Empowering Journalists
Journalists and bloggers play a central role in initiating and stimulating public debates, but face constant challenges in accessing information from public bodies. Join the upcoming Legal Leaks training in Zagreb to learn more!
Journalists and bloggers play a central role in initiating and stimulating public debates, but face constant challenges in accessing information from public bodies. Particularly when that information relates to issues such as corruption and organized crime, violations of human rights, controversial international relations, environmental contamination, relationships with business and lobby groups, or the more sensitive aspects of EU integration.
The Legal Leaks training empowers journalists in Bosnia, Serbia, and Croatia to use their nations' freedom of information laws as a routine part of their work. The training provides guidance on how to file freedom of information requests, while contributing to the protection of media freedoms by delivering techniques through which journalists can protect the security of their data and confidential sources.
All participants receive a multinational version of the Legal Leaks toolkit: a detailed guide on how to file freedom of information requests in 45 of the 56 OSCE participating states (in Europe, Central Asia and North America) that have such laws, as well as how to file these same requests directly to the European Union. The Leaks Leaks training will have a strong data journalism component, with training on how to process, analyze, and present data obtained under freedom of information requests, while also incorporating training on data visualization techniques.
Follow-up legal advice will be made available through a help desk that will deliver ongoing support for journalists and bloggers using freedom of information laws in their respective countries and around Europe. The organizers and partners of Legal Leaks--Access Info Europe, n-ost, Transparency International Croatia, Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina, Transparency Serbia, CIN, and Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN)--work towards empowering journalists to recoup their role as public watchdogs by way of exercising their right to freely access information nationally and internationally.
The application form for the event and all relavant info can be found on the following website: www.legalleaks.info