The media situation in Serbia

In the following period, the citizens of Serbia will have a chance to watch on one of the three channels of TV Kopernikus what will amount to a TV programme created by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). One year before the parliamentary elections in Serbia, a member of the main board of the party, Zoran Basanovic, purchased eight hours of the cable TV station's daily programme. Other Serbian political parties, including the largest ones, are negotiating with the broadcaster about the purchase of its programme, claims the station's owner. A member of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), Goran Karadzic, says that some of the Serbian cable stations have not yet received broadcasting licenses – TV Kopernikus among them. "They can continue selling their air time until the end of the license issuance procedure. I still do not have any information about whether the station will be allowed to continue broadcasting its programme", says Karadzic.
(Blic, Beta, Tanjug, NUNS, UNS, B92, ANEM, 21.10.2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) is concerned about media reports claiming that certain political parties intend to lease prime time hours of daily programme during the election campaign, and that some parties have already done that. "This form of 'cooperation' between the media and political parties is contrary to the fundamental principles of journalism and will result in biased and partisan informing of citizens", says NUNS.
(Beta, Tanjug, NUNS, UNS, B92, Blic, 21.10.2011)

TV Kopernikus, a cable broadcaster, has been placed under full-time monitoring by the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) because of media reports that the station is negotiating with representatives of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) about the purchase of eight hours of its daily programme.
(Danas, 22.10.2011)

Out of 30 most significant media outlets in Serbia – comprising of 12 daily newspapers, seven weekly magazines, six TV stations and five radio stations with national coverage – the Anti-Corruption council identified no less than 18 media outlets whose actual owners were not known in the period between 2008 and 2010. Their report said that off-shore companies were among the owners of eight media outlets while local politicians and businessmen participated in ownership of five media outlets. Journalists were among the owners of two newspapers. Foreign and state capital were a part of the ownership structure of four and three media outlets, respectively.
(Danas, 22.10.2011)

Journalism in the Southeast Europe is in a serious crisis – this is the conclusion reached by the participants of the first conference about the media in the Southeast Europe organized by OSCE. The media in the region is characterized by a paradox – the more closely the countries of the Western Balkans are integrated with Europe, the more threatened is the freedom of the media and the integrity of journalism.
(Beta, B92, NUNS, 14.10.2011)

The participants of the OSCE conference about the media in the Southeast Europe have adopted the Sarajevo Declaration which will be delivered to governments of all countries in the region. The Declaration says that state-owned media outlets cannot exist in a democratic society, and at the same time demands independence of the media and public service broadcasters; reform of media laws; investigation and sentencing of perpetrators of attacks on journalists; promotion of ethical journalism and self-regulation; strengthening of journalistic associations; and improvement of journalists' working conditions.
(Beta, 14.10.2011)

Rade Veljanovski, a professor at the Faculty of Political Science, writes in his article: "In recent days, two important media-related documents have appeared. The Strategy of Development of the Public Information System in the Republic of Serbia Until 2016 appeared first, followed shortly afterwards by the Report on Pressure and Control Over the Media in Serbia. Both documents have originated from the highest levels of the state administration: the Government of Serbia and the government's Anti-Corruption Council. You would have supposed that the content of these documents would have caused a public debate, comparisons, argumentation, concern or at least some questioning. However, the silence was deafening. For six years, the state has had an illegal ownership in Politika newspaper, Dnevnik from Novi Sad, Vecernje Novosti and a certain number of other local and regional media outlets. There was not a word about the responsibility for confusion caused by contradictory laws: three laws stipulate privatization, while three other laws prevent it. They are all in force at the same time and all of them have been adopted by the National Parliament. There was no mention any criticism with regard to the most important standard of the democratic world – the obligation to ensure media independence and prevent influence from the sphere of politics and business on the media. Three crucial recommendations of the Council of Europe have not been mentioned: the recommendations about guaranteeing independence of the public service broadcaster (R 96 10); about independence and functions of regulatory bodies in the area of broadcasting (R 2000 23); and about media pluralism and diversity of media contents (R 2007 2). The article 4 of the Strategy begins with words: "The state is committed to withdrawal from media ownership". The same article further stipulates that the state may establish: national, provincial and regional public service broadcasters; media outlets in Serbian language serving the population in Kosovo and Metohija; specific media outlets intended to inform citizens about the activities of state bodies and public companies (internet portals, parliamentary channel etc.). At the same time, councils of national minorities may establish media outlets in minority languages. When these provisions are transformed into laws, they will result in formation of dozens of state-owned media outlets."
(Danas, 19.10.2011, ANEM 20.10.2011)

