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States have the responsibility to provide adequate safeguards, both through law and practice, for the effective enjoyment and protection of freedom of expression, including by creating an enabling environment for free and responsible media to flourish and play their essential role in democracy.

The Council of Europe is well placed to help prevent and address the threats to the exercise of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, both offline and in the online environment.

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Back Training sessions on media coverage of elections and challenges of local democracy

Training sessions on media coverage of elections and challenges of local democracy

The National Union of Tunisian Journalists (SNJT) and the Council of Europe are organising training sessions for Tunisian journalists on media coverage of the upcoming local elections in Tunisia. The SNJT and the Council of Europe have joined forces to help Tunisian journalists address the electoral process in the best possible conditions and in compliance with relevant professional principles and international standards.

A first session took place in Hammamet on 24 and 25 November 2017 for a group of journalists based in the north of the country. Professor Lotfi Tarchouna, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Sousse, alerted the participants to the legal and institutional framework of upcoming local elections in Tunisia and the challenges for citizens and local democracy.

Journalists then attended and actively participated in two practical training modules facilitated by journalists and trainers Nasreddine Louati and Laurent Rouy. They acquired tools for a comprehensive and balanced coverage of the electoral process, on how to plan and relate such events and define challenges.

A second training session for journalists based in the southern part of the country will be organised in Djerba, Tunisia on 15-16 December 2017.

Links:

Tunisia 28 November 2017
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The right to freedom of expression and information constitutes one of the essential foundations of democratic society. In conflict situations and wars, the role of the media is critical in providing the public with accurate and timely information. Trustworthy news and images can contribute to the protection of civilians and conflict prevention, bring to the attention of the international community the horrors and reality of conflict and expose violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.

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