13 November 2018 – Balkans Policy Research Group organised a training and workshop with public relations officers from judicial institutions and Kosovo Bar Association on Communication Channels Management.

Public relation officers from Kosovo Judicial Council, Supreme Court, and basic courts of Prizren, Ferizaj, Peja and Gjilan as well as the Kosovo bar Association participated.

The aim of the training was to contribute to the improvement of communication between judicial institutions and the public through an improved approach to the media.

The first part of the training was dedicated to social media management by judicial institutions and was delivered by Oltion Beshiri, consultant for Social Media Communication.

“With the help of information technology, fake news can be distributed rapidly which continuously twists the truth. Direct communication of judicial institutions with the audience is necessary to communicate information in real time. This can be possible through social media,” Beshiri stated.

The second part of the training was led by Kreshnik Gashi, a journalist from BIRN Kosovo, who delivered training on targeting media, media monitoring and drafting press releases. He also shared best practices and professional experience of dealing successfully with the media.

The one day training was designed in such a way to allow communication officials and journalists to foster appropriate communication with each other, resulting in the public being able to access fair and equitable information.

This training is a part of the regional project “Empowering reporting in rule of law standards in Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina” supported by the American Bar Association and implemented by Balkans Policy Research Group.