The media situation in Serbia

The Anti-Corruption Council has presented its Report on Pressure and Control over the Media in Serbia which states that the media is fully controlled. "While this situation lasts it is impossible to fight against corruption or to accomplish any democratic procedure" – says the president of the Council, Verica Barac. The president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia, Vukasin Obradovic, points out that "it will be interesting to see how the media will report on this event".
(Kurir, 30.09.2011)

Current estimates of the media situation in Serbia

In his article published by the MC Newsletter, Zlatoje Martinov writes: "The Report on Pressure and Control over the Media in Serbia by the Anti-Corruption Council claims that the media has ceased to be independent long time ago, that it is being pressured by various centers of political power, and that citizens do not have access to complete and unbiased information. Insufficient transparency of ownership and strong connections between the political elite and tycoons' speculative capital are the main reasons behind the existing control over the media and the lack of journalistic freedom. The political elite in Serbia has been successful in using money from the state budget to win over certain media outlets, while media editors have often been made aware that that they could expect to be later appointed as ambassadors in exchange for their obedience, or punished by being taken off the list of recipients of state budget money if they did not bow to demands. At the same time, marketing agencies (often owned by politicians!) that control the advertising market keep buying the advertising space in the media as long as their reporting is in line with certain policy (at the local or national level). The public service broadcaster (RTS) has practically become the mouthpiece of the ruling coalition. During the presentation of the report, the conference hall in the Media Center was full of journalists, including TV crews from various TV stations. However, after the presentation of the report, its media coverage was minimal. Many of the media outlets did not even register it. This fact was the best – although discouragingly sad – proof that the Anti-Corruption Council's report had accurately described our media scene.
(MC Newsletter, 07.10.2011)

Interview with Verica Barac, published last week by daily newspaper Danas, is one of the rare attempts to break the media silence about the situation in the Serbian media and Serbia journalism, writes Slobodan Jerkovic. The issue is still a taboo in the political circles, in the public and in the media. Why is the issue of the media strategy strongly related to professional dignity and the survival of the media? Because all of the previous media strategies have been only attempts to achieve control over the media scene instead of promoting democracy.
(Danas, NUNS, 10.10.2011)

TV news in Serbia should focus less on the activities of politicians – this is the opinion of more than 61% of citizens, while 63% of them considers that news programmes should contain more positive examples from the society. More than three quarters of interviewees believe that the domestic media is manipulative and removed from reality – these are the conclusions of the research entitled "The Old and New Media and Media Dependence of the Audience". The research was conducted by the Center for the Digital Media "Pozitiv"using a sample of 2,208 interviewees. Around 64 percent of the interviewees claimed that they use the media more often than 10 years ago. At the same time, 65.9% of them wanted more educational programmes; 34.3% expressed desire for more documentary programmes; 25.4% of the interviewees wanted more news; and 6.5% wished to see more entertainment.
(Danas, NUNS, UNS, 10.10.2011, Tanjug, RTV, NUNS, 11.10.2011)

The state and the media

The Minister of Human and Minority Rights, State Administration and Local Self-Government, Milan Markovic, said that he expected the amendments to the Law on the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data and the Protector of Citizens to be adopted by the end of the year. The amendments are intended to strengthen these institutions.
(Tanjug, Politika, 29.09.2011)

During the last three years, the state institutions have allocated at least 2.5 million euros for services of public relations agencies and private production companies, says the report issued by the Anti-Corruption Council. The report emphasized that agencies, which are often owned by senior officials from political parties or persons closely related to them, have been dominating the advertising market for years. The agencies purchase the advertising space from the media and sell it to their clients, i.e. individual buyers, at much higher prices.
(Danas, 01.10.2011)

"Reaction of the public after the presentation of the Report on Pressure and Control Over the Media in Serbia fully supports the claims contained in the Report. The media has reached a consensus not to comment on the Report at all. The Report has been delivered to the Government and the Ministry of Culture and we had invited representatives of the Parliamentary Committee for Information, the Minister of Culture and the State Secretary for the Media to attend the presentation of the Report, but no one has attended the event and there have been no media reports about it", says the President of the Anti-Corruption Council, Verica Barac.
(Danas, 06.10.2011)

Public service broadcasters

The government wields considerable influence via the Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) which, instead of being a public service broadcaster serving the citizens, functions as a tool of political structures and production companies that are closely connected to ruling political parties and members of the Managing Board of the RTS. The public interest is not being realized in this way, since the public service broadcaster is not fulfilling its obligations and is in violation of the Law on Broadcasting, says the Report on Pressure and Control Over the Media in Serbia authored by the Anti-Corruption Council.
(Danas, 30.09.2011)

