The media scene in Sandzak

Undoubtedly, the media in our country are far removed from the standards we have expected to take hold (and which have been worked on for many years), the freedom of the media is now being repressed even more than during some of the periods in the nineties, the poverty that many media companies suffer from has become humiliating, and we are still far from an environment that would allow journalists to freely do their job regardless of the issues they report on. The situation in "the province" – however we may define it – is further aggravated by the ubiquitous and overwhelming presence of the provincial mindset that avoids stepping on anyone's toes, so characteristic of human relations in many small towns in Serbia. If we are aware that everyone knows everyone else in Serbian provincial towns, that most of us are are more or less related to each other (or at least are friends or neighbors), then it is understandable why it is perceived as wrong to offend "one of our own" – even if they are criminals – and to expose the shady deals of local power brokers even as they threaten everyone else's existence, and why it is much easier to take aim on someone else instead. If we add into the mix the years-long externally imposed and locally accepted self-isolation, the increasingly visible poverty and economic despair, as well as the servile mentality of those "who live at the crossroads", it is clear why the situation in Sandzak is completely devoid of civil values and critical viewpoints on the people living in this area. All these factors lead to a spontaneous conclusion that the few media outlets still existing in Sandzak are characterized by undemocratic procedures and hopelessness.

Considering the electronic media outlets in the Sandzak area (if we define Sandzak as consisting of five municipalities – Priboj, Prijepolje, Nova Varos, Sjenica and Tutin, as well as the city of Novi Pazar), most of them are, quite expectedly, concentrated in Novi Pazar. The city is home to two television stations with a regional frequency (one of them is a private station, the other is controlled by the local self-government) and one with a local frequency, as well as to around a dozen radio stations which, apart from Beta's Radio 100+, mostly work as announcers of citizens' greetings and congratulations.

The regional TV station, which is managed by the local self-government of Novi Pazar, has attempted to operate as a kind of a public service broadcaster and, of course, failed at it. The station mostly airs praises (some of them deserved, some undeserved) to the local self-government and its unmatched successes. As someone who has for years fought the media terror – and all other forms of terror – spread by Sulejman Ugljanin, the self-appointed owner or Sandzak and all Bosniaks, I am very unsatisfied with the newly-won freedoms and the now-not-so-new local government. My expectations were of course orientated toward further democratization and less censorship of those who are not the part of the local government, but these goals failed to materialize. With a noticeable lack of critical approach to the government, the regional TV has not made a significant progress. There is a certain advancement in the programme and technical areas, but it is often hampered by fiscal insolvency which is the legacy of Ugljanin's rule.

TV Jedinstvo is a private TV station and during the last year and a half its owner has been the mufti Muamer Zukorlic, who has been using in the last few months as a vehicle for his election campaign related to election of national minority councils.

TV Universa is a university TV station of the International University, also owned by the mufti Zukorlic, which means that the media – or more accurately, the TV – content in Novi Pazar is under majority control of this ambitious religious leader.

The only truly independent and unbiased electronic media outlet is the aforementioned Radio 101+, which is a part of the news agency Beta. Still, regardless of its well-structured target audience, the station does not have such influence as the local TV stations.

Considering the print media, Sandzak Danas is at the same time a regional and a cross-border outlet that has been informing Sandzak's inhabitants in Serbia and Montenegro for three years on regional events. It has a status of a balanced media outlet and during its existence it has not needed to publish any retraction nor has it been attacked in any way, which is certainly unusual in this area.

Aside from Sandzak Danas, the city of Novi Pazar is a home to Sandzacke Novine, a political party magazine published by Ugljanin's SDA. Regardless of this, the magazine is still financed by the Ministry of Culture, as well as the Glas Islama newspaper published by the Islamic Community in Serbia led by mufti Muamer Zukorlic. This newspaper's content is often unrelated to religious topics and is mostly used as a tool in fights against political rivals, which has previously caused its financial support from the Ministry of Religion to be terminated.

Among the media in other municipalities in Sandzak, there is another outlet that stands out from the rest with regard to its forma and programme content – Zenska Televizija from Prijepolje, the first women's media outlet in the country that has been managed for several years by Mileva Marisic and Mira Tesevic, journalists and activists from Prijepolje who work for the local non-governmental organization, Women's Forum. This TV station strives to adhere to standards of unbiased and balanced journalism and often reports on sensitive issues within the local community and the region.

TV Tutin should also be mentioned as an interesting example of the struggle for a more or less unbiased journalism because, regardless of the fact that it is owned by the local self-government in Tutin – which is the last bastion of Ugljanin's policy – it manages to air a relatively balanced programme in an attempt to mostly eliminate political influences, in which they have had a significant success.

Other media outlets (several radio stations, as well as the Zlatarske Novosti newspaper from Nova Varos) do not have an influence that is worth mentioning, are mostly of a local character and are privately owned, which means that serious journalism in them is practically non-existent.

This gloomy picture does not end with the list of existing media outlets. What should also be mentioned are the threats to journalists who have been trying to objectively inform their audience despite incredible pressure exerted on them. Sulejman Ugljanin has for years been most directly tied to such pressures and has several times publicly condemned journalists for allegedly being responsible for a bad image of Sandzak in the Serbian public because of their reporting on numerous problems in the region. Today such pressure is mostly applied by mufti Zukorlic, in a manner similar to Ugljanin's.

Aida Corovic

About the authors

MC Newsletter, July 16, 2010