BLACKOUT MAY: World Press Freedom Day marked

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), in cooperation and with the support of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, the United Nations Development Coordinator’s Office (UNDCO) and the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), marked the World Press Freedom Day with the motto “BLACKOUT MAY”. This year´s motto serves as a call to all institutions to jointly reflect on the state of press freedom and professional ethics.

To mark the day, an event with several activities took place with the aim of advocating for media freedom and to create a free and safe environment for journalists/media workers. The occasion served as a platform to remember all of the journalists who lost their lives or went missing during the period of 1998-2005 in Kosovo, followed by the request to institutions to uphold truth, accuracy and transparency. In addition, importance was placed on improving proper access to information, including official documents, as guaranteed by law.

During the day, a compilation of messages by local and international actors who called for media freedom and safety of journalists were displayed on a giant LED screen in front of the Assembly of Kosovo, organized by the AJK. Furthermore, the AJK in cooperation with its partners held a roundtable discussion (virtual and with physical presence) on the topic of “Challenges of Media Freedom and Security of Journalists in Kosovo. It included the attendance of ambassadors, relevant representatives of the media, and civil society.

The UN Development Coordinator Ulrika Richardson spoke about the important role of journalists in our society. "Journalists have a very privileged role in our societies, they have the ear and trust of the people, and of course this comes with a great responsibility to be able to provide information impartially and independently as much as possible…Now, with that comes the responsibilities of the institutions that have to ensure that the right conditions exist for journalists to do their profession, which is the Nobel profession”, she said.

Ambassador Michael Davenport, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, addressed the conference through a video message, in which he called on the media to combat misinformation by reporting correctly and based on facts.

The US Ambassador, Philip Kosnett’s quote stated that "A vibrant, free press - informing the public, empowering different voices and holding public officials accountable - is a fundamental component of any stable democracy. Journalists deserve our respect and protection. Threats and attacks against them are attacks on themselves. Democracy”.

Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, the Head of the European Union Rule of Law Mission, said during his speech that media freedom should not be taken for granted but should be protected as one of the main pillars of society.

Ambassador Nancy Soderberg, Senior Director of NDI in Kosovo, in her direct online address stated: "Journalists are at the forefront of defending democracy and you are definitely the fourth power.... You and the media have a key role to play in maintaining democratic stability and holding leaders accountable”.

The President of the Board of the AJK, Gentiana Begolli Pustina, addressed the audience on the freedom of the media and the safety of journalists, emphasizing the delicate environment for journalists. ‘’It is obvious how easily our colleagues are physically attacked, in the middle of the day, in the center of Pristina. While institutional refrain "investigations continue" remains the only answer….the civil society, the journalists, and the international mechanisms operating in Kosovo, must continue to raise the voice of the need to improve the working environment for journalists”, she said.

Flutura Kusari, media law lawyer, spoke on the issues arising from the misunderstanding of Kosovo institutions, including the rights of journalists to report and protect the source of information. Betim Musliu, journalist, spoke on difficulties of dealing with the reporting the physical attacks against journalists. Darko Dimitrijević, journalist, spoke of additional layer of difficulty for non-majority journalists in Kosovo, especially regarding their physical safety.

On this May 3, the jounsalists who lost their lives and are missing from  1998 to 2005 in Kosovo were commemorated with a special video commemoration, under the slogan "You have the truth before your eyes".

Present in the discussion panel through the Zoom platform were:

Nancy Soderberg - Senior Director of NDI for Kosovo,

Ricardo Gutiérrez - Secretary General of the European Federation of Journalists,

Imer Mushkolaj - Director of the Press Council of Kosovo,

Ardiana Thaçi - Journalist,

Betim Musliu - Journalist,

Darko Dimitrijević - Journalist,

Flutura Kusari – Lawyer, expert of media law.

You can see the full virtual discussion on this link: LINK