JNews.am - by Journalists for the Future

Journalists for the Future NGO (JFF) is the first unification of journalists in the Caucasus region, members of which have western-style education in journalism and media management. It was opened in Yerevan in October 2007 with a mission to support the development of free, independent and professional media in Armenia and in neighboring countries through public activities, educational and research quality programs in the field of journalism and media management.

The previous name of JFF was "Journalists' Team for Sustainable Future" (CJTeam), renamed in January 2010.

The first 15 members of JFF were the graduates of the Caucasus School of Journalism and Media Management (CSJMM) at the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GIPA), who work, at present, for various media companies and university journalism faculties in Armenia. However from the very first days of its establishment JFF is open for all the Caucasus journalists or media representatives independent of religion and nationality, who share the JFF mission and principles.

Since 2007, about 400 journalists, students and public activists from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey have participated in the JFF events, this making JFF the premiere young journalistic NGO in Armenia. JFF has organized more than 15 meetings, trainings, forums and conferences for local and regional professional journalists and students from journalism faculties. The JFF’s members periodically deliver lectures at the universities functioning in Armenian regions (Shirak, Lori, Gegharkunik and Syunik). JFF emphasizes fact-based reporting and the highest standards of ethical journalism, with a hands-on approach to teaching.

JFF workshops, addressed to journalists, students and public activists, cover the following topics: investigative journalism, coverage of human rights issues, freedom of information, environment and sexual reproduction, Internet TV and video, newspaper and online media production, as well as media monitoring on the government activities.

In October 2009, as part of a project funded by Eurasia Partnership Foundation, JFF implemented a Research entitled "Accuracy and Bias in Armenian Print and Electronic Media when Covering Armenian-Turkish Relations" and presented the results' final report at the Armenian-Turkish Media Conference in Bursa, Turkey a day before the Turkey-Armenia National Soccer Game in October. The studied newspapers between 2006 and 2009 published in Armenia - three dailies and two news websites - were selected according to the number of copies, number of visitors and political orientation. The 1,570 articles from the sampled media included all the verbal texts, the characteristics of genres, the titles, the subtitles, the leads of the articles related to Armenian-Turkish relations, whether fully or partially. The content analysis of the Armenian media revealed a number of major tendencies in the coverage of Armenian-Turkish relations.

JFF operates JNews.am bilingual website since July 2008. During 2009, as a result of a number of phase developments realized with the support of the US Embassy in Armenia and Switzerland Embassy in Georgia and Armenia, JNews.am (called CJTeam.org until January 2010) became a mature media resource. Its main goal is to provide information on freedom of speech in the Caucasus region and on the media events, as well as to collect and disseminate information supporting the journalists to keep their professionalism at a high level.

In October 2008, JFF organized a three-day journalism Seminar on “Raising the Role of the Media in Covering Justice and Law Enforcement System” with the support of the British Embassy Yerevan. The workshop was conducted by Dainius Radzevicius, president of Lithuanian Journalists Union and Audrys Antanaitis, famous Lithuanian TV and Radio journalist, with the active participation of the experts from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia and a human rights advocate. As a result of the seminar JFF published articles on human rights issues in Armenia prepared by 14 journalists on the 60th anniversary of Human Rights Declaration.

Aiming at sustainable future and believing in the power of mass media to effect positive changes, JFF raises the following objectives:

1. to support production of fact-based information;
2. to monitor the mass media activity;
3. to support for journalism education;
4. to support for media literacy;
5. to support both production and dissemination of alternative content through multiple platforms;
6. to restore newspaper reading culture;
7. to support for increase of interest in and usage of web-based media;
8. to be actively involved in media events both in the Caucasus and abroad;
9. to establish coalitions with similar organizations in the Caucasus and abroad.

We are a journalistic family with a team spirit.

We appreciate the independence gained by our countries.

We are a generation of independence.

We support democracy and pluralism in our countries.

We communicate via one voice with the world and believe in the productivity of team work.

We support each other and enlarge our knowledge to enable members to better respond challenges and opportunities brought by new media environment.

Fairness, confidence and authority: to be always unselfish, and to obtain and maintain the confidence of society and to keep self reputation.

Independence: to be the "voice" of the public, not specifically affiliated with any power, political party or other special interest group.

Analysis: to assist in reflecting reality, providing complete information and satisfying public curiosity with multisided information.

Credibility: to scrupulously check all information and compare it with alternative sources before dissemination.

Respect:

• to work respecting personal dignity and individual rights;
• to respect the JFF mission, objectives and values.

Partnership: to encourage our colleagues to join the JFF staff, if they share the principles and mission of the organization.