Media situation in Serbia

A cable sent from the Embassy of the US in 2009, about the adoption of the controversial Law on Information on 3 September 2009, entitled "Serbia Adopts Controversial Media Law", is available at the internet address www.uns.rs. The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) translated the cable that was downloaded from the Wikileaks web site.
(Dnevnik, 30. 08. 2011)

The president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, was asked by the Danas daily newspaper to comment on the estimates from the American cables. She said that the estimates were realistic. "The cables have created an impression that the social and political elite in Serbia is bending over backwards to share their own and others' secrets with the Embassy. At the same time, the cables contain information that is contrary to previously sent analyses, which means that, although biased, these reports, intended to inform Washington, were quite balanced", said Smajlovic.
(Danas, UNS, 31. 08. 2011)

The president of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Sonja Biserko, is of the opinion that the cables are highly professional and that they prove that the Embassy of the USA in Belgrade has good communication with and insight into the atmosphere and attitudes of our political elite. The cables demonstrate a highly visible immaturity of our elite, the lack of awareness about reality and the general interest of the country, says Biserko.
(Danas, UNS, 31. 08. 2011)

The Serbian Progressive Party is not satisfied with reporting of certain media outlets from Zrenjanjin. The vice president of the Zrenjanin branch of the party, Darko Badjok, said at a press conference that many irregularities were being ignored. "We are asking the local media outlets to help us ask the mayor some questions. Absurdly, at the moment, the Vecernje Novosti daily newspaper from Belgrade and Dnevnik from Novi Sad are publishing more reports about the activities of members of the Progressive Party from Zrenjanjin than the local media. Radio Zrenjanin is the only exception", said Badjok.
(Dnevnik, NUNS, UNS, 25.08.2011)

A former politician and journalist, Miodrag Isakov, said that he was dissatisfied with the freedom of the media in Serbia. "Today in Serbia there are no independent media outlets and there is no critical analysis of the situation in the society. At the same, with few exceptions, there are no independent journalists in Serbia", said Isakov at a press conference held in the Media Center Vojvodina, at which a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the "Prozor" protest was announced.
(Beta, 31. 08. 2011)

Media-related legal proceedings

The Court of Appeals in Belgrade has annulled the verdict against the priest from the city of Sabac, Bogdan Simanic, who had been convicted because of his threats against a journalist from newspaper Vecernje Novosti, and ordered a retrial. The Primary Court in Sabac sentenced Simanic to two years of imprisonment on 21 March. The process before the Court of Appeals was initiated by Simanic's legal representative.
(Tanjug, Dnevnik, Press, NUNS, UNS, ANEM, 26.08.2011)

The editor-in-chief of the local newspaper Borske Novine, Miroslav Radulovic, will have to prove his innocence three times because of two published articles. The representative of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) for Eastern Serbia, Sasa Trifunovic, said: "The NUNS was asked to establish whether the journalist from Borske Novine adhered to ethical norms and the code of journalism. Most likely, the Court of Honor will issue its opinion".
(Vecernje Novosti, UNS, NUNS, 25.08.11)

The Media Strategy

The Media Department of the Ministry of Culture has completed the Draft Media Strategy and its content will be made public after the first public hearing before the representatives of the National Parliament of Serbia. The Minister of Culture, Predrag Markovic, informed the Prime Minister of Serbia, Mirko Cvetkovic, about the performed activities and asked him to form a committee that would offer comments on the Draft. The Ministry of Culture announced that the committee would include representatives of the Ministry's Media Department, the Ministry of Finance, the Republic Secretariat for Legislation, the Office for EU Integration, European Committee experts, the working group which made the first draft of the Media Strategy, and the Agency for Protection of Competition, which will give its opinion on the completed document. The president of the Independent Journalistic Association of Serbia (NUNS), Vukasin Obradovic, emphasized that none of the five media and journalistic associations (The Journalistic Association of Serbia – UNS, The Independent Journalistic Association of Serbia – NUNS, The Association of Independent Electronic Media – ANEM, The Independent Journalistic Association of Vojvodina – NDNV, and Local Press) has been informed about the content of the document. This creates the impression that the Ministry of Culture is trying to find accomplices for adoption of the Strategy by forming the committee, because it did not have courage to do it on its own, said Obradovic.
(Politika, Vecernje Novosti, 18.08.2011, ASMEDI NEWSLETTER, August, 2011. No.158)

The Draft Media Strategy is not available to journalists
(Politika, ANEM, UNS, 18. 08. 2011)

