On July, 2 a regular reporting election conference of a public organisation “Belarusian Association of Journalists” took place. The delegates canvassed the state of non-governmental mass media, re-elected the governing body of the organisation and adopted several important documents, the address to the journalist community of the country being among them.

Present were 79 out of 82 conference nominees. The conference members listened to the reports of BAJ leaders, control and audit committee, committee on ethics and enabled all those present to have their say. A number of documents were passed as a result of conference work. These include the address to the journalist community “Journalism – the profession of the conscientious and the responsible” (which was immediately dubbed as The Manifesto of Conscience), where the delegates called upon the colleagues “to realise in full the responsibility that journalists bear to the society” and stated “the allegiance to the principles of professional journalism and journalist ethics”. Besides, the delegates by a majority vote have decided to recommend BAJ members the Code of Journalist Ethics, worked out as early as by the previous conference as “a landmark of professional behaviour”.  

Many speakers representing regional and youth structures were present at the conference. The delegates listened to the report of the lawyers of Legal Aid Centre attached to BAJ, which represents one of foreground activities of the organisation.

The conference elected new governing bodies by open vote. The delegates have unanimously supported the proposal to re-elect Žanna Litvina the head of the organisation. The powers of two deputy BAJ heads – Andrej Bastuniec and Tacciana Mielničuk – were prolonged. Two more deputies were elected – Taciana Mielničuk and Alina Suraviec. The delegates adopted the changes to BAJ Statute.                

“Belarusian Association of Journalists” was grounded in 1995. Since 1997 BAJ has been an associate member of the International Journalist Federation. In June 2003 the World Association of Newspapers rewarded BJA “Golden Feather of Freedom-2003”. In January 2004 the organisation received a European Parliament A. Sakharov prize “For the freedom of thought”.

The main directions of BAJ activity are as follows:

• granting legal aid to its members;
• enhancing journalists’ skills;
• monitoring the situation in the sphere of mass media;
• publishing “Abažur” magazine;
• conducting solidarity campaigns;
• cooperating with international journalist organisations.