Background

Europe is changing. After the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall Eastern European countries took up the path westwards. By now, many of them have become members of the European Union. Political, social and economic reconstruction however demands for more than new governments. Deep-rooted changes have only just begun and challenge the corresponding states and societies in many ways. Particularly minorities and weak parts of society risk to suffer from the impacts of transformation. High unemployment rates, persisting corruption and political manipulation constitute a fertile ground to nationalism.While Eastern Europe took off towards the West, the Former Yugoslavia fell apart in bloody wars from 1991 on. Years of war confusion destroyed not only apartments and industrial buildings, but most of all people and families, values and cultures. These wars began in the media. Years before the first shot state television and radio stations as well as newspapers prepared people to war. These media sowed hatred and war through nationalistic broadcasting. Brave journalists opposed these tendencies by broadcasting professionally. As a result they were branded traitors, threatened and some of them murdered. At that time they depended on support and solidarity to hold down their jobs. However, even today freedom of opinion and press are all but self-evident in the region. The new rulers often use undemocratic means or even violence in order to control media and to secure their own influence. War in the Former Yugoslavia will not be completely over until it is over in the heads of the people, until the people have found peace. This however will only come true, if societies develop and become strong enough to call the elected politicians to account. Professional media constitute a substantial condition to this.In December 1992 medienhilfe was founded by journalists as an association by the name of 'Medienhilfe Ex-Jugoslawien'. Its 10^th anniversary was an occasion for medienhilfe to lock back and ahead. Read more…Over the years medienhilfe extended its activities on all of Eastern and Central Europe and therefore stroke the ‘Ex-Jugoslawien’ out of its name. From media support in war times medienhilfe has shifted over to assistance for media in civil and political reconstruction work, in democratization of the political systems and in the redefinition of civil values.Today confusion and propaganda of war are hopefully definitely part of the past. Reconstruction is coming along but people are still marked by the experience of war. The political elites resemble in many aspects the old rulers. Democratic structures are still too weak. The states of the Former Yugoslavia and of Eastern Europe in general need professional cooperation in order to get rid of the burden of the past and to meet the challenges of Europe. medienhilfe supports this cross border cooperation of media in Eastern and Southeastern Europe.Media play a crucial role in the quest for social orientation, for new and democratic values. Media are manuals for democracy since they constitute a platform where opinions can compete peacefully and where civil awareness and the sense of political responsibility emerge.