The founding members of the Thessaloniki-based International Training Centre for the Safety of Journalists and Media Professionals agreed on the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation for the establishment of the Centre at a meeting held on January 20th, 2023, at the Government House. The eight institutions that participated in the meeting and will be the cooperating parties are the General Secretariat for Communication and Information, the Region of Central Macedonia, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), the Union of Daily Newspaper Editors of Macedonia and Thrace (ESIEMTH), the Athens News Agency – Macedonian Press Agency (ANA-MPA), the Hellenic Radio and Television (E. R.T.) and the Municipal Enterprise for Information, Theatre and Communication (DEPTHE).
The International Centre, which will function under the scientific responsibility of the Peace Journalism Laboratory, will focus on the study of issues related to the safety of journalists and media professionals in war zones, in areas facing a crisis, but also on the risks that journalists face in their daily lives while practising their profession. Furthermore, the Centre will also offer specialized practical training and consulting services and assist in providing equipment and psychological support.
As Mr Galamatis, Secretary General for Communication and Information, said, the Centre aspires to become an international-level model. “The Centre’s establishment is part of a broader framework of actions that we are implementing as the General Secretariat for Communication and Information of the Presidency of the Government, with the creation of a Coordination Working Group (Task Force) for Ensuring the Protection, Safety and Empowerment of Journalists and other Media Professionals, an initiative that has been recognized as a pioneering initiative by the EUseveraler of Member S. “s “. Mr. Galamatis added that “Especially in this case, we are bringing together the institutions and associations of journalists with the academic community and the first and second level local government. We act together. We are proceeding with an act of defending and promoting the journalistic work and supporting the media, an act that constitutes a basic prerequisite for pluralism and dealing with disinformation and fake news. Moreover, the establishment of the Centre makes Thessaloniki, and more broadly Central Macedonia, an international reference point for one of the most important contemporary challenges in the media field, but also a pole of attraction for a large number of media professionals in order to be trained”.
Mr Nikos Papaioannou, Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, noted that the Aristotle University will contribute to the project and highlighted that “this Center will contribute to extroversion within the Balkan region and throughout Europe, so in addition to academic diplomacy, we are also talking about journalistic diplomacy.”
Mr Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, noted that this is “a very important initiative of the General Secretariat of Communication and Information which is supported by all the authorities, institutions and agencies of the region because very simply it is going to give the possibility to journalists, not only from Greece but from all over the region, the opportunity to be trained and informed about security issues. This way, they will safely carry out their duty and their work, and at the same time, they will be shielded against any threat”.
Mr Konstantinos Zervas, mayor of Thessaloniki, stated that the Municipality of Thessaloniki would provide the space that will host the headquarters of the International Centre and emphasized that “This is another effort that is being made so that our city can be visited, gain recognition and be an international center for journalists. It is important that we contribute to this”.
“It is a great pleasure and honor for us because it capitalizes on an effort that we had started three years ago with the ESIEMTH and all the institutions of Thessaloniki. We are very grateful and especially thank Mr Galamatis, who supported the creation and operation of the Centre, as well as all the authorities, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, the Region of Central Macedonia, ANA-MPA, ERT, ESIEMTH, and all the journalists’ associations. Essentially, the establishment of the Center makes Thessaloniki a center of development, an innovative place, which capitalizes on the experience and know-how of Aristotle University,” said Dr Nikos Panagiotou, Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism and Mass Media Communications of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Director of the Peace Journalism Laboratory.
Mr Nikos Karras, President of the Union of Daily Newspaper Editors of Macedonia and Thrace (ESEMTH), pointed out the cooperation of the country’s Editors’ Unions in creating the International Centre. As he said, “Today is a very important day because something that should have been done a long time ago is being implemented.
Mr Emilios Perdikaris, President and General Director of the Athens News Agency – Macedonian Press Agency (ANA-MPA), told the media: ” The logic of extroversion that we want to give to the Athenian and Macedonian News Agency, as well as the juncture of the presidency of the Balkan Union of News Agencies (currently Mr Perdikaris is the president of the Balkan Union) dictated the reasoning with which we had proposed that Thessaloniki should become a training center essentially for Balkan journalists. This is an initiative that will work productively toward this direction, which is precisely why we support it. Surely the results that can come will be equally productive for the journalistic result, but also, above all, for the integrity, training, and professionalism of the journalists who will participate and enjoy the benefits of this initiative.
“This initiative is significant because it protects journalists, helps in the creation of reliable news, and at the same time expands the democratic acquis,” said in his statements Mr Apostolos Veizades, President of the Municipal Enterprise for Information, Theatre and Communication (DEPTHE).
The meeting was attended by the Secretary General of Communication and Information, Dimitris Galamatis, the Regional Governor of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Konstantinos Zervas, the Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Nikos Papaioannou, the President of the Union of Editors of Macedonia and Thrace, Nikos Karras, the President and Director General of the Athens-Macedonian News Agency, Emilios Perdikaris, the Director General of ERT3, Filios Stagos, representing the President of ERT, Konstantinos Zoulas, the President of the Municipal Enterprise for Information, Entertainment, and Communication of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, Apostolos Veizades, and the Director of the Peaceful Journalism Laboratory of the Department of Journalism and Mass Media Communications, Nikos Panagiotou.
*Based on information from ERT and ANA-MPA