OSCE Mission to Montenegro organizes study visit to Amsterdam for representatives of media self-regulatory bodies

As part of the continuous efforts to strengthen the media self-regulatory bodies in Montenegro, the OSCE Mission organized a study visit to Netherlands for the representatives of the Technical Working Group on Self-Regulation on 30 and 31 May.

Representatives of the Working Group Ranko Vujović and Aneta Spaić of the Media Council for Self-Regulation, Mihailo Jovović, editor-in-chief of daily Vijesti; Paula Petričević, Ombudsperson of daily Vijesti and weekly Monitor, Ilija Jovićević, Ombudsperson of daily Dan, Ljiljana Minić, editor at daily Dan and Danijela Popović, Ombudsperson of RTCG met in Amsterdam with the Press Council of the Netherlands and the Dutch Association of Journalists. Montenegrin delegation also met with Persveilig – a safety mechanism consisting of representatives of the media, the police and the Prosecutor’s Office, established in 2019 to reduce threat, violence and aggression against media workers.

Being an example of a successful media self-regulatory body, the Press Council presented its work to the delegation and explained how they adapted their regulations to the changes in the media market. The meeting was an opportunity to compare the work and responsibilities of the Dutch Council with the ones of the Montenegrin Media Council and the Ombudspersons. The Montenegrin delegation learned more about mechanisms used in Netherlands while deciding on appeals and got acquainted with duration of procedures and relevant actors involved, providing the possibility for some of these practices to be applied in Montenegro.

Second day of the visit provided for the Montenegrin delegation to hear more about how the Dutch Association of Journalists and PersVeilig operate, and learn about their membership, training opportunities, support they provide, in light of common challenges that Dutch and Montenegrin media face today.

The study visit provided the opportunity for the representatives of the self-regulatory bodies to discuss specific cases and learn about best practices and current trends in the field of self-regulation, all discussions which will help them in case the Codex of Montenegrin Journalists needs to be amended.