Public Interest On Media Agenda

Soros Foundation Romania launched the Public Interest on Media Agenda program in 2008, as a multi-year documentary competition for local television stations across Romania, combined with training on documentary making. Each year a new competition topic (reflecting a public interest issue) is to be selected. The program aims to use media power for advocacy on important public interest issues, in order to increase the level of accountability and transparency of the public authorities and also to support the professionalization of local media and their capacity to serve public interest. Compared to its first year, when the program targeted only local TV journalists, in the following years the program will be scaled up to extend its target group by including local radio stations and local online media and citizen media. Starting with 2010, there will be also a special program component dedicated to independent documentary producers. Next year’s theme and all participation conditions will be available in early February.