Aleksandar Vucic, the deputy president of the largest opposition party – the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) – criticized the media because of their failure to report on the incident caused by the mayor of Belgrade, Dragan Djilas, in the town of Ralja, when he "grabbed and pushed a citizen who asked him a question". "It is a disgrace that state and city officials would attack citizens who ask them questions related to their activities and that no one would write a single word about that", said Vucic.
(Pregled, 20.10.2011)

SEEMO condemns renewed threats and pressures against journalists in Serbia. On 14 October 2011, Anel Grbovic, a journalist with the local Television Novi Pazar received death threats, apparently because he failed to cover a voluntary blood donation event. On 6 October 2011, a local politician allegedly threatened Vojkan Ristic, an editor of the Web portal Vranjepres, in Vranje because he published a story linking the political party with which the politician was affiliated to a major corruption scandal allegedly involving the mine complex Kulubara. On 5 October 2011, Hanibal Kovac, a reporter with the local paper Podrinske, in Sabac, was hit by an unknown individual who claimed to represent a local businessman. In a separate development, the public prosecutor in Novi Sad, filed charges against Milorad Bojovic, the editor of Nacionalni Gradjanski List, and Jelena Spasic, a journalist working for the publication, because they published an article about the Serbian army. The prosecutor claimed that the article was based on a confidential document of the Ministry of Justice and described the information as dangerous for national security. “I am concerned at all these press freedom violation cases,“ said Oliver Vujovic, SEEMO Secretary General. “I urge the authorities to find the perpetrators of all the attacks agaisnt journalists and take appropriate legal action. In the case of legal action agaist journalists, it is not acceptable that the prosecutor presses charges against journalists who publish information of public interest. Silencing journalists is a violation of press freedom and the right of the public to know”.
(SEEMO 18.10. 2011, Danas, UNS, ANEM, 19.10.2011)

According to findings of ANEM's monitoring team, the situation in the field of freedom of expression did not change in September 2011 as compared to August. Journalists (and often camera operators) were subjected to threats, pressure and physical assaults. Examples from the court practice in media-related cases show that perpetrators of attacks on journalists usually receive sentences near or below the legal minimum; at the same time, legal proceedings are endlessly long proceedings that make the legal sanctions meaningless. Dismissals of executives in Hungarian media outlets founded or co-founded by the Hungarian National Council is the result of the lack of legal mechanism for protection of the management and editorial offices of such media outlets from the influence of their co-founders on their editorial policy. The complete analysis is available at the web site of ANEM.
(ANEM, 26.10.2011)

Public service broadcasters

The public invitation for nomination of candidates for a member of the Managing Board of the Public Service Broadcaster of Vojvodina was published on 25 October 2011 in daily newspapers Politika and Dnevnik.
(RRA, 25.10.2011)

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

Journalists and correspondents from Zrenjanin for media outlets from Belgrade and Novi Sad have complained to the Republic Prosecutor and Acting Public Prosecutor of Appeals against the behavior of the Higher Public Prosecutor in Zrenjanin, Borislav Miglinski. "The Prosecutor Miglinski has grossly violated the constitutional right to work of professional journalists from Zrenjanin by withholding the information about initiation of legal proceedings and filing of criminal charges", claimed the journalists.
(Vecernje Novosti - Vojvodina, UNS, NUNS, 25.10.2011)

A journalist from the regional TV Novi Pazar, Anel Grbovic, has asked for help from the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and claimed that an official from the Electrical Power Distribution Company in the city of Novi Pazar, Rifat Prtinac, had threatened him with death because the TV station did not report on the voluntary blood donation event organized in the Electrical Power Distribution Company. NUNS again demands that all legal actions be taken. The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) has also demanded that the Police Administration in Novi Pazar urgently investigate and inform the public about all the facts related to the case.
(Beta, NUNS, UNS,15.10.2011, FoNet, Blic, 16.10.2011, NDNV, 17.10.2011)

Radio-Television Prima from Bajina Basta announced that attacks and pressure against the activities and the editorial policy of the station have reached unbearable proportions. Last weekend, unidentified individuals broke the TV station's windows using rocks, while the previous week tires were cut on the company car. The vehicle had also been damaged twice in August and September. Ten days ago, it was sprayed with paint. Aside from political pressure, the station has also been subjected to economic pressure, personal warnings and pressure aimed at its employees. The station says that it will not bow to pressure and become a mouthpiece of a political party, and that it will continue to report in an unbiased manner and in the interest of citizens.
(Beta, Politika, Blic, 18.10.2011, Danas, UNS, NUNS, 21.10.2011)

