Press and Media Councils from South-East Europe and Türkiye gather in Istanbul to discuss challenges for self-regulation bodies in the digital age

The 3rd regional meeting of the press and media councils from South-East Europe and Türkiye was an opportunity for the press councils to share their experiences and best practices on issues related to freedom of expression and self-regulation mechanisms in the region, and to identify common challenges and opportunities. 

The financial sustainability and future of self-regulatory institutions, especially in the Western Balkans and Türkiye, were also discussed. Special attention was given to the case of Montenegro, where the state allocates funds for the operational costs of self-regulatory mechanisms through the Fund for Media Pluralism established within the Media Law (2020). 

During the meeting, Joshua Massarenti, Regional Project Coordinator Communication and Information (CI) Sector, UNESCO Antenna in Sarajevo, shared the current state of play in the implementation of the project “Building Trust in Media in South-East Europe: Support to Journalism as a Public Good”, which aims to foster free, independent and pluralistic media in the region in the digital age, in particular promoting ethics in the media and in self-regulatory mechanisms, through support to press and media councils in the region. 

The event also featured an online workshop on the UNESCO Guidelines for the Governance of Digital Platforms through a human rights-based approach, launched in 2023. In particular, Ana Cristina Ruelas, Senior Programme Specialist UNESCO CI Sector, highlighted the guidelines’ goal to safeguard freedom of expression and other human rights online, drawing on input from over 10,000 comments across 134 countries.