LOCAL MEDIA FOR ROMA RIGHTS

23. January 2015.

Seven editorial boards from all over Serbia, three of which are from South Serbia, together with representatives of the Roma community, will try, in the following 11 months, to improve Roma Information about obtaining legal aid and to draw attention to their problems.

Journalists of seven editorial boards that are members of the “Local Press, who together with "Civil Rights Defenders" organize the project, will follow-up the activities of civil society organizations in Bujanovac, Vranje, Nis, Novi Pazar, Prijepolje, Valjevo, Loznica, Negotin and Knjazevac and will dedicate their articles to improving the position of the Roma community.

“Local Media for Roma Rights” is a project that will try to improve, through the local media, the providing of information to Roma about obtaining free legal assistance offered by civil society organizations, as well as about the problems that the Roma have in local communities.

The promotion of Roma culture will be one of the tasks of journalists of “Vranjske” from Vranje, “Southern News” and “Roma’s World” from Nis, as well as of other local media journalists.

Seven secondary school Roma students will be hired by newsrooms, where they will be taught the journalistic skills. Thanks to their engagement, the voice of their people will be heard in the media. At the end of their training, “Local Press” will organize a competition of young journalists and will choose the best two articles, the authors of which will be awarded tablet PCs.

The project is financed by a donor of the “Civil Rights Defenders”. Thanks to implementation of the project, closer co-operation of the local media and civil society organizations in the field of improving Roma human rights will be established.

Source: South News and Coordination Body