Assessments of the current media situation in Serbia

The agony of numerous media outlets demonstrates that lack of any concept or responsible public policy in the media sector. The continued influence of the state and its control via media ownership is being presented as the only sustainable model of survival, especially for local and regional radio and TV stations, but also, increasingly often, for the press as well. On the other hand, no one has suggested any sustainable models of withdrawal of the state from media ownership, nor has anyone emphasized the fact that, in an environment characterized by underdeveloped advertising market, non-transparent budget funding (usually directed towards media outlets that are close to the government) additionally undermines free-market competition and leads to destruction of the healthy segment of the media scene.
(ANEM, Legal Monitoring of the Media Scene in Serbia /Pravni monitoring medijske scene u Srbiji/ - May 2011)

Conflict between president Tadic and the ALO! magazine

Reacting to the interview of president Tadic given to the German daily newspaper „Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“, the editor of the ALO! magazine published a very harsh critique of Tadic's opinion about the magazine's reporting. „In an interview given to a German newspaper, Mr Tadic has openly demonstrated his ambition to act as an editor-in-chief of all media outlets in the country, forcing them to report in accordance with his diktat and his cabinet's wishes. In the interview, Mr Tadic has accused the ALO! magazine of encouraging the anti-European sentiment in the country. He has also accused the magazine's German and Austrian owners of being interested in their profit instead of 'European transformation of Serbia' and 'political and social consequences of their activities'".
(Alo!, 06/06/2011)

The president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, is surprised by president Tadic's decision to criticize Serbian media outlets while communicating with German instead of Serbian audience. "I cannot agree with his opinion that the ALO! magazine is the champion of 'anti-European sentiment' in Serbia. Differing opinions and critiques should not be declared anti-European. Especially by the president, who has signed a deeply anti-European media law two years ago. Self-censorship in the Serbian media still exists, although the Constitutional Court has annulled the draconian law last year." The president of the UNS emphasizes that the role of the press is not to defend the official policy, even if such a policy is favored by the European Union.
(Alo!, 06/06/2011)

"The editorial office of the ALO! magazine rejects the accusations voiced by president Tadic. If responsible critique of the government and exposure of lies, crime, corruption, tycoonization, poverty, hunger and broken promises can be described as 'extremism' and 'anti-Europeanism', then our magazine will remain an 'extremist' media outlet", says the statement issued by the magazine editorial office.
(Alo!, 06/06/2011)

The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) estimated yesterday that the policy of the president of Serbia, Boris Tadic, is non-democratic towards the media and that the degree of the government's influence on the media is unprecedented.
(Pregled, 07/06/2011)

"According to well-informed sources, the brutal attack of the president, Boris Tadic, against our magazine is a part of the plan created within his cabinet – due to the disastrous rating of the Democratic Party among the voters – aimed at transforming all the remaining free media outlets into obedient mouthpieces of the government that would publish only information intended to hide the actual situation in the country“, considers the editor of the ALO! magazine. The president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Vukasin Obradovic, told the ALO! magazine that it is unusual for state leaders to criticize the editorial policy of individual private media outlets. "Such behavir can be interpreted as an attempt to exert pressure", says Obradovic.
(Alo!, 07/06/2011)

The minister of culture and information, Predrag Markovic, said that he did not have time to read the latest newspaper and therefore was not able to directly comment on the Tadic's statement. He added that the relationship between politicians and the media would be defined after the adoption of the Media Strategy that is currently being prepared by his Ministry. "No one is authorized to influence the editorial policy of the media", said Markovic.
(Alo!, 07/06/2011)

President Tadic's sharp criticism aimed at a foreign investor – the owner of the ALO! magazine – sends a clear message to European investors that they are not welcome here if he cannot control them – this is the opinion of economic analysts interviewed by the magazine. The director of the Free Market Center, Miroslav Prokopijevic, believes that Tadic's attitude will not be welcomed by EU citizens since they are well-aware that the media should please their readers, not the government. A consultant for foreign investment, Mahmut Busatlija, says that president Tadic has demonstrated "a profound ignorance of democracy and free market". The director of the Center for Economic Research within the Institute of Social Sciences, Danilo Sukovic, considers that Tadic should not attempt to influence the media, but to dedicate his efforts to creation of strong institutions that would guarantee security of investments and freedom of opinions.
(Alo!, 07/06/2011)

Srdjan Milivojevic is the only member of the Democratic Party whom the ALO! magazine managed to interview with regard to Boris Tadic's statement. He said that he had never judged the media and that he did not intend to offer an estimate on whether ALO! was an anti-European media outlet. "Let the readers be the judge. Media laws regulate what is and what is not allowed. The Democratic Party has utmost respect for the principle of freedom of speech", said Milivojevic.
(Alo!, 08/06/2011)

