The media situation in Serbia

The Democratic Party (DS) announced today that it would form a legal and media team which would respond to "the persecution of the members of DS". Members of the team will talk to the media tomorrow and announce their future activities, says the press statement.
(Fonet, NUNS, 11.10.2012)

Opinions about the current media situation in Serbia

The European Commission says that the countries that have begun the process of joining EU are characterized by political interference, economic pressure and insufficient protection of journalist. For this reason, the Commission intends to organize another Speak Up conference in the first half of 2013. The first conference was held in May of 2011.
(B92, Beta, NUNS, NDNV, 05.10.2012)

The 36th ANEM Monitoring Report, prepared in cooperation with the expert team of the legal office Zivkovic & Samardzic, is now available at the ANEM website on the web page dedicated to Monitoring of the Media Scene.
(MC, 08.10.2012)

Serbian journalists are threatened by various powerful groups, says the editor-in-chief of the News Agency Beta, Ivan Cvejic. He is of the opinion that journalists should exhibit courage.
(RTV, UNS, NUNS, 28.09.2012)

Democracy and independent judiciary are not possible without courageous, responsible and active journalism, says the European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia Jelko Kacin. "This is a longstanding problem in Serbia. I have been following this issue mostly in the media, and I know which eight media outlets I express the opinions and priorities of which political parties", says Kacin.
(Tanjug, B92, UNS, NUNS, 28.09.2012)

Journalists Vladimir Mitric has suffered serious physical injuries due to his professional work. However, despite the 24-hour protection, he is still receiving threats from criminals, even from those that are imprisoned. "The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) has begun working on an integrated database that would contain information about attacks on journalists, including about events that followed such attacks. Preliminary information shows that legal proceedings and verdicts in such cases are very problematic", says Vukasin Obradovic, the president of NUNS.
(Deutsche Welle, NDNV, 01.10.2012)

The state and the media

The Government of Serbia has not yet established official presence on social networks. The head of the Government's Office for Cooperation with the Media, Milivoje Mihajlovic, said to the daily newspaper Danas that this form of communication is not planned. Only the sectors of defense, finance, economy and justice have their official Facebook and Twitter pages.
(B92, Danas, NUNS, 04.10.2012)

Jasmina Mitrovic-Maric, an advisor to the President of the Republic Tomislav Nikolic, was appointed yesterday as the representative of the state in the Assembly of Stockholders of "Politika a.d."
(Politika, UNS, NUNS, 05.10.2012)

Public service broadcasters

The TV fee paid by citizens and used for financing of the public service broadcaster has been stipulated by the Law on Broadcasting since 2002, but many people still perceive this obligation as optional. This kind of attitude towards the law and the increasingly difficult financial position of citizens have resulted in the rate of payment of the TV fee by citizens of only 30 percent, which means that only 50 million euros is paid to the public service broadcaster in this way. Nino Brajovic, the general secretary of the Journalists' Association of Serbia, says that it is necessary to modify the law in order to improve the inefficient financing of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS).
(Politika, UNS, 28.09.2012)

Lawyer Slobodan Kremenjak explains that each of the deputies in the parliament, the Government, as well as voters under certain conditions, have the right to propose a law that would change the system of payment of TV fee.
(Politika, UNS, 28.09.2012)

In order to ensure the right to objective information and independence of public service broadcasters, the European Union is opposed to their financing by the government and recommends the TV fee system to be used. However, the Parliament of Finland decided in June of this year to change the financing system used in the country. As of 1 January 2013, the public service broadcaster of Finland should be financed by the national budget. In fact, instead of the TV fee, charges will be collected by the Tax Administration and transferred to the national broadcaster. The general director of the public service broadcaster of Belgium in French language, Jean Paul Phillipe, recently said that the TV fee system has a huge advantage in comparison with the financing from the national budget since the Government cannot withhold the money "because it does not like the reporting of the public service broadcaster". In February of this year, the Council of Ministers of the EU adopted a declaration calling on the EU member countries to improve the legislation pertaining to the functioning of public service broadcasters, taking into account the new technological environment and the current financial situation.
(Danas – Weekend Edition, UNS, 29.09.2012)

