Presented Results of the Project “Effective Protection of and Rapid Support to Media”: Press Alert for the Safety of Journalists

As part of the project, CRMA engaged with the media community and gathered firsthand experiences regarding the safety of journalists and the freedom of journalistic work. The organization listened to proposals and suggestions from journalists, and initiated dialogue with law enforcement institutions—including prosecutor’s offices, police agencies, the High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council, and the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees. The result of this collaboration is a mobile application that allows for the rapid reporting of various types of threats and attacks.

The Press Alert app features an emergency “red button” function, integrated with location and camera capabilities, enabling quick alerts to police, prosecutor’s offices, the media community, and the public. The app was developed according to the highest standards of personal data protection. It is multilingual and designed to be adaptable to different contexts and environments.

“The goal of this project from the beginning was to create a tool that would give journalists the sense that they are not alone, and that there is a way to support them in times of trouble. Throughout the project, we identified other institutions, organizations, and contact points within prosecutor’s offices and police agencies that have formed a network of legal aid and protection for journalists through other initiatives. With the addition of this application, I can confidently say that we have created a high-quality project to support journalists in distress,” said Eldin Karić, Executive Director of the CRMA Association.

Aurelie Valtat, Head of the Department for European Integration, Political Affairs, Press, and Information at the Delegation of the European Union to BiH, emphasized the importance of media freedom in the context of European integration:

“We see that investigative journalism in BiH is under threat, and the number of attacks and legal cases against journalists is increasing. When I spoke with journalists in Banja Luka, they expressed serious concerns for their own safety, which is unacceptable for a country aspiring to join the EU. We will continue to monitor the situation, and we deeply appreciate the courage and commitment of all media workers and civil society organizations.”

The project “Effective Protection and Rapid Support to the Media” has been underway since February 2024 and is now entering its final phase. Four key steps remain to ensure the effective use of the Press Alert application as a tool to support journalists and respond to security threats:

• - Institutional confirmation for the use of the Press Alert application;
• - Provision of human resources to manage reports received via the application;
• - Provision of technical resources for ongoing maintenance of the application;
• - Active engagement with the application by both the media community and relevant institution

(zurnal.info)