Since the beginning of the year, 140,000 citizens who have not paid their TV fees have been covered by measures aimed at collection of due payments. Most of them have been issued warnings or last warnings before initiation of legal proceedings.
(Danas, 08.10.2011)

Attacks, threats and legal proceedings agains journalists; media-related trials

Marko Jakovljevic (25) was arrested in the city of Sabac after he had physically attacked journalist Hanibal Kovac in the premises of the Public Payments Administration. The suspected attacker assaulted the journalist verbally and threatened to kill him. The attacker works as a personal body guard of the person that had been mentioned several times in Kovac's reports.
(Beta, Blic, Alo!, Press, Politika, Kurir, Večernje Novosti, Pravda, Dnevnik, 06.10.2011)

Legal representatives of Luka Bojovic, who has been charged with organization of the unsuccessful assassination of Andrija Draskovic, said to journalists that "lawsuits have been filed against several media outlets". The lawyers criticized the media "who have violated the assumption of innocence of Luka Bojovic using unnamed police sources".
(Press, 06.10.2011)

The court session in the Primary Court in Novi Sad related to the lawsuit filed in 2003 by journalist Vladimir Jesic against the president of the political party New Serbia, Velimir Ilic, was rescheduled again. Similarly to all previous court sessions, Velimir Ilic did not appear in court yesterday. Vladimir Jesic sued Ilic because he kicked him and tried to physically attack him during an interview made for TV Apolo from Novi Sad in 2003.
(Dnevnik, 06.10.2011)

Journalists and correspondents from Belgrade and Novi Sad media outlets have announced their intention to protest to the Ministry of Justice and the Republic Public Prosecutor against the unsatisfactory attitude of the Higher Public Prosecutor's Ofice in Zrenjanin toward the media during the last several months.
(Večernje Novosti, Dnevnik, 05.10.2011)

SBB informed TV Kanal 9 from Novi Sad that it had complied with the temporary order of the Commercial Court in Novi Sad dated 26 September to continue broadcasting the TV station's programme. The cable operator SBB previously removed TV Kanal 9 from their packages on 5 July 2011.
(UNS, 30.09.2011)

On Thursday afternoon, one of the officials from the City Branch of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) from Vranje called a journalist from the same city, Vojkan Ristic, and told him that he was "not competent to report on the 'Kolubara case'", says the Vranje Press agency. The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) have issued their own statements about the case.
(Juzne vesti, Vranje press, 07.10.2011, Pravda, 08.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) strongly condemns the threats by a member of the City Branch of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) in Vranje against journalist Vojkan Ristic. The member of the City Branch of DSS, who is well known to Ristic, called the journalist over the phone and threatened him because of the article about arrests in RK Kolubara published by the Vranje Press portal. UNS demands that the authorities ensure adequate working conditions for journalists and to punish those who threaten them.
(UNS, 07.10.2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) expects that the police from Vranje will take legal measures against the member of the Democratic Party of Serbia from Vranje who threatened the editor of the web portal www.vranjepres.info because of the articles about the "Kolubara affair".
(Kurir, 08.10.2011, NUNS, 10.10.2011)

Former director of JIP TV Valjevo, Zivorad Jankovic, has been sentenced by the Primary Court in Valjevo for libel in a process initiated by a former journalist from the same media company. The first-degree verdict obliges Jankovic to pay a fine in the amount of 20.000 dinars, as well as court expenses, because of his claims that Predrag Lucic had misallocated money from the budget.

Employees of the weekly magazine from Kragujevac, Svetlost, have received court warnings. If they fail to pay high court fees related to their lawsuit against the media owner – who has not paid them their salaries for more than a year – their personal property will be confiscated. The employees have been trying – unsuccessfully – to realize their right to receive salary for performed work for more than seven months. They have stopped going to work, but the magazine still features their names.
(Danas, UNS, NUNS, 12.10.2011)

The Court of Appeal in Belgrade passed a verdict in favor of the newspaper “Pirotske Novine” which had sued the Municipality of Pirot for failure to honor contractual obligations. The municipality is obliged to pay the sum of 500,000 dinars, which includes debt and interest. The dispute arised in 2009, when the municipality stopped paying its obligations in accordance with the previously concluded contract, justifying its move by the fact that the newspaper "published critical reports about the activities of the local government". "Pirotske Novine“is the only newspaper in the Pirotski District that has been privately-owned since its inception and which has refused to serve the local government", say the newspaper's employees.
(Juzne vesti 12.10.2011)

