared
spaces for public debate. In order to perform these roles, journalists and the
media need to enjoy strong legal protection.
Such
protection is provided by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights
and Article 11 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which guarantee freedom
of expression and information for everyone. The freedom enjoyed by the media,
which is based on these articles, is not unlimited. It is governed by duties
and responsibilities. It is also subject to certain limitations imposed by law,
for example to protect children from harmful content and to prevent the spread
of hate speech. These and other themes will be examined in the training programme,
including the safety of journalists (with a special focus on female
journalists), minorities and the media, and the thorny question of online
disinformation. While the central focus will be on the media, there will be
wider attention for the range of other actors in the online communications
environment, such as platforms and social media.
The
training programme aims to increase understanding of the
European regulatory and policy standards relating to the concepts of media
freedom and the right of the public to be properly informed. Presentations on
Dutch and European experiences in dealing with these issues will encourage the
participants to reflect on the situation in their own countries, to identify
areas for reform and to nurture exchanges on practices in other countries.
Special attention will be paid to obstacles and dilemmas in the implementation
process and how to overcome them.”
