Frequently Asked Questions
What is the course about?
European Journalism in the Digital Age: Rights and Risks is a training course designed to equip journalists and others working in Central and Southeastern Europe against legal, ethical and technical challenges arising in the age of digital publication.
How is this different from other training courses?
Combining an interactive approach, the course will provide a combination of short video lectures, relevant legislation and case law and written materials, together with interesting quizzes and assignments. As the issues covered by the course are comprehensive and complex, we believe that this kind of approach is the best for participants taking the course.
Think of it as a first aid kit and survival guide for working journalists, activists and media lawyers.
What is the conception of the course?
This is a hybrid-style course, as one part of the course will be held in person and the other part online. Participants will gather in the region (Perast, Montenegro) for a weekend in May for the first of the course’s three Modules (Digital Journalism Fundamentals), while Module 2 (covering specific issues related to newsgathering) and Module 3 (covering issues related to publishing) will be held online with some live instruction.
Why do one part in-person?
One goal of the course is to create a network for future cooperation, as the challenges for media freedom will continue to have an increasing international dimension. We want participants and instructors to get to know to each other and hopefully stay in touch long after the course is over.
Who can apply?
Journalists, media lawyers, activists publishing information in the public interest and using freedom of expression as a work tool are more than welcome to apply for the course. The course is designed for those working in democracies under pressure in the following 15 countries of Central and Southeastern Europe: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine.
The participants must possess a strong command of English, written and verbal. Prior domestic and/or international experience in their respective area of work and in relation to the course topics will also be taken into account in the selection process. Participants who are accepted to attend the course must confirm that they will be able to commit to the course in full, both for the offline and online parts.
When is the application deadline?
March 5, 2018, at 17.00 (5pm) Central European Time.
Who’s teaching the course?
The course will be taught by renowned experts in law and journalism: Dean Starkman (CMDS, CEU Budapest); Djordje Krivokapic (SHARE Foundation/Faculty of Organizational Sciences, Belgrade); Gill Phillips (The Guardian); Nani Jansen Reventlow (Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, Harvard University). Full biographies of teachers are available here.
Why is the course important?
Because for journalists and others working in today’s environment, what you don’t know can hurt you. In today’s ever-evolving digital environment, it is important to understand fundamental issues of defining who is a journalist and what is a journalistic act, as well as rapidly evolving ethics. Also, better understanding of the right to access public information, privacy issues and risks associated with defamation and libel is crucial for all actors publishing information of public interest. Safe handling of leaked materials, protection of sources and physical and technical integrity are also paramount for any watchdog organization. Upon completion of the course, participants will be equipped with best practices for overcoming challenges of publishing in the digital environment.