The proposed Media Strategy prepared by the Ministry of Culture is completely unacceptable to the Independent Journalistic Association of Serbia (NUNS) since it is not based on the principles proposed by the working group of the competent Ministry and media associations, said the president of the Association, Vukasin Obradovic. He added that he was not able to discuss any specific provisions of the proposal because it had been made secret.
(Beta, NUNS, Politika, Press, UNS, ANEM 25.08.2011)

The president of the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, points out that the Strategy proposed by the Ministry of Culture actually "constitutes a proposal not to change anything and to maintain the status quo until 2016". She also emphasizes that such proposal is unacceptable to UNS because it was made in accordance with the interest of political parties. "At the moment, the media situation in Serbia is very bad and only a proposal that envisions major changes in this area would be acceptable to UNS", says Smajlovic.
(Danas, 25.08.2011)

The Minister of Culture, Informing and Information Society, Predrag Markovic, said that a committee of experts would offer its opinion on the Draft Media Strategy until September 5 and that it would be presented to the National Parliament before the Government makes any decision on the strategy.
(Tanjug, ANEM,24. 08. 2011, Blic, 25.08.2011)

The state will not own any media outlets, and the Media Strategy should offer a procedure and deadlines for ownership transformation, said the vice president of the Democratic Party, Jelena Trivan.
(Novi magazin, Kurir, B92, ANEM, 25.08.2011)

Provisions related to the two most disputed issues covered by the future media strategy – state ownership in the media and establishment of regional public service broadcasters – have not remained unchanged as compared to the proposal made by the work group which had included representatives of the media, claims the source of Novosti daily newspaper who had a chance to read the proposed Media Strategy which is still considered confidential. The finalized version, prepared by the Ministry of Culture, proposes that the Tanjug news agency be transformed into a form of public company instead of being privatized. The previously rejected idea about formation of local public service broadcasters was reintroduced into the document, says the unnamed source of Novosti.
(Vecernje Novosti, ANEM, 25.08.2011)

The Minister of Culture, Predrag Markovic, says that the Media Strategy was prepared in three steps, as was previously announced. The first proposal was made by representatives of media and journalistic associations and it was followed by public discussion. None of the political parties have made any comments. Instead, proposals were offered by national councils, citizens, and the media who are members of the Kragujevac Initiative, said Markovic, and added that "some of the suggestions came from the European Union".
(Fonet, RTV Vojvodina, 31.08.2011)

Public service broadcasters

The editor of the film programme of the Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), Ivan Karl, pointed out that the RTS had refused to broadcast the film "Haircut" ("Sisanje"), authored by Stevan Filipovic, because films depicting brutal violence and explicit sex are not appropriate for airing in time slots for domestic films.
(TANJUG, Blic, NUNS, 18.08.2011)

A co-scriptwriter of the film "Haircut" ("Sisanje"), Dimitrije Vojnov, said that the RTS officials, after they had read the scenario of the film, were of the opinion that the film was too pessimistic with regard to state institutions and therefore unsuitable for the public service broadcaster. Vojnov added that the film depicted a major social issue and that it had been the most viewed film in 2010 even without strong marketing campaigns.
(Pravda, 19.08.2011)

The film "Haircut" ("Sisanje") will be broadcast by TV Prva. Its producer, Mr. Jevic, expects that the film will also be broadcast by the RTS after its TV premiere.
(Dnevnik, 19.08.2011)

Attacks on the media and journalists

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) demands that Russian authorities immediately investigate the attack on the correspondent of the news agency Beta, her husband, journalist Genadiy Sosoev, and their friends, during their vacation in the village of Bogoyavlyenye near Moscow. The journalist of Beta was hospitalizes today due to serious injuries. The police refused to begin investigation although the victims had reported the attack. The NUNS supports the demand made by the Beta news agency, delivered to the Ministry of External Affairs of Russia, that the case be immediately investigated and perpetrators punished. The Association will inform all international journalistic associations about the incident and ask them to react and protect their colleagues.
(BETA, NUNS, 26. 08. 2011, Danas, UNS,Tanjug, Dnevnik, Blic, Press, 27.08.2011)

The Embassy of Serbia asked the Ministry of External Affairs of Russia for information about the steps that had been taken in relation to the incident involving the attack on the correspondent of Beta news agency.
(B92, 30.08.2011)

Russian investigators have launched a criminal investigation against attackers on the Beta correspondent from Moscow, Zorana Bojic-Sisojeva, her husband and a group of their friends.
(Beta, NUNS, Radio Slobodna Evropa, 31.08.2011)