October, 13 | 09:15 – 13:30
09:00 – 09:15
Registration
Conference Hall – Macke-Ernst
09:15 – 10:15
Masterclass: The Murky Funding of European Politics
Brussels is gearing up for the European Elections in June 2024 that will define the course of the EU for the next five years. But the EU political parties (and their foundations), umbrella organisations for the national parties of each political movement, have been operating mostly under the radar. What role do they play? How have they changed over the years? And, how are they funded? The Brussels Bureau of the Dutch investigative platform Follow the Money has published extensively about the murky finances back in 2019 and will do so again in the coming year. In this masterclass Follow the Money’s Lise Witteman and Jesse Pinster will show how they have been researching this underreported topic and tell you about the cross-border project on private donations to political parties in each of the EU member states they are setting up in the runup to next year’s elections.
Speakers
Lise Witteman – Team lead of the EU desk, Follow the Money
Jesse Pinster – Journalist, Follow the Money
10:15 – 10:45
Coffee Break
10:45 – 11:45
Got your back: MFRR supporting investigative journalism
Following the three pillars of MFRR, this panel focuses on monitoring, practical and legal support, as well as advocacy. Jamie Wiseman (IPI) underlines the significance of reporting press and media freedom violations for investigative journalists during the course of their work for tracking interference in the functioning of watchdog journalism in the EU. Flutura Kusari (ECPMF) and Emma Bergman (FPU) present available support offers including practical, legal and shelter support for journalists to enable them to continue their work. Likewise, Camille Petit (EFJ) draws on the advocacy efforts under MFRR ranging from joint statements, open letters, and high level meetings with decision-makers as well as submissions to legislative processes which all together ensures a safe and secure environment to nourish and reach its highest potential in Europe.
Moderator
Gürkan Özturan – MFRR Project Coordinator, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Speakers
Emma Bergmans – Policy & Advocacy Advisor, Free Press Unlimited
Flutura Kusari – Senior Legal Advisor, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Camille Petit – Communications and Project Officer, European Federation of Journalists
Jamie Wiseman – Advocacy Officer, International Press Institute
11:45 – 12:15
Coffee Break
12:15 – 13:15
Cross-border Teams: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Join us for a candid discussion about navigating diverse cultures, legal landscapes, ethical dilemmas, communication barriers and power dynamics that can arise when journalists join forces across borders. By openly addressing these issues, we aim to equip teams with strategies to tackle the unexpected hurdles that may arise when striving to bring international stories to light. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies involved in collaborative journalism and discover ways to transform potential challenges into avenues for impactful reporting.
Moderator
Timothy Large – Director of Independent Media Programmes, International Press Institute
Speakers
Coco Gubbels – Project and Collaboration Manager, Project Management in Investigative Journalism
Jelena Cosic – Training Manager, International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Jelena Prtorić – Project Coordinator, Arena for Journalism in Europe
13:15 – 13:30
Concluding Remarks
Frane Maroević – Executive Director, International Press Institute
Lutz Kinkel – Managing Director, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Seminar Room – Heine
09:15 – 10:15
Pushing for European Anti-SLAPP legislation
Autumn of 2023 will be a decisive time of the year for Anti-SLAPP work that was carried out over the past years in Europe. The European Commission is expected to finalise its Anti-SLAPP legislative package and similarly the Council of Europe will be working toward the finalisation of the first anti-SLAPP recommendation in Europe. At the same time, the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) is preparing the ground for implementation of standards at national level. This panel will discuss the recent developments at the EC and CoE level and will feature the work of CASE at national level.
Moderator
Flutura Kusari – Senior Legal Advisor, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Speakers
Giulia Lucchese – Information Society- Media and Internet Governance, Council of Europe
Parcival Weijnen – Co-Founder, Investigative Collective Spit
10:45 – 11:45
Small Teams, Great Practices
In this series of two short interactive discussions, we will have a look at examples of great practices adopted by small newsrooms. Iliana Papangeli of Solomon, a non-profit public interest news outlet in Greece, will share her team`s experience of employing a therapist in order to protect the team members mental health while investigating sensitive topics. Ariadne Papagapitos of the Lighthouse Reports will talk about her work as an Impact Editor focusing on how to generate a stronger and more widespread impact through cross-border investigations.
Moderator
Deniz Bozkurt – IJ4EU Programme and Event Manager, European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
Speakers
Iliana Papangeli – Managing Director, Solomon
Ariadne Papagapitos – Impact Editor, Lighthouse Reports
12:00 – 13:00
A View from Above: Satellite Journalism*
From how far away do we need to look at our t-shirts to see if they were produced with forced labour? Vertical 52’s Marcus Pfeil explains how to make use of the thousands of satellites orbiting our planet to reveal the hidden stories behind otherwise innocuous images.
* We are sorry to inform you that this session is cancelled due to sickness. We encourage our participants in Brussels to attend the panel “Cross-border Teams: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?” in the conference hall, instead.
Speaker
Marcus Pfeil – CEO, Vertical 52