The system of payment of TV fee together with electricity bills has failed and the government will have to intervene, said the minister of culture and the media, Bratislav Petkovic. The primary goal is to ensure the independence of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) and it has to be financed via TV fee, Petkovic pointed out and added that Croatian model, which had achieved the payment rate of 98 percent, was a good example that should be followed.
(RTS, UNS, NUNS, 05.10.2012)

Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), which is a public service broadcaster, is not offering a rich sports programme in this season. Most of the attractive content has been taken by commercial stations. Serbian sports fans are forced to conclude multi-year contracts with cable providers in order to watch the best content.
(Danas, UNS, 02.10.2012)

The president of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, while appearing in the programme "The Impression of the Week" broadcast on TV B92, said that Aleksandar Tijanic should not be the director of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) and that he would remove him from his position if he were the prime minister. "Everyone whom Tijanic had helped to remain in power is now gone, but he is still here", said the president of Serbia.
(B92, NUNS, UNS, 08.10.2012)

I do not dare to comment on the statement made by the president of the country, said the director of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) to the daily newspaper Blic, which asked him to comment on Nikolic's words. The president of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, previously said that he would remove Tijanic from the position of the director of the public service broadcaster if he was the prime minister.
(Blic, Press, UNS, 09.10.2012)

Aleksandar Tijanic, the director of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), believes that Tomislav Nikolic did not have bad intentions when he said he would dismiss that Tijanic from his job if he were the prime minister. Tijanic is of the opinion that the question asked by the author of the programme, Olivera Beckovic, was not appropriately formulated. "The words of President Nikolic prove that he is a true statesman", said Tijanic.
(Alo, NUNS, 09.10.2012)

The public service broadcaster of Serbia, which is the largest media company in the region, has not paid salaries to its contributors for months, reports the web portal Telegraf. The contributors have received salaries up to and including the month of April. Each of them is owed around 300,000 dinars on average. (www.telegraf.rs , UNS, NUNS, 09.10.2012)

Radio-Television Vojvodina (RTV) does not have its own building since 1999, when the station's old building was destroyed in NATO bombardment. The government should find a solution to this problem as soon as possible, said in Novi Sad the secretary for information of the Province of Vojvodina, Slavisa Grujic, and the general director of RTV, Sinisa Isakov. Grujic and Isakov pointed out that the system of payment of TV fee for RTV was inadequate, and that the obsolete technical equipment constituted another problem. Sinisa Isakov said that the average age of employees in the station was above 46, that its more young people should be employed, and that those who are eligible for retirement should be allowed to retire while receiving legally mandated financial aid. Slavisa Grujic noted that it was especially important to digitalize and adequately preserve the RTV archive because it constituted a cultural heritage that must not be neglected or forgotten. He was of the opinion that it was evident that the news and other programmes of RTV had significantly improved.
(Danas, UNS, NUNS, 11.10.2012)

Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) intended to spend three million dinars for hairdressing services, which means that RTS employees would be able to afford around 6,000 hairdos at the price of 500 dinars each, reports the daily newspaper Kurir. At the same time, salaries of RTS programme contributors are five months late. Kurir asked RTS whether the acquired goods and services could have been purchased cheaper, allowing the payment of late salaries to its employees. RTS said that they would respond, but Kurir has not received any response until the publication of today's issue of the newspaper.
(Kurir, UNS, NUNS,11.10.2012)

Threats, attacks and legal proceedings against journalists; media-related trials

The family of B92 journalists Tanja Jankovic was brutally beaten last Saturday at the wedding of their cousin by members of the police of the city of Vranje, reports the daily newspaper Alo!.Using her sources, Tanja Jankovic managed to acquire the police report, which is full of illogical claims. She filed a complaint, claiming that the report was forged, while the minister of police requested internal investigation. "I demand that the government support me and my family because we are feeling threatened", said Tanja Jankovic.
(Alo!, 27.09.2012)

TV B92 journalist Tanja Jankovic says that she and members of her family were attacked by a group of people with a criminal background under orders given by the inspector of the Vranje police, Nenad Jovanovic, reports the daily newspaper Informer. Their obvious intention to lynch the family was thwarted by the minister of police himself, Ivica Dacic, who had received a call for help over the phone from the journalist around midnight. The special police unit arrived after 10 minutes, asked to see the journalist's ID, and prevented her from calling the ambulance. Since the appointment of Sladjan Velinovic as the head of the Vranje police department, the city has been in a state of anarchy and ruled by criminal groups under his control. Since 2011, 10 cars, three restaurants, one building under construction, a discotheque and the Theatre of Vranje have been set on fire. TV B92 was the first to report on responsibility of the head of the police. However, Velinovic and inspector Jovanovic have not even been questioned, much less suspended from work.
(Informer, 27.09.2012)

