South Caucasus journalists discuss media ethics and self-regulation at OSCE conference

TBILISI, 12 October 2007 - The challenges and prospects of media self-regulation were the focus of the Fourth South Caucasus Media Conference that ended in Tbilisi today.
"It is only in a free media environment that media self-regulation can develop and benefit both society and quality journalism" said Miklos Haraszti, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of Media, in a message to the participants of the conference.
"Public authorities could best support the work of self-regulatory mechanisms by creating legal frameworks that guarantee freedom of expression and pluralism in the media."
The event, provided an annual forum to discuss media freedom issues in the South Caucasus, and brought together more than sixty journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as well as local and international experts.
Participants shared experiences and best practices of media self-regulation, and discussed ways it can increase ethical standards while protecting editorial freedom.
The conference concluded with the adoption of the South Caucasus Declaration on Media Self-regulation.
The event was organized by the Office of the Representative on Freedom of the Media and the OSCE Mission to Georgia, in co-operation with the OSCE Offices in Baku and Yerevan.
The Declaration, both in English and Russian, is available on the website of the RFoM, at www.osce.org/fom