Article 19 conducts training on media monitoring in Tskhinvali

Article 19, an international human rights organization, conducted a training for journalists and NGO activists in Tskhinvali on the issues concerning the work of the mass media in a pre-election period.

International norms in the field were touched upon during the training. A special workshop was conducted on the second day. The journalists were offered a standard model of media monitoring during election campaigns. The training generated much interest, as South Osetia is in a wait for the May parliamentary elections.

A short dispute devoted to the TV program of the Nog Bon studio that had contained criticism against a deputy of the parliament focused on the problems in the field of freedom of views in South Osetia. After that program, deputies had adopted a special appeal to the president of the republic to protect the deputies' constitutional rights. Chair of the Committee on Information and Press Ms Gagloyeva, expressed her opinion during the dispute. She stated there were problems with freedom of speech in South Osetia, though she admitted indirectly the material in the ill-fated program had been presented not entirely in a correct manner.

The issue of conducting media monitoring by an initiative group of journalists before the parliamentary elections in South Osetia is in a decision stage now. The supervisory board has been established, and most political parties have declared their support for the action.