OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina and to convene South East Europe Media Conference in Sarajevo

VIENNA, 26 May 2025 — The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Ambassador Jan Braathu, will pay his first official visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina from 26 to 28 May 2025. During his visit, he will meet with high-level authorities, political figures as well as civil society and various media stakeholders in the country.

On 29-30 May, the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media, in collaboration with OSCE field operations from the region, will organize the 10th regional South East Europe Media Conference, “Actioning Media Viability for Informed, Resilient Societies”,  at the Swissôtel, starting at 9:30.

Centered on the theme of media viability, the conference will feature high-level opening and closing sessions, a keynote address on “Why Investing in Media Viability Pays Off,” and several plenary discussions and interactive sessions covering the following topics:

• Economics of public interest journalism in the era of Big Tech and AI
• Legal and regulatory trends shaping media freedom and viability — including laws on foreign funding and legal action such as SLAPPs
• Safety of journalists — addressing the costs of reporting the facts
• Public service media — strategies for the future and its role in serving the public interest
• Media viability manifesto — regional collaboration for viable and resilient media
• Safety awareness and preparedness in crisis situations — workshop for young journalists
• Fact-checking as a tool for boosting resilience to disinformation
• Public interest framework for the future of journalism — youth consultation

Journalists are invited to attend the conference. The conference will also be livestreamed here: https://www.osce.org/representative-on-freedom-of-media/590808.

For interview requests during the Representative’s visit, please contact Adis Mustedanagic at adis.mustedanagic@osce.org or call +4366488474962.