EFJ Meeting on Freelancers in Minsk
October 13 - 14 representatives of the European Federation of Journalists held a joint meeting with BAJ in Minsk to discuss the issues of freelance journalism.
The two-day visit started with a roundtable discussion "Role of journalist in society. Peculiarities of freelance journalism in Europe and in Belarus".
The EFJ is represented by Renate Schroeder (EFJ Director) аnd experts from journalistic unions from Sweden, Norway, Austria, and Great Britain - Asa Ohlsson, Toralf Sandaker, Judith Reitstatter, John Toner.
Official representatives from Belarus were also invited, however none of them turned up. The chairperson of teh Permanent Commission on human rights, national relations and mass media of Parliament Andrei Naumovich thanked for invitation and begged pardon for not coming, as he had some other important event in the schedule.
Zhanna Litvina, chair of BAJ expressed her regrets over the fact that official representatives skipped the event because the meeting and the issues discussed are extremely important for all Belarusian journalists.
The member of the Council of BAJ Andrus, coordinator of "For freelance" campaign underlined that freelance journalism is a painful issue for Belarus. "Whereas in Europe freelance journalists are more worried by financila issues, in Belarus it is a question of concept."
We remind that BAJ joined the EFJ and their freelancers group in 2013.
The EFJ supports BAJ's plea to introduce clear legal definitions and ensure that freelance journalists could work in Belarus freely.