The Judicial Strengthening Initiative in Bulgaria (JSI) focused on strengthening the independence and capacity of the Bulgaria judiciary.
IREX and the Broadcast Training Center-ProMedia (BTC) worked as subcontractors to the East-West Management Institute (EWMI) on the project, supporting initiatives to raise public awareness of judicial reform and enhance the media’s ability to report on judicial issues and court cases.
This project is now closed.
• Expand media's capacity to raise public awareness of the judicial reform process
• Improve reporting on the judiciary and judicial reform
As Bulgaria moved towards acceptance into the European Union, it had to reform many sectors of its governance structure, including the courts and judiciary. With a history of the courts serving political interests and with little public understanding of the role of an independent judiciary, Bulgaria needed not only to reform the courts but needed to educate its public on the nature and benefits of the reform.
Public Awareness of the Judicial Reform Process: IREX’s partner, the Broadcast Training Center-ProMedia (BTC), worked with local and national media throughout Bulgaria to help raise public awareness of the judicial reform process.
Reporting on the Judiciary: IREX and BTC worked with media to improve their understanding of the judiciary in Bulgaria and key reforms as they were implemented. The project built effective bridges between the judiciary and the media to improve media access while increasing the transparency of the judiciary.
Press Relations for the Judiciary, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the National Institute of Justice: IREX and BTC provided training and consulting to develop effective press relations departments, train spokespersons, and assist in the development of media relations guidelines.
media@irex.org [4]