OSCE supports Press Council of Kosovo awareness campaign
PRISHTINE/PRISTINA, 16 June 2010 - The OSCE Mission in Kosovo today launched the second phase of an awareness campaign to support the Press Council of Kosovo (PCK), the body in charge of handling complaints against newspapers related to alleged breaches of the Press Code of Conduct.
The campaign is part of the Mission's long-standing support to the Press Council of Kosovo. A series of television spots will be broadcast for three weeks and radio spots for one month starting today.
The project also supports other activities, including the publication of a brochure on complaints settled by the PCK, regional workshops for the PCK and local journalists on adherence to the Press Code, and a workshop for the PCK and judiciary representatives. The Mission will also sponsor PCK representatives' participation in the annual conference of the Alliance of International Press Councils in Amsterdam.
Opening today's news conference to launch the campaign, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Werner Almhofer, stressed the need for journalists to support the work of the PCK by upholding the principles of ethical reporting, integrity and honesty.
"This campaign will enable the public to make the best use of available resources in instances where they feel their interests have not been best served by print media," Almhofer said. "In addition, while recognizing the importance of freedom of media, we also want to make sure that rights of individuals are not violated by media."
The PCK is a self-regulatory body for the print media established in 2005 and run by print media in Kosovo. It is responsible for monitoring the adherence of Kosovo's print media to the Press Code, and for receiving and adjudicating complaints filed by residents and institutions in Kosovo.
The OSCE Mission supports the development of independent and professional media in Kosovo as an integral component of a democratic society.
Follow this link to find spots in Albanian and Serbian: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=DE14B9333D021BDA