MCCM
RESILIENCE
OUR MEDIA
Media professionals gathered in Bosnia and Herzegovina for a two-day conference on exploring tactics to resist hostile foreign influence and disinformation.
Thirty-six media professionals, CSO activists, fact-checkers and academics from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Hungary, Czechia and the United Kingdom participated in the conference “Navigating Influence in the News Arena” in Sarajevo on 24 and 25 June. The conference focused on understanding and addressing influence by undemocratic actors.
“The topics discussed at the event generated significant interest as they were highly relevant to the participants. We examined the issues related to foreign influence from various angles, emphasising the distinction between natural influence and malign influence that seeks to undermine democratic institutions and erode public trust,” said Jaroslav Valůch, news literacy coordinator at Transitions.
Researchers of foreign influence from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Bosnia (Pavel Havlíček, co-author of the Mapfluence project and analyst in the Czech Association for International Affairs; Eva Vajda, of SCIENCE+ project of Free Press Eastern Europe, and Muhamed Hirkić, a researcher at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Sarajevo) first discussed methodologies for identifying and understanding foreign influence across different
regions.
Muamer Hirkić explained that disinformation and manipulation of facts are very common parts of narratives generated by foreign actors, especially in non-democratic regimes and closed societies.
“However, liberal countries in the West also face issues due to the rise of social media and lack of media literacy among the general population” says Hirkić, adding that the media community needed to better understand various aspects of foreign influence in order to deter it.
“It’s crucial to consider both, the foreign influencers and the local agencies. Many actors involved in foreign influence are distant geographically and culturally, making it important to take these factors into account when reporting”, explains Hirkić.
Tihomir Loza, executive director of SEENPM, pointed out that disinformation and propaganda generated or helped by foreign actors do not necessarily manifest themselves in ways drastically different from those spawned by domestic actors.
“In fact, in the Western Balkans and elsewhere there is often no clear line between the two. Yet, where foreign origin or connection behind a particular piece of disinformation can be established that’s surely relevant for media audiences.”
Nikola Hořejš, a leading Czech researcher and practitioner on disinformation,
led a session that explored the impact of disinformation on various segments of
population, discussing his research findings and presenting data-based recommendations for the media.
Another session focused on newsroom approaches to reporting topics
related to foreign influence and disinformation.This session featured Dragan Štavljanin of RFE and Irvin Pekmez, a journalist at BIRN
BiH.
Understanding hostile foreign influence is especially important in fragile democracies such as those in the Western Balkans, a number of which are also post-conflict societies. The news media must paint a realistic picture of foreign influence in the country, for example through making sure their audiences understand where the bulk of aid, investment or assistance to improve the rule of law in their country came from.
“We have seen that in some countries the general public has now for years been grossly misled about such issues, to a very great extent thanks to inadequate news reporting. Along with unfree press, there is too much weak, lazy journalism in the region of the kind that simply reflects whatever is served to the public by different actors, foreign or domestic, allowing the near free flow of unchallenged disinformation and propaganda of all sorts, ranging from countless false statements on routine issues of public interest, to dubious political, social or cultural concepts that now inhabit many walks of life, to big geopolitical narratives that seek to influence people’s worldviews or geopolitical sentiments of whole countries”, said Tihomir Loza.
Tarik Moćević, a researcher and project coordinator at SEENPM member Mediacentar Sarajevo, and Elias Pogany, an account manager from Albany Associates, presented a toolkit app designed to enhance understanding and navigating foreign influence in the Western Balkans.
At another session, Jaroslav Valůch presented media literacy practices used in the Czech Republic to empower vulnerable groups. The participants then engaged in an interactive workshop, with a number of breakout groups working to leverage insights from this and earlier sessions to map out good practices and opportunities collaboratively. This was then followed by a discussion of training needs to counter influence from undemocratic actors and information
disorder.
“I think the first panel session was particularly impactful, showcasing the wide range of influences. The lecture on research design provided valuable practical tips, complemented by a presentation demonstrating the application of research data in real-world scenarios. Nevertheless, the most engaging and beneficial session was the final one, where participants actively engaged in group work to identify future needs”, said Jaroslav Valůch.
Journalists from the region don’t often get opportunities to gain a deeper insight into the various aspects of foreign influence. Srebra Gjorgjijevska, journalist from the North Macedonia, says that participating at the conference in Sarajevo was a tremendous experience for her.
“First of all, due to the possibility to share experiences and learn about journalism, media literacy, disinformation and, very importantly, about the practices in more developed countries than North Macedonia. The lecturers were great, open to discussion and exchange of opinions”, says Gjorgjijevska whose work in journalism is mostly focused on education and culture.
“I’m sure that every journalist must know the truth about the world and situations in the society they live, to get clearer picture and draw better conclusions and decisions when it comes to our professional work. This topic matters very much and the more we talk and learn about it, better for the journalism and society.”
Within the program, the participants also visited a number of sessions at Point Conference, an international annual gathering of civil society actors that encourages the efficient and responsible use of new technologies which was also held in Sarajevo on 24-25 June. “Integrating our conference with the Point event significantly enriched the program. The Point conference expanded the breadth of topics and offered enhanced networking opportunities with regional and global experts and professionals, going beyond the scope of our own event.”, said Jaroslav Valůch.
The regional conference “Navigating Influence in the News Arena” was organized within the project Building Resilient Journalism in the Western Balkans implemented by SEENPM in partnership with Transitions, BIRN Kosovo and SEENPM members Mediacentar Sarajevo, Montenegrin Media Institute, Albanian Media Institute, Novi Sad School of Journalism and Macedonian Institute for Media. The project is supported by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The two-year project focuses on the production of quality media content, including those resulting from cross-border editorial collaboration, as well as the creation of new education, training and consultation programs for journalists and editors in the Western Balkans. Prior to the conference in Sarajevo, two regional in-person events were held within the project – “Back to Basics: Workshop on Core Journalistic Principles” in Podgorica, Montenegro, and “Editors’ Forum: Old Dilemmas and New Challenges” in Ohrid, North Macedonia.
