Belgian and German MEDIADEM teams take part in a training seminar for new media professionals in Armenia

Members of the Belgian and German MEDIADEM teams took part in the ‘Teaching the teachers’ seminar for journalism professors and bloggers, which took place on March 16-18, 2012 in Yerevan, Armenia. This 3-day training session was organised by the Council of Europe and the Armenian Online Media and Journalists Association in the framework of the joint CoE-EU programme ‘Promoting freedom, professionalism and pluralism of the media in the South Caucasus and Moldova’. The session focused on the legal and ethical problems that new and alternative media is facing. Dr Pierre-François Docquir, the scientist in charge of the Belgian MEDIADEM team, delivered presentations on ‘The legal regulation of the Internet’ and on ‘Comments: Responsibilities of the media and the authors in the contemporary media landscape’. Dr Sebastian Müller, researcher of the German MEDIADEM team, talked about the legal background and the journalistic standards of the relationship with informants and whistle-blowers and the legal bases for using social media information in online media. He also elaborated on how free and independent new media is, focusing on the legal protection and the responsibilities of bloggers.

The researchers also took part in ‘open lessons’ with students of the Department of Journalism of the Yerevan State University (YSU) and of the Yerevan State Linguistic University (YSLU). Professors of journalism, media professionals and the most active bloggers in Armenia participated in the training sessions. The presentations were systematically followed by vivid discussions that often arose from practical cases brought about by the participants. The seminar proceedings will be published in a book (in Armenian). The organisers consider that the seminar will be influential in setting up a new curriculum for the Yerevan State Linguistic University in the coming academic year.