The Establishement of the Press Council in Slovenia

The project is designed to provide professional information on the issues of self-regulation in journalism and within the media, and on the systems of media accountability. These activities will be followed by the initiative to establish the Press Council in Slovenia, which should consist of the representatives of journalists, publishers (media owners) and the general public. Other related activities include Journalism Evenings program with international participation, roundtable discussions on self-regulation, and surveys among journalists and editors. In addition, topics like self-regulation, media accountability, right of reply and right of correction, and the need for the Press Council in Slovenia are the subjects treated in the Media Watch series.

The activities whose goal was to provide professional information and promote public discussion were mostly completed in 2000. The follow-up activities scheduled for 2001 will be carried out in cooperation with the Association of Slovene Journalists. The initiators of the Press Council establishment will organize meetings with potential founders, prepare founding documents, and raise funds for the start-up phase of the operation. In the course of these preparations the group will organize a meeting with experienced representatives of selected foreign Press Councils.