In its statement, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) strongly protests against the series of attacks on a member of the Association, Radio-Television Prima from Bajina Basta.
(ANEM press statement, 18.10.2011)

The editorial office of the daily newspaper Alo! says that its journalists and photographers have been banned from attending the matches organized by the basketball club Partizan.
(Beta, Politika, 25.10.2011)

The editorial office of the daily newspaper Alo! considers that the basketball club Partizan obviously intends to take advantage of the aforementioned ban in order to influence the editorial policy of the newspaper, with the aim to force it to publish only the information and content that is favorable to the basketball club Partizan. The editorial office of the newspaper Alo! will continue to report on the activities of the basketball club Partizan in the interest of the public and the fans of basketball.
(Blic, 25.10.2011)

The Association of Sports Journalists of Serbia (USNS) strongly condemns the decision made by the management of the basketball club Partizan from Belgrade and intends to inform the relevant international forums, the European Basketball Federation and the International Association of Sport Journalists.
(Alo!, Vecernje novosti, NUNS, 26.10.2011)

Basketball club Partizan responded by saying that they had never intended to influence the editorial policy of the media. "The only thing we ever wanted, and which we intend to insist on in the future as well, is correct and accurate reporting about our matches. Therefore we do not feel the need to apologize to anyone. If the newspaper Alo! wants to continue to report from our matches, it has to offer us a public apology."
(Blic, 26.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia has protested against the behavior of the mayor of the city of Jagodina, Dragan Markovic Palma, who insulted the correspondent of Politika, Zorica Gligorijevic, while she was collecting information in the hospital in Jagodina. The children who were hurt during the exercise of the anti-terrorist unit were being treated in the hospital. After the incident, the mayor of Jagodina admitted his mistake and justified it with his emotional state and shock caused by the unfortunate event. The mayor of Jagodina phoned Zorica Gligorijevic and apologized to her for his behavior.
(UNS, 18.10.2011, Politika, 19.10.2011)

The announced appearance of a journalist working for the public service broadcaster (RTS), Dusko Korac, on the programme "The Amidzic Show" aired every Monday by TV Pink, was not possible because the journalist did not have the approval of his company, RTS.
(Alo!, Kurir, NUNS, 19.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) is concerned about the safety of the correspondent of the Danas newspaper from Novi Pazar, Sladjana Novosel, after the internet magazine Sandzak Press accused her of publishing "perfidious articles about the unity within the Islamic community". On September 22, she was the first to publish an exclusive and correct information about the plans for formation of a unified Islamic community in Serbia. The UNS calls on colleagues, journalists and editors of Sandzak Press to adhere to the Journalistic Code of Conduct of Serbia.
(Danas, UNS, NUNS, 20.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) demands that sales of the regional monthly newspaper Rasina Press in Aleksandrovac be immediately continued. The distributor has delivered the copies to newsstands, but they are not available to readers. According to unofficial but reliable information acquired by the UNS, newspaper sellers in Aleksandrovac received a "suggestion" from municipal officials to stop selling the newspaper Rasina Press. Some of them have even been threatened with closure of their newsstands if they continue selling the newspaper. Rasina Press is a regional newspaper with a circulation that amounts to 2,500 copies and is distributed in 12 municipalities within the Rasinski District. 33 issues have been published so far.
(UNS, 19.10.2011)

The president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV), Dinko Gruhonjic, was acquitted by the First Primary Court in Belgrade of criminal charges filed by the Serbian Movement "Dveri" and the Serbian People's Movement "Svetozar Miletic". The two organizations filed criminal charges of insult against Gruhonjic.
(NDNV, 18.10.2011, Alo, UNS, NUNS, ANEM, 19.10.2011)

The Ministry of Internal Affairs has established that the act of spreading of the false news about the Nobel Prize for literature for writer Dobrica Cosic does not contain elements of high-tech crime nor any other criminal offense.
(FoNet, Radio 021, 21.10.2011)

Journalist for Beta and Radio B92, Ljiljana Danilovic, filed criminal charges against the editor of RTV Kursumlija, Slavko Savic, because of his threats. Journalist working for Fonet and Radio Free Europe, Milos Ivanovic, was interviewed as a witness by the police. The witness, Milos Ivanovic, says that he confirmed in his police testimony that Slavko Savic had threatened his colleague, Ljiljana Danilovic. Ivanovic is of the opinion that the incident constitutes pressure on all journalists who report about the conflict between the local TV station and the municipal administration. Slavko Savic denies that any threats were made and claims that he only defends himself.
(www.kursumlija.org, NUNS, 21.10.2011)

