Right to Know Day around the world - Romania

Organizer: Center fo Independent Journalism, Association Pro Democracy, Romanian Institute of Training, Media Monitoring Agency, Romanian Helsinki Committee
Date: September 26-28, 2007
Event: Right to Know Days

Description:

September 26-27 - The International Conference on Media and the European Election. While not immediately related to the access to information at large, we see an opportunity in this conference to pinpoint the role of the media as transparency agents, as well as their reponsibility to bring on the public agebnda issues pertaining to the good governance. The underlying idea of the conference is " a broader informed public participation in public affairs"

September 27 - the launching of the regional study "Two Televisions, Two Worlds", produced as part of SEENPM activities. It analyzes the way the public and privat television channels select andthe information and impact on the citizens' agenda. The study will be launched simultaneously in all the 10 participating countries.

September 28 - 11:00 - Launchig of the trend report on the role of the Romanian public media in informing the citizens. The report is the fourth in a series of trends reports on the evolution in the media field produced by CIJ as part of an advocacy program, run under the Romania Civil Society Strengthening Program”, coordinated by World Learning for International Development and supported by USAID.

September 28 - 12:30 - a debate hosted by CIJ (but co-organized by the "usual suspects" listed bellow) on the draft Europen Convention for access to information. The debated will be attebnded by Romanian MPs, experts from the Foreign Ministry, FOIA Advocates and journalists. The civil society organizations will present the officials with a position document (inspired by the one prepared by Helen Darbishire) to be used in the CoE negotiations.

September 28 - 14:00 - 16:00 - CIJ will host a "FOIA request clinique". Codru will provide free assistance in filling in and submitting FOIA request to citizens, CSO people, journalists, etc.

The letter to CoE has been posted on the websites of the organizers (translated in Romanian) for people to sign.