Media Forum Ljubljana

Media Forum Ljubljana, has been established by a team of young media and communication experts, university teachers, researchers, students and professionals working on media- and communications-related projects in the region of Central, East and South East Europe.

Media Forum aims to to provide a point of reference for all countries in transition, at which issues of law and freedom of speech, professional media activity and responsible public communication can be discussed, observed, checked, agreed and published. The main goal is to enforce the exchange of knowledge, experience and co-operation in the following areas: legal practice and media legislation, media organisation, professional self-regulation and standards (codes, press councils, press ombudsmen), investigative journalism, new technologies, development of public and private media, regulation of commercial and non-commercial media, regulation of broadcasting, media activities in electoral campaigns, relations between journalists and politicians, role of public relations, and practice of political communication and marketing. In this way the Forum aims to ensure and improve transparency in the field of media organisation, regulation and legal practice, to set and strengthen standards in public communication, in particular media relations of different organisations, to offer information, expertise and training in the field of media and communication and to promote innovative and creative public affairs projects and campaigns.

Selected research projects include: Media Law online - an integrated and interactive web page which brings together legal regulations on media activity, media self-regulation provisions, court decisions and rulings in cases involving the media, expert opinion and explanation of separate cases, plus essential media information and contact details for Slovenia and other countries of the region; Media Ownership - thorough research and analysis of ownership structures and relationships, media concentration and monopolies in the Slovene print, radio and TV media, with the aim of achieving transparency and regulation in this field; AdWatch - observation of ill practices in the field of advertising, with suggestions for practical solutions, based on the use of relevant legislation and self-regulation provisions; and Education for Media - online material and discussions on relevant topics and questions in the field of media law and communication rights, political communication and public diplomacy.

Since 2000 the Embassy of the United States of America in Slovenia has supported Media Forum projects relating to the development of democracy and the freedom of speech, while the COLPI Institute, Budapest has supported the networking of regional experts in the field of media legislation. Media Forum is one of 13 research organisations in REMEDIES, a European research network which focuses on regulatory exigencies against a background of Europe's change to an information society (http://remedies.compositiv.com).

Media Forum Ljubljana

Operated by

Financed by