The Belgrade police department discovered the studio and the transmitter used by an illegal radio station "Radio Boss", whose signal had interfered with "radio communication of highest-priority services" – says the statement issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Serbia. Suspect Miroslav M., the station's owner, was arrested during the operation.
(RATEL, RRA, 25.10.2011, Politika, Pravda, Večernje Novosti, NUNS, UNS, 26.10.2011)

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, held a meeting with a group of foreign journalists. The domestic media were allowed to record the beginning of the meeting, after which Dacic was supposed to make a public statement. Belgrade journalists waited in front of his cabinet for an hour and 45 minutes (from 16.15 to 18.00), but Dacic did not appear.
(Beta, Politika, NUNS, 26.10.2011)

The case of "Nacionalni Gradjanski"

The Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad has initiated criminal charges against a journalist working for the Nacionalni Gradjanski newspaper, Jelena Spasic, and her editor, Milorad Bojovic, because of the publication of the article entitled "State Institutions Fully Unprepared for War" which allegedly revealed national secrets.
(Beta, Kurir, B92, NUNS, 16.10.2011, Dnevnik, ANEM, 17.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) has condemned the initiation of criminal charges against the journalist and the editor of Nacionalni Gradjanski. The UNS strongly protests the "criminal charges launched by the prosecutor's office against Serbian journalists who have published information in public interest, revealing the incompetence of state institutions, while these institutions are trying to hide that incompetence behind the cover of national secret".
(UNS, 15.10.2011, Politika, 16.10.2011)

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, Rodoljub Sabic, told to Tanjug news agency that he was concerned about the initiation of criminal charges against the journalist working for Nacionalni Gradjanski because of alleged revealing of national secret. He was of the opinion that state officials should be held accountable for alleged leaking of national secrets, "if there is any reason for that". "Obviously, journalists cannot be held responsible for revealing of secrets", says Sabic. He emphasized that, according to current laws, journalists are not under any obligation to identify their source of information even when they know the source.
(www.poverenik.rs, UNS, 15.10.2011, Tanjug, Politika, 16.10.2011, Politika, NUNS, Danas, ANEM, Dnevnik, UNS,17.10.2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) strongly protest againts the decision of the Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad to file criminal charges against journalists Jelena Spasic and Milorad Bojovic. "We especially condemn the fact that the trial will be 'expedient' and 'secret'. This can be interpreted not only as a political and judicial pressure on the media, but also as serious persecution of journalists aimed at preventing professional reporting about the Army of Serbia and its affairs. We welcome the quick reaction of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data, who has warned that state officials should be held responsible for the alleged revealing of national secrets, if it actually occurred, not journalists", says their press statement.
(NUNS, NDNV, 16.10.2011)

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance said to B92 that he hoped that the State Prosecutor, Zagorka Dolovac, would "rectify the steps taken by the Public Prosecutor's Office from Novi Sad" which has filed criminal charges against a journalist working for the newspaper Nacionalni Gradjanski.
(FoNet, B92, 16.10.2011, Kurir, Blic, Danas, NUNS, Blic onlajn, UNS, 17.10.2011)

A petition against the secret trial of Jelena Spasic and Milorad Bojovic, who work as a journalist and the editor of Nacionalni Gradjanski newspaper, was signed by 250 journalists in a single day. The petition was posted on the web site of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) and in a short time it has mobilized the journalistic community which has supported their persecuted colleagues.
(UNS, 18.10.2011, Tanjug, Pregled, Danas, 19.10.2011)

The Belgrade Center for Security Policy and 15 other non-governmental organizations have strongly condemned the initiation of criminal charges against journalist and editor of Nacionalni Gradjanski newspaper. "We consider that this act constitutes an impermissible violation of the freedom of the press and the public's right to know. What is much more important is the fact that the competent state bodies, including the Prosecutor's Office, have not yet launched any legal proceedings against those whose acts or failure to act had jeopardized the defense system."
(Tanjug, Politika, Kurir, UNS, ANEM, NUNS, 19.10.2011)

The Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) says that the criminal charges against the journalist Jelena Spasic and the editor of the newspaper Nacionalni Gradjanski, Milorad Bojovic, constitute a continuation of the regime's persecution aimed at journalists and the media who have the courage to write and publish the truth that is so inconvenient for the Democratic Party.
(Pravda, 19.10.2011)

