Workshop in Banja Luka: Local media in the region have a future, authorities cannot influence them

Journalists and editors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Croatia are participating in the two-day workshop “Journalists as Activists: Investigative Journalism, Media Activism and the Future of New Media” on January 25 and 26 in Banja Luka.

Journalists who face numerous challenges in their daily work have been invited to the workshop.

At the same time, the workshop is an opportunity to discuss journalism in the era of social networks, as well as online media activism. It also discusses whether investigative journalism is needed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and how much it contributes to freedom of expression.

Speakers at the workshop include Aleksandar Trifunović, editor of the media project BUKA, Slobodan Georgiev, BIRN Serbia, Damir Nikšić, conceptual artist from Sarajevo, Goran Borković, editor-in-chief of Forum.tm from Zagreb.

Speaking about the future of media, Georgiev said that he believes local media in the region have a bright future, as they are the ones who can reach their readers directly. Also, Georgiev added, authorities can control large media systems, but not a large number of local media, which can be very influential, especially if they support each other.

Journalists and editors from the Center for Investigative Journalism Sarajevo, the Patria News Agency, N1 Television, BN TV, journalists and editors from the portals Capital, Tacno.net, Bljeska.info, representatives of local portals Visoko.co.ba, Moja Hercegovina, and others are participating in the workshop.

The workshop is organized by the Center for Information Decontamination of Youth from Banja Luka and the BUKA portal.