"We could suggest many ideas and potential for joint initiatives," said Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stella Angova, Head of the Media and Public Communications Department, at the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Department, the UN Children's Fund - UNICEF and Association of European Journalists /AEJ – Bulgaria/. The topic of ethical coverage of children in the media which is the focus of the document has already been included in a semester course on Media Regulation.
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The signing of the Memorandum |
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The challenges of covering children in the media are one of the most common in practice. "The extended course helped the students of specialties Media and Journalism and Media Economics to get acquainted with real problematic cases from the media. Colleagues were involved with great interest in their discussion. I hope that they have managed to build a professional reflex to help them in their work as journalists and communication specialists", commented the Head of the course Assist. Dr. Iliya Valkov. Namely, The Guide to Ethical Coverage of Children in the Media worked out by UNICEF and AEJ - Bulgaria in 2018 is the basis of teaching on the topic. Its practical value is expressed in the summary of principles of ethical reflection and controlling issues which every professional should ask when working with children On its pages can be found information about the legislative framework in Bulgaria, international standards and many practical advices (psychological, legal, technical, business) to uphold the best interests of a child, on one hand, and improve the quality of journalistic production, on the other.
Digital media literacy among young people is the other aspect the three organizations will actively cooperate in the future. "Sharing the experience and its practical application are the basis of the new partnership between the three organizations. The active participation of students is the most inspiring aspect of it", said Dr. Jane Muita, UNICEF Representative for Bulgaria.
"We have already been working on a cooperation agreement with UNICEF which will cover all activities of our university," said Assoc. Prof. Angova. "We are happy to give an official start of this initiative with the largest business university in the country", said Ivan Radev, member of the Management Board of AEJ - Bulgaria.