Journalist Jelena Spasic, who is accused by the Prosecutor's Office from Novi Sad of "harming the national security of Serbia", has refused to participate in a secret trial. The petition organized by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) opposing the secret trial of Jelena Spasic and the editor of Nacionalni Gradjanski newspaper, Milorad Bojovic, has been signed by more than 320 journalists and editors of the Serbian media. Jelena Spasic says that the success of the petition has proved that the professional journalistic community wants to defend itself from the government's pressure. The UNS points out that the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists have protested the criminal persecution of journalists in Serbia.
(UNS, NUNS, 19.10.2011)

The editor in chief of the daily newspaper Nacionalni Gradjanski from Novi Sad, accompanied by his lawyer, received the indictment filed by the prosecutor's office because of the publication of Jelena Spasic's article entitled "State Institutions Fully Unprepared for War". After receiving the indictment, Bojovic said that the criminal charges against him and the journalist constitute a proof that democracy does not exist in Serbia.
(Alo!, Politika, Danas, ANEM, NUNS, Dnevnik, 20.10.2011)

"The claim of the prosecutor's office that I have concealed the source of information and thereby assisted the perpetrator of the crime is a complete lie", says journalist Jelena Spasic, whose statement was posted on the web site of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS). The journalist, employed by the newspaper Nacionalni Gradjanski, is facing the prison sentence of up to eight years and a secret trial. "It goes without saying that I would never reveal my journalistic sources to the police or the prosecutor's office, but the point is that the prosecutor's office from Novi Sad has filed charges against me without ever conducting an investigation. I have not exposed any secrets since the documents found on cafe tables in the parliament's buffet cannot possibly considered a secret", says Jelena Spasic, who is a several-times winner of annual competitions organized by the European Commission and the government's Office of European Integration for the best article on European integration.
(UNS, Beta , B92, 21.10.2011, Press, Dnevnik, Kurir, 22.10.2011)

The Criminal Extra-Judical Council of the Primary Court in Novi Sad has transferred the indictment against the journalist and editor of the newspaper Nacionalni Gradjanski back in the investigative procedure, which means that an investigation will be conducted, said to Tanjug the spokesperson of the Republic Public Prosecutor's Office, Tomo Zoric.
(UNS, Tanjug, 22.10.2011, ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011, Blic, Press, 23.10.2011)

The Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data said that the Republic Prosecutor's decision to dismiss the indictment against the journalists from the Nacionalni Gradjanski newspaper was a professional and responsible move.
(www.poverenik.rs, UNS, 22.10.2011, Politika, 23.10.2011, Dnevnik, 24.10.2011)

Journalist Jelena Spasic delivered yesterday a complaint against the indictment to the Primary Court in Novi Sad.
(UNS, 23.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) has called on the Republic Prosecutor to fully clarify all legal ambiguities related to the indictment against the journalist from Nacionalni Gradjanski. UNS protests against the "legal uncertainty applied against journalists after contradictory statements made by the prosecutor Zagorka Dolovac and her spokesperson". "Zagorka Dolovac informed the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance, Rodoljub Sabic, that the state had dropped criminal charges against the journalist, while her spokesperson, Tomo Zoric, says that the indictment has not been dismissed and that it will be further widened after investigation", says the UNS.
(Tanjug, Politika, Press, 24.10.2011)

The spokesperson of the Republic Prosecutor's Office, Tomo Zoric, confirmed that the indictment against the journalists had been dismissed. However, he said that "investigation against the two of them would be conducted again".
(Politika, 24.10.2011)

The trial of the editor of the newspaper Nacionalni Gradjanski, Milorad Bojovic, will continue before the Primary Court in Novi Sad, but it is still uncertain whether the process will be based on the direct indictment or whether an investigation will be conducted.
(Dnevnik, UNS, NUNS, 25.10.2011)

The Media Strategy

The president of the Managing Board of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Sasa Mirkovic, writes: "The adopted Media Strategy does not solve most of the existing problems, but only delays them to some later stage. Our insistence on privatization is based on the fact that state ownership over the media allows impermissible influence of the government on the editorial policy of the media and disrupts the existing market conditions. Unfortunately, the Strategy went a step backwards, because it specifies an even larger number of media outlets that will not be privatized – the minority media outlets and regional public service broadcasters."
(MC Newsletter, ANEM, 21.10.2011)

The minority media

It is expected that the Media Strategy of Vojvodina Hungarians 2011-2016 will be adopted by the National Council of Hungarians in mid-November. According to the president of the Council, Tamas Korhec, the Media Strategy should contain an analysis of the situation and definition of goals, as well as describe the possibility of their realization. "Pressure on the media is not one of the goals", said Korhec.
(Magyar Szo, NUNS, 17.10.2011)