OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media presents access to information toolkit for journalists

Berlin – To mark this year’s World Press Freedom Day, which has a special focus on the Right to Know, the OSCE, Access Info (Madrid), and Berlin-based n-ost Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe will present a toolkit for journalists on how to use their right of access to information, the “Legal Leaks Toolkit”.

The right to know is the fundamental right of journalists and all citizens to access information held by public bodies. This right is an essential part of the right to freedom of expression anchored in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The Legal Leaks Toolkit is a guide for journalists on how to make requests for information in 45 countries in the OSCE region, including most EU countries, the USA and Canada. It provides journalists with 20 Top Tips on how to use the right of access to information as a research tool, and gives guidance on how to turn both documents accessed and refusals into stories.

The Legal Leaks project being run by Access Info and n-ost will span several years and integrate training, legal support, and advocacy. Journalists will be supported in filing requests in different countries and over time the Legal Leaks project will develop a pan-European resource network for use by both local and investigative journalists.


The Legal Leaks press conference on

Monday, 3 May 2010
at 10.30 a.m.
in the ARD Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin

will present:

Dunja Mijatović, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Vienna
Hristo Hristov, journalist and editor, Dnevnik newspaper, Sofia
Helen Darbishire, Executive Director, Access Info, Madrid
Christian Mihr, Head of Media Policy projects, n-ost, Berlin


The n-ost / Access Info press conference will be the first public appearance in Germany of OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović, who took office in mid-March.

Press clipping:

Mediencity

Personaldemocracy

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Legal Leaks Project: Journalism and the Right to Information
Project Launch and Strategy Workshop 18th and 19th of February 2009, Berlin

OSCE media freedom representative launches guide on access to information on World Press Freedom Day

BERLIN, 3 May 2010 – The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic, launched a guide for journalists on how to access government information today, marking World Press Freedom Day.

“The Legal Leaks Toolkit” was prepared by the non-governmental organizations Access Info Europe and Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe n-ost with financial support from the OSCE Representative's office.

Legal Leaks Project Launch: Journalism and the Right to Information
Strategy Workshop 18th and 19th of February 2009, Berlin


Wednesday, February 17th

Arrival in the Hotel Berlin Berlin
Hotel Berlin, Berlin
Lützowplatz 17
10785 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 30 2605-0
Website: www.hotel-berlin-berlin.com


Thursday,  February 18th

11 am
Registration
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Tiergartenstraße 35
10785 Berlin

11.15 am
Official Welcome and Opening Addresses
Hans Maria Heyn, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Helen Darbishire, Access Info Europe
Christian Mihr, n-ost - Network for Reporting on Eastern Europe

11.45 am
Round of introductions of the participants – each person should prepare a short—and interesting!—presentation of their work which should last only 3 minutes!

1.00 pm
Lunch

2.00 pm
Session 1: Journalists and Access to Information Laws I – success stories – the aim is to exchange and analyse positive examples of how the access to information/freedom of information laws have been used by journalists. National and transnational examples. Moderator: Helen Darbishire, Access Info Europe
Projection extracts Access to Information Programme video (15 mins)
Case study: Alexander Kashumov, Access to Information Programme, Bulgaria (30 mins)
Brainstorming: Identify issue (5 mins)
Strategy (10 mins)
Feedback (10 mins)
Discussion (35 mins)

3.45 pm
Coffee Break

4.30 pm– 6.45 pm
Session 2: Journalists and Access to Information Laws II – challenges and obstacles – the aim of the session is to discuss the problems which journalists may face when considering using access to information laws, the disincentives (including lack of support from editors, and potential damage to relations with public authorities), the need for legal support to file appeals, etc. This is a key session as it addresses the needs which the legal leaks project is designed to address.
Moderator: Helen Darbishire, Access Info
Case study: Leila Bikacic, Centre for Investigative Reporting (15 mins); Sandor Orban, South East Network for Professionalization of the Media (15 mins)
Brainstorming: Identify issue (10 mins)
Strategy (10 mins)
Feedback (10 mins)
Discussion (30 mins)

7 pm
Dinner at the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung


Friday, February 19th

9.30 am – 11 am
Session 3: Data Security Issues – the aim here is to identify the types of data security issues faced by journalists and to map out the technical and strategic solutions that exist, as well as to identify the best methodology for including these solutions into projects designed to support journalists.
Moderating: Christian Mihr, n-ost
Projection extracts Tactical Tech Info Activism video (15 mins)
Case study: Marek Tuszynski, Tactical Tech (30 mins)
Brainstorming: Identify issue (5 mins)
Strategy (10 mins)
Feedback (10 mins)
Discussion (20 mins)

11 am – 11.30 am
Coffee break

11.30 am – 1 pm
Session 4: Computer Assisted Reporting – the aim here is to assess how CAR can be used by journalists at all levels, to identify some current issues with access to government data in electronic format (including but not exclusively databases), to touch upon issues related reuse of public sector data, and to consider the link between access to information requests filed nationally/transnationally and CAR.
Moderator: Andreas Bock, n-ost
Case study: Helena Bengtsson, Sweden (30 mins)
Discussant: Yaroslava Sennikova, Center for International Media Ethics (15 mins)
Brainstorming: Identify issue (5 mins)
Strategy (10 mins)
Feedback (10 mins)
Discussion (20 mins)

1 pm – 2 pm
Lunch

2 pm – 3.30 pm
Session 5: Networking Strategy, including discussion on how to build national or transnational networks to support filing of access to information requests and legal support, as well as building collaborative research projects by journalists from a number of countries.
Moderator: Lydia Medland, Access Info
Case study: Gordana Igric, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (15 mins); Manfred Redelfs, Netzwerk Recherche (15 mins)
Discussants: Markus Beckedahl, newthinking/netzpolitik.org
Brainstorming: Identify issue (5 mins)
Strategy (10 mins)
Feedback (10 mins)
Discussion (20 mins)

3.30 pm – 4 pm
Coffee break

16 pm – 17.30 pm
Session 6: Project implementation and Fundraising strategy: this session will consider how to develop the “Legal Leaks project” and to ensure its complementarity with other projects, the role of the different project partners, how to structure the management of the project implementation and the fundraising strategy in which all partners will be involved.
Moderator: Christian Mihr, n-ost, Helen Darbishire, Access Info
Events in 2010: Oliver Vujovic, South East Europe Media Organisation; all participants
Brainstorming: Identify activity opportunities (5 mins)
Strategy (10 mins)
Feedback (10 mins)
Discussion (30 mins)

5.30 pm – 6 pm
Coffee break

6 pm – 7 pm
Session 7: Conclusions and Next Steps: this session will aim to pull together the strands of all the discussions during the two days of the workshop and to map out the action plan for the next steps for the project.
Moderators: Christian Mihr, n-ost; Helen Darbishire, Access Info

7 pm
Close

8 pm
Dinner