South East Europe Media Organisation

South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO) is a Vienna based regional non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and leading journalists from newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations, news agencies and new media in South East Europe. With its committees, SEEMO aims to create a bridge between international media activities and the media developments in the region.

SEEMO was founded in October 2000 in Zagreb, Croatia, by a group of leading editors-in-chief, media executives and professors of journalism and communications from South East Europe, in the presence of representatives of international institutions and with financial support from the International Press Institute (IPI).

The Secretary General of SEEMO is Oliver Vujovic, a former journalist and expert in public relations, political relations and business in South East Europe.

Activities

One of SEEMO’s main activities is protecting press freedom by helping journalists and media outlets in South East Europe. Over 60 per cent of SEEMO’s press releases and letters of protest to governmental and other officials have had positive results in the past. Every SEEMO protest is distributed to leading regional and international media, national and international governmental and non-governmental organisations, politicians, and also public persons and institutions.

In the past, SEEMO has provided direct help to journalists in the region by giving them technical equipment and other assistance. SEEMO also provided the necessary aid to journalists, who received death threats.

SEEMO has over 400 editors-in-chief, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe as individual members, and over 100 media outlets and institutions as corporate members.

Protest Letters

SEEMO monitors press freedom in South East Europe and responds to threats and attacks on journalists and media outlets by sending protest letters to governments, inter-governmental organisations, but also companies or some political or other groups. These threats are often brought to SEEMO's attention by its members, many of whom experience such difficulties first-hand while carrying out their profession.

Press Freedom Missions

SEEMO leads missions to countries where press freedom is under threat, meeting with government officials, diplomats, journalists and non-governmental organisations, and providing legal representation and support in court cases.

Research

SEEMO undertakes extensive research on issues relevant to the media.

Meetings

During the last four years, SEEMO has assembled over 3,000 editors-in-chief, media executives, leading journalists and public persons from the region in various meetings. Some of these meetings, involving participants from Belgrade (Serbs) and Pristina (Kosovo-Albanians), were the first of their kind in history.

Between 2002 and 2004, SEEMO organised 14 Dialogue meetings between editors-in-chief, media executives and leading journalists from South East Europe.

In 2005, SEEMO organised the first meeting of private news agencies in SEE and a meeting of editors and media executives in Opatija, Croatia, in October, as also in Tirana, Albania, in November.

In 2006, SEEMO organised a regional conference of media representatives from SEE in Vienna, and initiated regular meetings of investigative reporters (first meeting in Opatija, June 2006)

Partners

SEEMO actively cooperates with international, regional and national governmental and non-governmental organisations and institutions. SEEMO also actively cooperates with other international press freedom and media organisations, including IPI, and it supports and participates in joint regional and international projects and activities.

Training

Helping journalists means also furthering their education. Several workshops and seminars have been organised for investigative reporters and representatives of minority media. The minority media workshops and seminars took place at the SEEMO Media Minority Center (MMC) in Opatija, Croatia.

Publications

Since 2004, SEEMO has been publishing "De Scripto", a quarterly media magazine for South East Europe.

SEEMO also produces the South East Europe Media Handbook, an annual publication covering media developments in the region, which includes selected media contacts. Editions 2003/2004 in Albanian, Serbian / Croatian / Bosnian / Montenegrin, English, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006.

Books: Zlocin u 19.30 by Kemal Kurspahic (published in 2003 and 2004 by SEEMO), Media and Minorities in South East Europe (published in 2006)

Awards

SEEMO also gives awards for outstanding achievements in the field of media.

The "Dr Erhard Busek SEEMO Award for Better Understanding" honours journalists in South East Europe whose work promotes a climate of better understanding among peoples in the region and strengthens efforts to end ethnic divisions, racism, and xenophobia.

Winners of the award include:

* Denis Latin, Latinica, Hrvatska Radio i Televizija, Croatia (2002)
* Kemal Kurspahic, former editor-in-chief, Oslobodjenje, Bosnia and Herzegovina (2003)
* Brankica Petkovic, Peace Institute, Slovenia (2005)
* Danko Plevnik, Slobodna Dalmacija, Croatia (2006)
* Milena Dimitrova, Trud, Bulgaria (2007)

The "SEEMO Award for Mutual Cooperation in South East Europe" is awarded on 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

Winners include:

* Christine von Kohl, Human Rights fighter, Austria (2002)
* Nebojsa Popov, founder Republika magazine, Serbia (2003)
* Fatos Lubonja, journalist, Albania (2004)
* Abdulhalim Dede, media-owner, Greece (2006)
* Seki Radoncic, investigative journalist, Montenegro - Bosnia-Herzegovina (2007)

External links

* [http://www.seemo.org/ South East Europe Media Organisation]
* [http://www.descripto.info/ Media magazine De Scripto published by SEEMO]
* [http://www.balkanpoint.org/ Balkan Point - Balkanpoint - Links in South East Europe]
* [http://www.freemedia.at/ International Press Institute]