Cross border communication and information in the Barents region will be promoted through Barents Mediasphere, a project that is currently beginning its activities. This two-year project is funded by the European Union’s Kolarctic ENPI cross border co-operation programme with a total financing of about 900,000 euros.
The project aims to
enhance the flow of cross border information in order for
Barents-related information to be more readily available for
journalists, as well as the wider public. This will be achieved by
producing and providing information about the Barents region, as well as
promoting possibilities for media to operate in the region.
The
project will be implemented by the Arctic Centre of the University of
Lapland (Rovaniemi, Finland) in partnership with TV Murman (Murmansk,
Russia) and internet news portal BarentsObserver (Kirkenes, Norway). The
associate partner will be Barents Press International, a 20-year-old
network for journalists working in the northern regions of Norway,
Sweden, Finland and Russia.
Together, the Arctic Centre, TV
Murman and BarentsObserver will organize training courses and excursions
for journalists. In the autumn of 2013, the project will organize the
first ever common meeting for editors-in-chief from media in the Barents
region. Additionally, TV Murman will produce a TV-documentary titled
“Mixed Marriages”.
Barents Mediasphere is building on the strong
expertise and motivation of all partners in producing and serving
Barents-related information. Barents Press International, with its
networks and long-standing experience, serves as an important
cooperative partner.
The project will be led by Markku Heikkilä,
Arctic Centre’s Head of Science Communication. Daily operations of the
project will be run by Barents Mediasphere Project coordinator Virpi
Komulainen, Arctic Centre.
More information:
Project manager Markku Heikkilä, Arctic Centre, tel. +358 40 484 4300, markku.heikkila (at) ulapland.fi
Project coordinator Virpi Komulainen, Arctic Centre, tel. +358 40 484 4154, virpi.komulainen (at) ulapland.fi
More information about Barents Mediasphere
More information about the journalists' network Barents Press International
More information about The Kolarctic ENPI cross-border cooperation programme
The project partners
The Arctic Centre at the University of Lapland is an international centre
for Arctic research and knowledge located in Rovaniemi, Finland.
TV Murman is the regional branch of the Russian national public service
television. TV Murman is available for 800 000 persons in Murmansk
region, Russia.
BarentsObserver is a news
service, which offers news about the Barents Region and the Arctic. The
site is run by the Norwegian Barents Secretariat in Kirkenes, Norway.
ULapland/AC/VK