The spokesman of the Vranje police department, Dragan Stosic, said that several individuals had taken part in the fighting, among them the inspector Nenad J. He confirmed that misdemeanor charges had been filed against Nenad J. and three other individuals. "Nenad J. is an employee of the Belgrade police department. I don't know whether he has been suspended or what his current employment status is. Regarding the police report, I have no information about that and I cannot offer any comment".
(Press, 27.09.2012, Vecernje novosti, 28.09.2012)

Sources from the police department praise the inspector accused by the journalist of brutally beating her sister and father. There are rumors that the head of the city police department has a grudge against Jankovic, which is the cause of the whole affair.
(Vecernje novosti – Serbia, 29.09.2012)

TV B92 Tanja Jankovic said to the daily newspaper Kurir that she was fearing for her and her family members' lives and that she demanded protection from the government. The internal control of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia is investigating the case because of the false police report about the incident. Protector of Citizens Sasa Jankovic has been informed about the case at the request of Tanja Jankovic.
(Kurir, 30.09.2012)

"Despite the report by the internal control which confirms that the police report filed by the Vranje police department is incomplete and illogical, the inspector who beat us and the head of the department who signed the report are still holding their positions. We are going to meet with OSCE representatives and demand their help and protection", said Jankovic.
(Kurir, 03.10.2012)

Goro Redzic, the director and editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Nas Glas and a former president of the Assembly of the City of Smederevo, was arrested under suspicion of demanding bribe in the amount of 50,000 dinars with regard to renting of business premises in the center of the city. Apart from auditing the business operations in the last five years, the police is also investigating the process of privatization of the company NIDOO Nas Glas.
(Blic, 27.09.2012, Press, 28.09.2012)

Sources from the magazine Nas Glas, whose employees yesterday celebrated the publication of the 3000th issue of the magazine, claim that no crime had been committed and that their director was supposed to collect two monthly rents owed to the company by the former tenants.
(Press, 27.09.2012)

The director and editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Nas Glas, Gora Redzic, who was arrested under suspicion of receiving bribe for illegal renting of business premises owned by the company, has been held in custody.
(Vecernje novosti – Serbia, 29.09.2012)

The Serbian Progressive Party has issued a press statement calling on the media to "stop making up news and speculating about the personnel policy" of the party.
(Danas, 27.09.2012)

The Democratic Party (DS) demanded yesterday an immediate response from independent bodies in accordance with demands of deputies from the European Parliament. DS said that the EP had requested that the media not be abused to announce arrests, make verdicts and destroy the public reputation of people who had not been charged with or convicted of any crime.
(Vecernje novosti, 29.09.2012)

I have submitted a complaint to the Constitutional Court of Serbia because the interest group of the former president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) has prevented me from exercising my right to the freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of criticism, as well as the freedom of opinion, conscience and beliefs, both in the pages of Politika and court sessions, says an open letter written by Petar Stojanovic, a former journalist with Politika and NIN.
(Politika, 29.09.2012)

A scandal occurred in the Primary Court of Loznica during the court session in the lawsuit initiated by journalist Vladimir Mitric against former police officer L. T., reports the daily newspaper Novosti. L. T. had previously been sentenced to one year of prison for his attack on the journalist. On 12 September 2005, one of the two court experts tried to withdraw a part of his written testimony without consulting his colleague. The part in question is related precisely to the increase in damages demanded by lawyer Dusan Vladic, the legal representative of the journalist.
(Vecernje novosti – Serbia, 29.09.2012)

During the night between Friday and Saturday, unidentified perpetrators cut all the tires on the car owned by the longtime TV Pink journalist, Mladen Mijatovic. Mijatovic has been reporting on crime for the last 13 years. He has been physically attacked several times, but the police has been able to quickly find and arrest the attackers. He has also often received anonymous threats.
(Alo!, Kurir, UNS, 30.09.2012, Tanjug, Dnevnik, Informer, Kurir, Press, 01.10.2012, Informer, 02.10.2012)

