Assessments of the current media situation in Serbia

The rating of Serbia in the area of the freedom of the media is continually worsening and no improvement is evident, says the statement issued by the Ombudsman Office of Vojvodina.
(Beta, B92, 29/04/2011)

More than 40 percent of journalists have resorted to self-censorship or have been censored – this is the result of an anonymous poll conducted by the Journalists' Association of Serbia involving more than 350 participants. Additional details are available at the web page: www.uns.org.rs.
(UNS, Beta, 29/04/2011)

The media are influenced by political parties, marketing agencies, nepotistic policies and paid reports, shows the research "Journalism and journalists in Serbia" conducted by the Bureau of Social Research and the research online service "Tvojstav". The poll included 262 participants.
(Kurir, Dnevnik, Vecernje novosti, 05/05/2011)

The vice president of the Democratic Party, Jelena Trivan, said that the lack of freedom in the media is mostly economic in nature because the media are affected by the crisis. "I cannot say that Serbia hasn't achieved progress and that the government has shown the tendency to pressure the media", she added.
(Dnevnik, 06/05/2011)

Stability of the Government of Serbia was threatened in the summer of 2009 because of disagreements in the ruling coalition regarding the Law on Information, but the possibility of the Serbian Progressive Party coming into power prevented its fall – this is a conclusion resulting from a cable sent from the US Embassy in Belgrade that was published by Wikileaks and reported by Beta news agency.
(Tanjug, Beta, B92, 04/05/2011; Danas, Pregled, Kurir, Politika, Dnevnik, Press, Pravda, 05/05/2011)

On Friday, 6 May 2011, the European Commission will hold an international conference "Speak Up!" dedicated to the freedom of the media in countries that are potential members of the European Union. The conference will be attended by the media representatives from the countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey. The event is aimed at emphasizing the crucial significance of the freedom of expression and media for further democratic development.
(Beta, NDNV, 04/05/2011)

Freedom of the media is a necessary precondition for entry into the European Union, said the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, Štefan Füle, in his message to the countries of the West Balkans. "Countries that wish to join the European Union have to reach precisely defined standards. The European Commission is deeply concerned because of the developments in the media sector.“
(B92, 06/05/2011)

On the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day

On the World Press Freedom Day, the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) noted with disappointment that the situation in the media scene in Serbia and Vojvodina is utterly disastrous, that journalists and the media are threatened on multiple levels, and that the media are still far removed from any form of freedom or independence. The influence of the political elite on the media is more than evident. The media scene is still affected by nationalism which has become the primary model of perception of reality. Apart from nationalism, the media scene is still dominated by xenophobia, clannishness, censorship and self-censorship, sensationalism, discrimination of minorities and marginalized groups.
(NDNV, 02/05/2011)

On this World Press Freedom Day, May 3, it is evident that Serbia is a place where journalistic profession is not adequately appreciated nor rewarded, and that journalists and media employees usually work without any social nor any other kind of security – this is the opinion of the members of the Journalists' Association of Serbia and the Journalists' Union of Serbia voiced at the event entitled "Five Minutes of Loud Silence". The participants read a declaration saying that the position of journalists in Serbia has never been more difficult since 5 October 2000.
(NUNS, UNS, Tanjug, Blic, Kurir, Dnevnik, Vecernje novosti, Politika, Alo, Pravda, Pregled, 04/05/2011)

We note once again, on the World Press Freedom Day, that Serbia still doesn't know who is behind the murders of journalists and that the framework of media laws has not been completed, said the Protector of Citizens, Sasa Jankovic. The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data, Rodoljub Sabic, was of the opinion that it was a positive development that journalists and the media were increasingly exercising the rights stipulated by the Law on Free Access to Information of Public Importance and using them to inform the public.
(Pregled, NUNS, UNS, 04/05/2011)

Serbia is still a country with partially free media and holds the 72nd position in the annual report on media freedom issued by the American non-governmental organization Freedom House. Other countries from the region have the following rankings, with Slovenia (48) leading the list: Montenegro – 80; Croatia – 85; Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia – 96 (shared); Albania – 102; Kosovo – 104.
(NUNS, UNS, Danas, B92, Beta, Dnevnik, 24 sata, EuroActiv.rs 04/05/2011)

The position of the media in Serbia is perhaps worse than ever in its recent history, but the responsibility for this does not lie exclusively on the state, said Dragana Milicevic Milutinovic, the state secretary with the Ministry of Culture, Informing and Information Society, on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day. "The reasons for the unsatisfactory position of journalists and the media in general are numerous and result from the lack of legal regulations and the failings of journalists", she added.
(NUNS, Blic, Dnevnik, 04/05/2011)