The web portal Juzne Vesti, located in Nis, informed the Anti-Corruption Agency and professional journalistic associations about the insults delivered against them by Milan Ogrizovic, a deputy director of the city heating plant in Nis and a high-ranking official in the Democratic Party, because of their question about the beginning of the heating season in Nis.
(Danas, UNS, Juzne vesti, 11.10.2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) has publicly criticized the Utilities Administration and the management of the Public Company Heating Plant Nis, which have been ignoring for several days journalists' questions about the beginning of the heating season.
(Fonet, Juzne vesti, NUNS, 11.10.2011)

The central office of the Democratic Party from Belgrade apologized for "impermissible" behavior of their official, who is the director of the heating plant in Nis.
(Juzne vesti 12.10.2011)

The case of Dnevnik

Due to failure to honor the agreement reached during the meeting between representatives of striking workers from the Printing Company Dnevnik Holding and provincial secretaries for labor, culture and informing, the strikers have decided to again organize protest walks in front of the building of the Government of Vojvodina. The strike began in mid-summer and since its beginning the newspaper Dnevnik has been printed by Forum instead of Holding.
(Dnevnik, Danas, UNS, NUNS, 12.10.2011)

The Media Strategy

The Government of Serbia held a conference-call session and adopted the Media Strategy Strategy until 2016.
(Tanjug, Danas, Politika, Blic, Press, Vecernje Novosti, 29.09.2011, Pravda, 30.09.2011, ASMEDI Newsletter October 2011)

"The next step is to adopt several laws during a very short period of time – the laws on public information, broadcasting, news agency Tanjug, public service broadcasters... The deadline for adoption of the laws is two years from now, and the same deadline applies to the withdrawal of the state from media ownership", says the State Secretary for the Media, Dragana Milicevic Milutinovic.
(Dnevnik, 30.09.2011)

The European Commission announced via the Office of the European Commissioner for EU Engargement, Stefan Fule, that "the Strategy constituted a good foundation for elimination of numerous shortcomings in the media sector". "We will closely monitor its implementation and the legal framework, which have to be harmonized with EU standards", says the announcement issued by the European Commission.
(Tanjug, Pravda, 30.09.2011, Beta Press, 02.10.2011)

The Media Strategy still contains the provision about formation of six regional public service outlets, but the names of the cities where they should be established were removed from before its adoption. Formation of regional public service outlets was accepted despite protests from media associations and objections made by the European Commission. The Commission considers that "creation of six new regional public service outlets in an already overcrowded market is a reason for serious concern".
(Danas, 30.09.2011)

Judging by the new Media Strategy, the state has decide to help the media, especially the print media. "We will consider the possibility to reduce customs duties for importation of goods necessary for newspaper operations, as well as to significantly reduce the VAT on sale of print publications and news agency services, including the possibility to introduce positive discrimination in favor of the print media", says the Strategy. In the future, state bodies will be obliged to buy the advertising space directly from media outlets, without any mediators. The Law will forbid simultaneous ownership over print media outlets and the distribution and sales networks.
(Večernje Novosti, 30.09.2011)

The president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Vukasin Obradovic, said that the Media Strategy was important, but that it was necessary to adopt laws which would establish equal conditions and independence of the media. He expects strong resistance during the process of adoption of media laws because of the involvement and influence of politics over the media.
(Blic, 30.09.2011)

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) organized a press conference in the Media Center Belgrade entitled "The Media Strategy – What Is the Next Step?". Representatives of journalistic associations and the Media Association warned that the state had to stop financing the media as of 1 January 2012 in accordance with the signed Association and Stabilization Agreement. The implementation of the Law on the Control of State Assistance begins on that day and in accordance with the Law the state will not be allowed to finance media outlets but only media content. According to interpretation offered by the president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), this means that the next year's budget must not include financing of the Tanjug news agency. Representatives of media associations also question the financing of future regional public service broadcasters, as well as their number.
(Medija centar, 06.10.2011, Vecernje Novosti, 07.10.2011)

"The Strategy offers only declarative announcements that something will be done. We have a habit of adopting strategies in cases when we do not want to offer real solutions. What is necessary is to adopt new laws and improve the existing ones, but also to ensure their immediate implementation by institutions, which is impossible without an analysis of the current situation. Strategies usually do not oblige anyone to do anything", says the President of the Anti-Corruption Council, Verica Barac.
(Danas, 06.10.2011)