The Media Strategy

The draft Media Strategy will be completed by June 1, while the final version of the document could be reviewed by the Government already by mid-July, said today Dragana Milicevic Milutinovic, the state secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Informing and Information Society, to Danas daily newspaper. Public debate will take place until June, followed by introduction of possible changes, after which the draft strategy will be delivered to and adopted by the Government. Draft Broadcasting Law had already been completed, but it would have to wait until the the completion of the Media Strategy, announced the state secretary.
(Danas, 26/05/2011)

On June 1 – within the agreed schedule – the working group for preparation of the Draft Media Strategy submitted the draft document to the Ministry of Culture, Informing and Information Society.
(Danas, Dnevnik, Politika, Vecernje Novosti, 02/06/2011)

Several of the most significant issues tackled by the media strategy were pointed out by the director and the editor-in-chief of the Fonet news agency, Zoran Sekulic, who is also a member of the working group: the draft media strategy puts emphasis on fundamental issues like the public interest; definition of the role of the state in the media sector; the role of the media in the society; the ownership over public media outlets; public service broadcasters; media literacy and media pluralism. A special chapter is dedicated in more detail to withdrawal of the state from media ownership, taking into account the unanimous opinion of the working group that the state – apart from its role in the field of public service broadcasters – cannot be allowed to own or found media outlets, nor should it be allowed in the future to perform direct budget financing of the media: the state should finance the media only on the basis of specific projects that are in public interest, after public competitions open to all media outlets under equal conditions. The expert working group consisting of seven members has adopted the draft document unanimously, including two representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Informing, without any differing opinions or alternatives.
(Politika, 03/06/2011)

The integral text of the draft strategy of development of the public information system in the Republic of Serbia until 2016 is available at the web site http://www.kultura.gov.rs/. The Strategy envisions privatization and continuation of operations of the existing media outlets in minority languages. Regarding the status of former federal public institutions, the interest of the public will be discussed, together with the possibility of closure of Radio Yugoslavia or its merger with the public service broadcaster. Similarly, closure of the "Yugoslavian Gazette" or, alternatively, its merger with the "Official Gazette" will also be considered.
(Dnevnik, 04/06/2011)

The Assembly of the City of Kragujevac criticized yesterday the Draft Strategy for Development of the System of Public Informing in Serbia because the document does not mention regional public service broadcasters. "Privatization of the media and rejection of the concept of local and regional public service broadcasters indicates the lack of interest in reforms and advancement of the society and the media scene", says the announcement.
(Beta, Danas, 07/06/2011)

Draft Media Strategy is supposed to speed up the media privatization.
(Vecernje novosti, 08/06/2011)

Media-related legal proceedings

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) are puzzled by the fact that the police in the city of Becej, in cooperation with the competent prosecutor's office, has decided to characterize the assault on the journalist of Kepes Ifjusag, Caba Segi, as a misdemeanor. The NUNS and NDNV intend to request information from the authorities about the reasons for the decision.
(FoNet, Dnevnik, 07/06/2011)

The Higher Court in Belgrade has punished the Press daily newspaper for readers' comments on its web site that were recognized by gay associations as hate speech, although the controversial comments had been removed as soon as the administrator of the web site noticed them. This is the first verdict in the history of Serbian journalism that punishes a media outlet in Serbia because of their readers' opinion. The verdict against Press surprised the president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Vukasin Obradovic, since there is no accepted judicial practice in Serbia with regard to blogs and readers' comments. Neven Cveticanin, a sociologist, believes that censoring of opinions of readers should not be considered acceptable because such opinions reflect our reality, whether we like them or not.
(Press, 08/06/2011)

The Gay Straight Alliance announced that the Higher Court in Belgrade had accepted their lawsuit against the Press daily newspaper over publication of comments on the article "I Will Be a Gay Icon". The comments contained hate speech. The Press is obliged to pay legal expenses, but the court has rejected the request for payment of damages.
(Pravda, 08/06/2011)

The Court of Misdemeanors in Krusevac sentenced Mile Dzopalic from Aleksandrovac to a fine in the amount of 5,000 dinars because of a physical attack on journalist Gvozden Zdravic, a correspondent for Blic daily newspaper. The attack occurred on September 26 last year during the commercial-tourist event "Zupska Berba" in Aleksandrovac and was strongly condemned by the Journalists' Association of Serbia, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia and the Southeast Europe Media Organization (SEEMO).
(Blic, 08/06/2011)

Issue No. 5
May 25 – June 08, 2011

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