MEDIA ADVISORY

Conference on Freedom of the Media and Safety of Journalists in the Russian Federation and in the OSCE region, to be held in Moscow on 6 November

VIENNA, 28 October 2019 – Over 200 participants representing media professionals, journalists, civil society, media experts and political representatives, will gather in Moscow on 6 November for the high-level Conference on “Freedom of the Media and Safety of Journalists in the Russian Federation and in the OSCE region: Challenges and Opportunities in the Digital Age”.

The Conference, organized by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, will discuss openly media freedom issues, safety of journalists, regulation affecting freedom of expression including through Internet, and the issue of disinformation.

Four expert panels will address the following topics: freedom of the media and media pluralism in Russia and in the OSCE region; safety of journalists: new challenges and responses; “fake news”, disinformation: how to tackle them, including through Internet regulation, and international standards on freedom of expression; and media self-regulation, fact-checking and the role of journalism, ethical standards and media literacy. 

Speakers will include Harlem Désir, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Maria Zakharova, Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, and journalists from different media outlets, including Ivan Golunov of Meduza, Igor Rudnikov of Noviye Kolyosa, Nadezhda Prusenkova of Novaya Gazeta, Elena Chernenko of Kommersant, Anna Knishenko of RT, among others.

The conference will be opened by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Harlem Désir, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, at 09:30am on Wednesday, 6 November, at Radisson Collection Hotel, 2/1 Kutuzovskiy Avenue, Bld.  1, Moscow. 

Journalists wishing to attend and report on the conference are required to send an e-mail confirming their attendance to [email protected] no later than 1 November.

The presentation of a valid ID is required for accreditation at the venue. 

A detailed agenda in English can be accessed here. 

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. He provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

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