Baltic Media Forum

BALTIC MEDIA FORUM 2023

8 November 2023, Vilnius

Venue address: Tech Park Conference Centre, Antakalnio str. 17, Vilnius

Organisers: LRT, Baltic Centre for Media Excellence (BCME), Lithuanian Journalism Centre (LJC)

PROGRAMME

8:30             Participant registration.

9:00–9:10   WELCOMING REMARKS BY MONIKA GARBAČIAUSKAITĖ-BUDRIENĖ, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF LRT.

9:10–9:30   Keynote address. IMPORTANCE OF THE EUROPEAN MEDIA FREEDOM ACT FOR MEDIA AND JOURNALISM IN EUROPE.

Audrius Perkauskas, Deputy Head of the Audiovisual and Media Services Policy unit at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (online).

9:30–10:10 Panel discussion. EUROPEAN MEDIA FREEDOM ACT: DEFENDER OR HARASSER OF THE FREE PRESS?

Deimantas Jastramskis, Associate Professor at the Vilnius University,
Renate Shroeder, Director of the European Federation of Journalists,

Wouter Gekiere, Head of the Brussels Office of the European Broadcasting Union.

Moderator: Gunta Sloga, Director of the Baltic Centre for Media Excellence.

10:10–10:50   Panel discussion. ETHICS IN PSM ORGANISATIONS: THE PRESSING ISSUES IN THE BALTIC PSM AND THE ROLE OF ETHICS INSPECTORS.

Anda Rožukalne, Latvian Public Media Ombudsman Officer,
Daina Elena Andrikienė, Journalist Ethics Inspector at LRT,
Tarmu Tammerk, Ombudsman at ERR.

Moderator: Živilė Kropaitė, LRT Journalist.

10:50–11:10   Coffee break

11:10–11:50   Presentation. A JOURNALIST – A PAWN IN AN INFORMATION WAR? INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM IN AND ABOUT UKRAINE DURING THE WAR.

Alla Sadovnyk and Inna Biletska, Investigative Journalists, Ukrainian PSM UA:PBC – Suspilne.

11:50–12:20 Study presentation. THE EFFICIENCY OF THE JOURNALISTS’ ACCESS TO INFORMATION MECHANISMS IN THE BALTIC STATES. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR POLICY CHANGE FOR MORE SUSTAINABLE MEDIA.

Dionizas Litvaitis, Freelance Journalist and Media Researcher.  

12:20–13:30 Lunch break

13:30–14:20   Panel discussion. POLITICAL INTERFERENCE IN PUBLIC SERVICE MEDIA: WHAT ARE THE WARNING SIGNS AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM?

Lutz Kinkel, Managing Director at the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (online).
Tadeusz Kowalski, Member the National Broadcasting Council of Poland (KRRiT),
Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, Director General of LRT,
Péter Bajomi-Lázár, Professor of Mass Communication at the Budapest Business School, University (online).

Moderator: Džina Donauskaitė, Director of the Lithuanian Journalism Centre.

14:20-15:00 Presentation. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN MODERN MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS: HOW CAN JOURNALISTS BENEFIT FROM CHATGPT AND OTHER AI SOFTWARE? THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES.

Sil Hamilton, AI Researcher-in-Residence at Hacks/Hackers, former Advisor to the Associated Press on the use of AI in the newsroom.

15:00– 15:30 Presentation. JOURNALISM, WAR, AND REFUGEES: HOW TO SENSITIVELY TELL THE STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA? Bruce Shapiro, Executive Director of the Columbia University’s Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma (online).

15:30–15:50   Coffee break

15:50–17:20 WORKSHOPS (taking place simultaneously. Only for those attending in-person):

Room 1. TELLING IMPORTANT STORIES IN SOUND. A RADIO DOCUMENTARY MASTERCLASS.
Presented by Inga Janiulytė-Temporin and Vaida Pilibaitytė, Radio Documentary Journalists, LRT.

Room 2. WHO IS PUSHING THE PRO-PUTIN MESSAGE? RUSSIAN SPIES AND AGENTS IN EUROPE: WHAT HAVE THE PUBLIC BROADCASTERS OF THE BALTIC COUNTRIES FOUND OUT?
Presented by Indrė Makaraitytė and Jurgita Čeponytė, Investigative Journalists, LRT.

Room 3. APPLYING A FREE COLMENA DIGITAL TOOL FOR LOCAL AND COMMUNITY MEDIA PRODUCTION.

Presented by Vivienne Gager, Project Officer at DW Akademie.

17:20–17:30 Closing of the Forum.

The event is hosted by Vykintas Pugačiauskas, International News Editor, LRT.

The event will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Lithuanian (with the exception of the workshops which will be held in English only).