The Media Strategy

Predrag Markovic, the Minister of Culture, Informing and Information Society, has announced that the national cultural and media strategy would be completed soon. "I believe that the media strategy should be prepared by media professionals. I am convinced that this task will be finished on time", he said in an interview with Vecernje Novosti.
(Vecernje Novosti, NUNS, UNS, 28/04/2011)

Members of the work group for preparation of the media strategy are Jelena Surculija, Dragoljub Zarkovic, Zoran Sekulic, Slobodan Kremenjak, Rade Veljanovski, Igor Avzner and Danilo Nikolic.
(NUNS, 10/05/2011)

Media-related legal proceedings

The Constitutional Court of Serbia declared unconstitutional the provision of the Law Amending the Law on Public Information authorizing the competent minister to regulate the administration of the Register of Public Media Outlets. The Court has also decided that the process of applying for entry in the Register is contrary to the Constitution.
(UNS, 06/05/2011, ASMEDI Newsletter, 151, NUNS, 10/05/2011)

The First Primary Court in Belgrade sentenced today Milan Savatovic to 10 months of house arrest for his attack on TV B92 cameraman, Bosko Brankovic, in 2008. Stefan Milicevic and Nikola Lazic received a six-month and four-month prison sentence, respectively, or a suspended three-year sentence.
(Tanjug, Beta, B92, NUNS, UNS, 09/05/2011; Pravda, 10/05/2011)

Media associations consider that the verdicts against the attackers on the TV B92 cameraman are inadequately low. The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) called on the journalists and citizens to protest the sentences "that make us all feel ashamed". In its open letter, NUNS said that the verdict is an obvious example of judiciary's attitude towards the violation of basic human rights in Serbia. The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) is shocked by the lenient sentences and asked the First Primary Prosecutor's Office in Belgrade to appeal the decision.
(NUNS, Beta, B92, 09/05/2011; Alo, Dnevnik, Politika, Blic, Danas, Kurir, 10/05/2011)

The president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, said that she could not understand the lenient verdict against the attackers on B92 cameraman Bosko Brankovic. "I am under the impression that journalists enjoy less legal protection than politicians and members of other professions", she said.
(UNS, Beta, B92, 09/05/2011; Pravda, Alo, Dnevnik, Politika, Blic, 10/05/2011)

Appointment of members of Managing Boards of Public Service Broadcasters

Complaint filed by the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) against the appointment of Dalibor Bubnjevic as a member of the Managing Board of Radio-Television Vojvodina was rejected yesterday at the session of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) because it had not been made within the prescribed period of time, said the RRA.
(Danas, Pravda, NUNS, 05/05/2011)

Professor Slobodan Markovic was appointed as the president of the Managing Board of Radio-Television Serbia, while sociologist Milan Nikolic was appointed as the vice president.
(NUNS, UNS, Pravda, Politika, Vecernje novosti, Blic, Kurir, Dnevnik, 29/04/2011)

Attacks on the media and journalists

A journalist with the Surdulica radio and TV station, Dragan Milosevic, asked the Journalists' Association of Serbia for help because of alleged threats issued during a telephone call by the president of the municipal section of the Democratic Party, Slavoljub Stajkovic. Stajkovic denies making any threats against the journalist. The threat followed a TV show authored by the journalist, which claimed that Stajkovic was illegally connected to a cable network without paying any subscription.
(UNS, 28/04/2011)

After Blic's reports on abuses related to the public tender for construction of fences around football fields in a dozen villages in the Zupa district, the president of the Assembly of Aleksandrovac, Tomisa Savkovic, banned the correspondent of Blic from entering the municipal hall and reporting on the sessions of the local assembly. The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) condemned Savkovic's decision in their announcement.
(Blic, NUNS, 05/05/2011)

The editorial office of "Vranjske Novine", located in the very center of the city, was burglarized for the fourth time on May 4. Seven laptop computers and two cameras were stolen from the office. On the same day, a journalist with the weekly received an award for investigative journalism from the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Embassy of the US.
(B92, NDNV, 05/05/2011; Politika, UNS, 06/05/2011)

The police filed misdemeanor charges against four individuals from the village of Backo Petrovo Selo suspected of hitting the journalist of "Madjar So", Caba Segi, and inflicting him minor physical injuries.
(Dnevnik, Vecernje novosti, NUNS, UNS, 10/05/2011)

Issue No. 3
April 28 – May 11, 2011

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