KAS MP SOE

The Head of KAS Media Program South East Europe Christian Spahr opened the conference "The truth dies first" in Sofia

KAS MP SOE

Christian Mihr, Executive Director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Germany, declared that the integrity of journalists is also a central issue for the activities of the NGO.

KAS MP SOE

Yevgen Fedchenko presented the work of his Ukrainian NGO "Stop Fake", which refutes Russian media propaganda

The headlines in the press are dominated by wars in Ukraine, Iraq and Syria. The question arises, however, under which conditions professional news can be produced during wartimes. A KAS conference on 13 February 2015 served as "platform for exchange between experienced war reporters, media experts and young journalists, who critically analyse the developments in crisis reporting and define guidelines about the work in conflict zones" as Christian Spahr, Head of the Media Program South East Europe of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), said.

One of the keynote speakers was Jörg Armbruster, former ARD Middle East Correspondent who reported from the war in Syria until 2013. "Journalists have to ask themselves whether they have sufficient experience to report from a conflict zone", he said in the first panel on "Safety of Journalists" (Moderation: Oliver Vujović, South East Europe Media Organisation). No story is worth risking one’s life, said Armbruster, even though publishers and editors put increasing pressure on journalists. In addition, war parties, military and politicians selectively feed journalists with information in order to bias them. According to Armburster "data are one of the most important weapons at war."

More in event report.