War crimes and the media: A possibility for the rebuilding of trust
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Reporting on war crimes in the countries of the region was the main topic of the roundtable discussion held on 18th and 19th May in the Mediacentar Sarajevo, organized by the Transitions Online. Eighteen NGO and media representatives from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro took part in the roundtable discussions.
Issues covered in the discussion include challenges of the war crime trials and human rights violations.
The roundtable discussion mostly focused on war crimes reporting, manipulation of the victims numbers and circumstances of their death, as well as cooperation of the institutions of the system, civil society and media on the issue of re-establishing trust. According to the conclusions of the roundtable discussion, unsystematic coverage of the above identified issues, lack of information, comprehension and knowledge among the journalists are some of the greatest problems in relation with the war crimes reporting.
Particular attention was devoted to the establishment of the Commission for Truth and Reconciliation in BiH, its structure and operating procedures.
The roundtable discussion panellists included: Dejan Anastasijević, “Vreme” - Belgrade; Boris Vlašić, “Jutarnji list-Zagreb”; Drago Pilsel, “Novi list” - Rijeka, Nidžara Ahmetašević, Justice Report - “Balkanska istraživačka mreža” - Sarajevo; Sabina Čehajić, “University of Sussex” - Brighton, Zoran Pajić, “Kings College London”, Nevena Ršumović, www.netnovinar.org, the Mediacentar Sarajevo.
This is the second roundtable discussion organised this year by the Transitions Online (the Internet magazine for the region of 28 former Communist countries in the South-Eastern Europe, www.tol.cz). The third roundtable discussion is due to be held on 28th – 29th September at the Mediacentar Sarajevo.
The project is realised with the financial assistance of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), and the United States Institute for Peace (USIP).
The project is hosted by the NetNovinar-Centre for media education and investigative journalism (founders: Mediacentar Sarajevo and the Investigative Journalism Centre Zagreb).