European Western Balkans: 2015 World Press Freedom Index Thursday 10 December 2015 - Infographic

Based on the World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RWB), the think-tank European Western Balkans has developed this infographic comparing media freedom rankings in the Western ... European Western Balkans: 2015 World Press Freedom Index

European Commission - Stakeholders

The European Commission plays an active role in supporting freedom and pluralism of media inside EU Member states, in the Enlargement countries and in its external relations.

The DG Communications Networks, Content & Technology (DG Connect) manages the EU Digital Agenda promoting transparency, freedom and diversity in Europe's media landscape. On the DG Connect web page dedicated to media freedom and pluralism you can find several acts, documents and studies on the subject.

The DG Enlargement (DG NEAR) incorporates media freedom and pluralism as principles in the Enlargement negotiation. The European Commission's annual strategy on EU enlargement highlights freedom of expression and media as one of the most important challenges for the countries aspiring to EU membership. Important events sanctioning this commitment are the SpeakUp! Conferences on freedom of expression in the Western Balkans and Turkey.

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) - Stakeholders

The Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) consists of individual member-organisations, registered in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia. As a group of editors and trainers, BIRN enables journalists in the region to produce in-depth analytical and investigative journalism on complex political, economic and social themes. Through the production of Balkan Insight, BIRN`s online publication, the network trains local and regional journalists, demanding the highest international standards. BIRN emerged from the Balkan programme of the London-based Institute for War & Peace Reporting, IWPR, in 2005.

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung - Stakeholders

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) is a political foundation based in Germany, acting as a think-tank and consulting agency. Its overall aim is to support the consolidationof democracy, the unification of Europe and the strengthening of transatlantic relations, as well as of development cooperation.

KAS Media Program South East Europe was established to strengthen the role of the media in the course of democratization and transformation - through advanced training, consultancy, dialogue and network building.

KAS BalkanMedia online platform presenting content of regional networks that are encouraging media freedom and diversity in South East Europe, as well as modern and transparent political communication.

South East European Media Observatory - Stakeholders

South East European (SEE) Media Observatory is a regional partnership of civil society organisations aimed at enhancing media freedom and pluralism and influencing media reforms in the countries of South East Europe.

It addresses the obstacle to democratic development and the problems of media and journalism integrity in the Balkan region, focusing on harmful patterns of media ownership and media finances. It provides a regional instrument for media research and monitoring, support to investigative journalism and civil society engagement. It also offers a regional framework for debates, consultations and coalitions among key stakeholders. SEE Media Observatory is part of South East European Network for Professionalization of the Media.

International assistance and media democratization in the Western Balkans: a cross-national comparison - Academic Sources

This report by Irion and Jusic, published by Analitika in 2013, compares the conditions and factors that influence the creation of sustainable and functional media institutions in the democratizing countries of the Western Balkans. It does so by taking into account the strong role played by international assistance programs and conditionality mechanisms.

Assessment of media system in Macedonia - Reports

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM) presents different causes of the drastic deterioration of press freedom in the country. Among the elements considered are the abuse of legal proceedings, the connection among media, public money and advertisement, as well as the need for amending the law on audiovisual media services and public broadcasting

Media reform stalled in the slow lane. Soft censorship in Serbia - Reports

The document released by WAN-IFRA in collaoration with BIRN as part of the project on soft censorship around the world, reports on Soft Censorship practices and its effects on media liberty in Serbia

The Charlie Hebdo effect in the Balkans - Reports

In this report the South East European Partnership for Media Development looks at Balkan countries' reactions to the attacks against the French journalists in January 2015

Reporting neighbours in Balkan media - Reports

What do the Western Balkan countries say about each other in their media outlets? The studies presented in this publication give some answers