MIP participates in the International Conference “Journalism as the first draft of history”

On 4 April 2022, Rada Pejić-Sremac, coordinator of the Mechanism Information Programme for Affected Communities (MIP), participated in the International Conference “Journalism as the first draft of history” organised by Mediacentar Sarajevo.

In her remarks, Ms Pejić-Sremac congratulated the team at Mediacentar Sarajevo for their dedicated work in collecting and affirming stories about journalistic contributions to the work of the ICTY. She further stated that these contributions form an important part of the Tribunal’s greater legacy, as journalistic accounts were integral in determining the judicially established facts of the events in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia.

The three panel discussions in the conference focused respectively on 1) the experience of media coverage from Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war and how information travelled from besieged Sarajevo; 2) media content as evidence in court; and 3) the role of media and journalists in the post-war period with a special focus on testimonies of journalists before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

The conference brought together journalists and media experts from the Western Balkans and Europe who reported on the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina; local and foreign journalists who testified before the ICTY; and researchers, archivists, lawyers and the wider professional community, with a special focus on media content.

The MIP is a strong supporter of the Mediacentar and has provided them with archival material of journalistic reports such as audiovisual footage, photos and videos of journalists’ testimonies before the ICTY.

The MIP’s participation in the conference formed part of the Programme’s efforts to support projects and events organised by civil society organisations that are active in the field of transitional justice in the region of the former Yugoslavia.

The aim of the MIP is to improve the knowledge and understanding of citizens and communities in the countries of the former Yugoslavia about the crimes committed during the conflicts of the 1990s, based on ICTY and Mechanism cases. The MIP is generously supported by the European Union.