The minority media

At the press conference entitled "The Media Strategy – What Is the Next Step?" the representatives of journalistic associations and the Media Association warned that the most questionable aspect of the recently adopted Media Strategy, aside from the proposed six public service broadcasters, was the provision that stipulated that the media in languages of national minorities would be be "managed" by national minority councils.
(Vecernje Novosti, 07.10.2011)

Two weeks ago, the Panon Foundation dismissed Rudolf Mihok from the position of the director of the radio-television company. The dismissal was achieved using the "golden vote" of the member of the Managing Board of the Foundation who belonged to the Hungarian National Council. The president of the Association of Hungarian Journalists of Vojvodina, Livija Tot, was of the opinion that the media strategy of the Hungarian National Council, which stipulates the manner of media reporting in certain situations, demonstrated their desire to interfere with the editorial policy and independence of media outlets. At the same time, the Council of Europe discussed the Media Strategy of Serbia and estimated, among other things, that the model of financing the minorities' media via national councils was inadequate because of the dominant influence of political parties in such councils.
(Politika, 30.09.2011)

Media outlets of national minorities can work as commercial media, civil society media, and the media of National Councils of National Minorities, stipulates the Strategy. State representatives have not accepted the appeal of individual media associations and intellectuals belonging to national minorities not to entrust the National Councils with management of the media.
(Dnevnik, 30.09.2011)

Daily newspaper Magyar Szo criticized the Hungarian National Councils and individual politicians, stating that the paper's editors had often been targeted by their pressure. With regard to the recent dismissal of the director of RTV Panon, Rudolf Mihok, the newspaper said that it was "strongly pressured" to refrain from publishing the letter written by the dismissed editor, that it was threatened with lawsuits, and that its editor received phone calls from the Hungarian National Council. The turmoil in the newspaper Magyar Szo has not subsided since the decision of the Hungarian National Council to dismiss the editor, Caba Presburger.
(Dnevnik, 30.09.2011)

The president of the Managing Board of the RTV, Boris Labudovic, resigned from his position. The Board appointed, Vanja Barisic-Jokovic, employed as a head of PR in the company Vode Vojvodine, as a new president. In the explanation of the decision, Labudovic said that the forthcoming changes in the Statute of the RTV aimed at harmonizing the Statute with the Law on National Councils of National Minorities were unacceptable to him. "The same legislators are behind the Law on Broadcasting, which stipulates that the RTV is independent, and the Law on National Councils of National Minorities, which practically denies that. According to the authorities' interpretation, the Managing Board and the management of RUV would not be allowed to appoint 16 out of 21 editors. How can the general director and the editor-in-chief of Radio-Television Vojvodina be in charge of the editorial policy if three quarters of their editors are appointed by national councils?", asks Labudovic.
(Dnevnik, Pravda, 06.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) considers that the resignation of the president of the Managing Board of RTV, Boris Labudovic, was a professional and responsible act caused by his unwillingness to accept the jeopardizing of independence and autonomy of RUV as a result of the announced changes in the RTV Statute. In practice, national councils are becoming bodies governed by political parties of national minorities, which has resulted in unacceptable political influence on the media that violates the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the media. For this reason, the UNS has filed a request for judgment on constitutionality of the Law on National Councils of National Minorities. UNS calls on the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) not to approve the harmonization of the Statute of Radio-Television Vojvodina with the Law on National Councils of National Minorities before the Constitutional Court passes a verdict on the constitutionality of the Law.
(UNS, 06.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) considers that the resignation of the president of the Managing Board of RTV, Boris Labudovic, was a professional and responsible act caused by his unwillingness to accept the jeopardizing of independence and autonomy of the media company as a result of the announced changes in the RTV Statute. In practice, the national councils are becoming bodies governed by political parties of national minorities, which has resulted in unacceptable political influence on the media that violates the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of the media. For this reason, the UNS has filed a request for judgment on constitutionality of the Law on National Councils of National Minorities. The UNS has called on the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) not to approve the harmonization of the Statute of Radio-Television Vojvodina before the Constitutional Court passes its verdict.
(Dnevnik, 08.10.2011)

The Hungarian National Council accused the former president of the Managing Board of Radio-Television Vojvodina (RTV), Boris Labudovic, that he had offered an "outrageous" explanation for his resignation. "This whole charade is a part of the well-know Serbian theatre in which rights of minorities are accepted until we want to actually exercise them, and then the things change", says the statement issued by the Hungarian National Council.
(Beta, NDNV, 09.10.2011, Dnevnik, 08.10.2011)