Sizing up the Fourth Estate in Bosnia
The United States Institute of Peace Virtual Diplomacy Initiative-Media & Conflict Series cordially invites you to a roundtable and brown-bag discussion with Bosnian journalists Senad Pecanin & Natasa Tesanovic.
Famed for their daring and professional journalism, Bosnian journalists Senad Pecanin from Dani magazine and Natasa Tesanovic from ATV Banja Luka in a special brown-bag roundtable will grade efforts by regional media, politicians, and the international community in fostering an authentically independent press in Bosnia.
The speakers will also discuss the recent unrest in Banja Luka and recent anti-violence demonstrations in Sarajevo.
Moderated by Sheryl Brown, director of Communications and co-director of the Institute's Virtual Diplomacy Initiative, the presentations will be followed by a Q&A and a roundtable discussion.
This is a brown-bag discussion so please feel free to bring your lunch.
Senad Pecanin is the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of the Bosnian independent weekly magazine Dani. Currently, Pecanin is a visiting Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, and is pursuing an independent course of study in the company of journalists from around the world. Pecanin began his career in 1986 as a journalist and news editor for Radio Sarajevo, and worked at the station until 1989. After 1989, Pecanin worked a series of jobs and assignments, ranging from deputy editor of the Bosnian Youth Magazine Nasi Dani from 1990 to 1991, to political editor of the TV Program "Dobre Vibracije" from 1989-1990. He is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the "Olof Palme Prize" in 1999.
Natasa Tesanovic is director of the independent television station "Alternativna Televizija" (ATV) in Banja Luka, in Republika Srpska, Bosnia. Tesanovic founded ATV with a multi-ethnic group of local journalists in 1996 immediately following the Dayton Accords. Recognized as the leading independent TV station in Republika Srpska, ATV has won numerous journalistic awards in Europe and ranks among the top independent broadcast outlets in the region. ATV is the only fully independent television broadcast organization in Republika Srpska and is also involved in co-productions with Radio Free Europe, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (Belgrade), and others. ATV is the only CNN correspondent station in Bosnia.
The mission of the Virtual Diplomacy initiative is to explore the role of new information and communication technologies in the conduct of international relations, particularly how they affect international conflict management and resolution. The Institute's educational objective is to extract lessons and insights for future training of international affairs specialists, whether in government, international organizations, or the private sector.
