Partners Serbia, together with BIRN Serbia and the SHARE Foundation, conducted four practical training sessions on the legal and ethical standards of privacy protection in the media during March and April 2024. These sessions were intended for journalists, civil society organizations, and local institutions (social work centers, police, judiciary representatives, and representatives of local self-government units) from all parts of Serbia.

These training sessions were held in Belgrade, Niš, Novi Sad, and Kragujevac, where the lecturers discussed with the participants the importance of protecting privacy in the media space.

Participants received useful information on the legal framework for personal data protection, journalistic ethical standards in privacy protection, and the importance of responsible reporting on vulnerable social groups. The training also covered mechanisms for protecting the right to privacy and media business models.

The training sessions contributed to strengthening intersectoral communication and cooperation, especially concerning the protection of the privacy rights of members of vulnerable social groups (such as children, women, victims of violence, and members of the LGBT+ community).

Before the training sessions, participants had the opportunity to listen to a series of useful lectures on these topics on Partners Serbia's e-learning platform, while the focus of the live training sessions was on analyzing practical examples and discussing responsible reporting and privacy protection in the media.

All participants who attended the training sessions received certificates of successful course completion.

The views expressed within the program are the sole responsibility of BIRN Serbia, Partners Serbia, and the SHARE Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which provided funding for the project under the MATRA program.