An editorial published by the daily newspaper Kurir says: "Journalists are an endangered species in Serbia and may soon become extinct. Especially the good ones. Some of them have already abandoned the rest of us, like the colleague Srdjan Radulovic, while others have targets on their backs. Journalist Tanja Jankovic and her family were beaten recently in Vranje. All tires were cut on a car of our colleague from TV Pink, Mladen Mijatovic. In the not-so-distant past, many journalists were killed or attacked with bombs... Many journalists do not live until retirement – some of them because of bullets, some of them because of stress. Of course, reduced service years for retirement are out of the question. However, it goes without saying that the government should protect journalists from criminals, including those from political circles or the police... that it should protect journalists from being killed with impunity, and that it should finally arrest and punish someone for attacking media employees. This is why we pay them. They even enjoy the reduced service years for retirement."
(Kurir, NUNS, 01.10.2012)

Serbia is the regional leader with regard to the number of protected individuals, the number of members of the police and the army protecting threatened individuals and objects, and the expenses incurred by the protection provided by the state. Two female journalists are under protection because they are being threatened by mobsters. State protection has also been provided to the director of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), Aleksandar Tijanic, and the director of TV B92, Veran Matic.
(Press, 01.10.2012)

TV Kanal 9 from Novi Sad has filed a complaint to the Court in Strasbourg because of violation of rights and freedom of the media in Serbia due to contradictory laws and the lack of the political will to withdraw the state from media ownership. The station filed the complaint because the authorities of the Republic of Serbia had decided that this issue was not within their area of competence, while the Constitutional Court had rejected to review the case. TV Kanal 9 believes that fundamental human rights and freedoms will continue to be threatened unless the Republic of Serbia harmonizes its broadcasting laws in a manner which would ensure equal legal and economic position of all media outlets. The station's press statement also describes several reasons against state ownership over the media, among them the closure of 35 regional electronic media outlets because of their inability to regularly pay broadcasting fees – which the media of local and regional communities are not required to pay. TV Kanal 9 warns that if this trend continues, most of the private regional electronic media outlets will close down, which will result in direct control of the state over information.
(NDNV, UNS, 01.10.2012, NUNS, 02.10.2012)

The former minister of ecology, Oliver Dulic, sued the daily newspaper Informer, its editor-in-chief, Dragan J. Vucicevic, and the publisher, the company Insajder Tim, because of the articles about the misappropriation of money from the Environmental Protection Fund. "As I promised, I will do the same with regard to each media outlet whose reporting is based on untruths and so-called unnamed sources that threaten my security and dignity", said Dulic.
(Informer, NUNS, UNS, 02.10.2012)

The director of the police, Milorad Veljovic, has informed the editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine NIN, Nebojsa Spaic, that the case of arrest of the editor of NIN, Vladimir Piacun, in front of the headquarters of the magazine on 24 august of this year "has been investigated" and that it has been established that there the police officers committed "mistakes". "Appropriate measures have been taken against the two police officers in accordance with the law", says Veljovic's notice to Spaic.
(Alo!, Blic, NUNS, UNS, 09.10.2012)

The prime minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, said yesterday that the Government of Serbia was not conducting any persecution of political opponents, that he has no influence in any media outlet in Serbia, and that he was not leading any kind of media campaign against anyone.
(Tanjug, Pregled, 09.10.2012)

The minority media

The National Council of Hungarians appointed yesterday Marta Varja as the editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper Magyar Szo. For the last 15 months, she has been the acting editor-in-chief of the newspaper. At the same time, economist Rozalija Ekres was appointed as the director of the newspaper. Viktor Tomek and Edit Laslo were appointed as the editor-in-chief and the director, respectively, of the weekly magazine Het Nap. They had previously worked as the acting editor-in-chief and the acting director of the magazine. Representatives of the opposition political parties in the National Council of Hungarians criticized the reporting of Magyar Szo and the Hungarian press in Vojvodina in the previous period, pointing out that "today, the Hungarian press has been transformed into the mouthpiece of political parties" and that "Magyar Szo does not present any opposing viewpoints from the political scene", in the words of Laslo Rac Sabo.
(Magyar Szo, NDNV, 28.09.2012)