As a primarily media organisation, we want to open space and provide a platform to discuss and reshape our alliances in light of the challenges facing democracies in South-East and Central Europe.
This effort comes at a critical time when the region is seeing several troubling trends: centralized power, reduced transparency, assaults on media, politicized judiciaries, unchecked corruption, online violations, and social polarization – all amidst heightened geopolitical tensions and deep divisions in Europe.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Platform B event series will be organised in accordance with all relevant health measures. As the situation improves, we hope to be able to host some of the events in BIRN spaces in Sarajevo and Belgrade, and elsewhere in the region.
Platform B will be an opportunity for individuals and groups to meet monthly on selected topics.
Next event: Power Dynamics in Media: Why Don’t We Have More Women in Top Management Positions?
Date: September 14, 2021 (Tuesday)
Time: 10am-12pm, CET
The majority of journalists in Balkan countries are women, but rarely do they have the chance to break the glass ceiling and take positions at a managerial level. Additionally, research conducted as a part of the regional Media for All project shows that higher representation of women in the media sector does not affect editorial policies, gender sensitivity, pay inequalities, or workers’ rights. The research instead shows that “as is the case with all sectors and industries considered feminized or dominated by women, it has contributed to the lowering of the salaries in the media sector.”
The online public debate ‘Power Dynamics in Media: Why Don’t We Have More Women in Top Management Positions?’ will be the first in a series of discussions focusing on different kinds of discrimination, as well as the abuses faced by female media professionals in the region, including sexual and digital violence against women. The aim of the debate is to shed light on this important issue and to try to pinpoint a potential for change, learning from the experience of women at leadership positions in the media.
Experts from Balkan countries will take part in this discussion:
Biljana Petkovska, Director of the Macedonia Institute for Media, North Macedonia
Marijana Bojanić, CEO at Vijesti, Montenegro
Beti Njuma, Journalist at Ora News, Albania
Ivana Pavlovic, Editor of Nova Ekonomija, Serbia
The debate will be moderated by Jeta Xharra, Country Director of BIRN office in Kosovo.
This event is organised as a part of the regional “Media for All” project.
More information and registration.
Upcoming events from September until November:
#metoo in Journalism: When Will Balkan Journalists Speak Up?
Digital Violence and Female Journalists
More information will follow soon.