Pristina, Kosovo - The EBU Partnership Programme has launched a series of seminars on public service news for Members in Balkan countries preparing to join the European Union (EU).

The two-day workshop on 21-22 March was mounted in collaboration with Radio Television Kosovo (RTK) and Eurovision ACADEMY.

Drawing 16 journalists from various language services at RTK (Albanian, Bosnian, Roma, Serbian and Turkish), it was the first of eight events for journalists under an action plan co-funded by the European Union entitled 'Enabling the democratic role of public service media in the EU accession countries.' 

The opening session addressed the six core values of public service media, as adopted unanimously by the EBU General Assembly of June 2012 (universality, independence, excellence, diversity, accountability and innovation). Subsequent modules tackled the editorial principles deriving from the values (Impartiality & Independence, Fairness & Respect, Accuracy & Relevance, Connected & Accountable).

"Although the EBU editorial principles can be expressed in a few words, discussing the full implications with the journalists who use them is vital," said lead trainer Jonathan Stoneman, a former BBC journalist, editor and instructor who is now a faculty member of Eurovision ACADEMY.  

One key module, entitled ‘Meet the Audience’, brought the journalists together with the viewers and listeners that they serve; in many post-Communist societies, audiences still mistrust national broadcasters, suspecting them of being tools of the state or ruling party.

"This session gave a concrete face and concrete voice of the audience, which broadcasters often perceive as a remote abstraction," said Radka Betcheva, Senior Project Manager of the EBU Partnership Programme. "The audience members, including three students, gave different and honest feedback, and expressed refreshing ideas."

The Partnership Programme will mount similar tailored seminars over coming weeks in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and the Serbian province of Vojvodina.

The national workshops follow a regional conference in the Croatian capital of Zagreb, last December, which tested a curriculum highlighting the essential features of news in public service media.

They will be followed in turn by a regional “train the trainers” seminar for promising individuals identified in the national workshops. Graduates from that seminar will then roll out a fully fledged training operation in their own organizations - assisted, when needed, by Eurovision ACADEMY through the Partnership Programme.