SARAJEVO, December 6 (FENA) – The Human Rights Defenders Helpline presented a report with recommendations titled “(In)visibility and (Re)presentation of Human Rights and Their Defenders in the Media and Public Space in BiH.”

One of the project’s activities, financed by the European Union, is research into the level of presence and representation of human rights activists and defenders in the public media space.

The report was presented at the conference by Borka Rudić, Secretary General of the BH Journalists Association, Alessandro De Giacomo from the EU Delegation to BiH, and Tea Pokrajčić, Coordinator of the Human Rights Defenders Helpline at the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly in Banja Luka.

As they stated, the aim of the project is to assess the media’s agility and commitment to reporting on human rights and their public advocacy.

Considering that journalists play a dual role—as reporters of human rights violations and as human rights defenders—they are often exposed to threats, attacks, and security risks themselves.

Giacomo reminded that human rights are the most important part of both the internal and external policies of the European Union. In this regard, he said, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s human rights laws are quite good, but the main problem is their implementation, particularly when it comes to freedom of expression and the protection of human rights defenders.

Human rights defenders, he emphasized, are partners of the EU, and in that sense, last year contact points for journalists’ safety were established in prosecutors’ offices and ministries of internal affairs. He added that the media play a key role in protecting human rights defenders.

In this context, Tea Pokrajčić confirmed the selfless support provided to human rights defenders by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly in Banja Luka.

Each case or complaint is approached individually, providing legal advice and cooperating with other organizations. The legal team consists of six lawyers, as well as a team of 12 human rights lawyers throughout BiH.

“Depending on where the case is and the area concerned, we delegate it to the relevant lawyer, thus providing legal aid and support 24 hours a day,” said Pokrajčić.

As part of the report, monitoring was conducted on 30 BiH media outlets and their coverage of topics related to human rights activists and defenders, focusing on the objectivity, diversity, and quality of media content.

“Of the human rights content, only 4.6% was found in the total media space, which indicates a shrinking space for civil society in our media, or “shrinking space,” with only 127 items on the topic,” said Rudić.

The largest portion, about 50%, was reports, followed by news, and then, to a significant extent, interviews with activists and thematic stories.

“Media outlets often take these news and reports from each other or from news agencies, so the same content, often even with the same headline and formatting, photos, videos, and so on, appears in different media,” she added.

The recommendation is that it is necessary to respect ethical standards when reporting on human rights defenders and activists, ensuring accurate, fact-based information.

Journalists also have the right to refuse to report if the reporting does not comply with professional standards.

Additionally, journalists have the obligation not only to inform citizens but also to guide and educate them on human rights topics.