O Mediacentru / Saopštenja

Ethical dilemmas in journalists' work

The workshop “Analytical Reporting – Justice and Security in B-H” (12-14 June 2007) at Mediacentar Sarajevo was the last workshop for the first generation of journalists specializing in investigative reporting in the area of justice and security.

In consultation with trainers, participants worked on stories in the area of judiciary on topics they chose at the beginning of the program.
Participants visited the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) of BiH, where they talked to Mirza Lišinović, Deputy Director of SIPA, who acquainted them with the agency’s main activities. Participants were especially interested in a presentation made by Siniša Karan, Chief of the SIPA Financial and Intelligence Department. Karan talked about initial results in uncovering money laundry, which resulted in the first verdicts for money laundry at the Court of B-H. These results place the SIPA department for the prevention of money laundry among the most successful in the region.
Guest lecturers Benjamin Butković, Editor at BHTV 1, and Dejan Anastasijević, journalist of Vreme magazine from Belgrade, during their lectures talked about ethical aspects and dilemmas encountered by every journalist before and during work on an investigative story. Anastasijević told participants that a “published news story” must not do damage to anyone. On examples of published investigative stories, the lecturer and participants analyzed ethical issues and dilemmas encountered by journalists while working on stories.
Minister of Security of B-H Tarik Sadović presented the security structure of B-H to the participants and talked about reforms undertaken in the past years in organizing and merging security services in B-H.
This is the first generation of B-H journalists who will finish three-and-a-half-month education in analytical reporting on BiH judiciary at the end of June.
An invitation for applications for the second generation of BiH journalists for the program “Analytical Reporting – Justice and Security in B-H” is open.
The program Analytical Reporting – Justice and Security in B-H is a program of support to analytical reporting in the area of reform of judiciary and security systems in B-H. The aim of the program is to help B-H journalists advance analytical methods of reporting on judiciary and security.
The organizer is NetNovinar – Center for Investigative Reporting and Media Education (founders: Mediacentar Sarajevo & Investigative Journalism Center, Zagreb).
The program is funded by the Embassy of Great Britain in Sarajevo in the framework of the program Global Conflict Prevention Fund.