The European Parliament points out that "strong and independent media is a necessary condition for democracy and welcomes the adoption of the Media Strategy of the Government of Serbia and the planned withdrawal of the state from media ownership". This conclusion is a part of the draft Resolution on European Integration of Serbia which will be considered by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the European Parliament. The European Parliament also expresses its "concern because of attempts to monitor and interfere with the activities of media outlets, and calls on the government (of Serbia) to guarantee their independence from political and other forms of pressure".
(Pregled, Dnevnik, 12.01.2012)

Newspaper Blic has published a list of 50 most powerful foreign citizens in Serbia, and three among them work in the media: Florian Fels, the general director of "Ringier Aksel Springer Media AG" (12th position); Minos Kyriakou, the owner of TV Prva (39th position); and Aleksandar Tojc, the general director of "Adria Media Serbia" (47th position).
(Blic – Special Supplement, 09.01.2012)

There are too many media outlets in Serbia and they are facing a considerable "decimation" because there just is not enough money for everyone – this is the conclusion of the public discussion held under the title "The Media Strategy – Future Steps" in Valjevo. The discussion was organized by media associations of Serbia and the Press Council. Vukasin Obradovic, the president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), said that "very soon we will have to face the fact that many media outlets are going to be closed down. It is our position that the market should decide who survives, instead of the government". Discussing the effects of the adopted Media Strategy, the president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, said that the situation was worsening, especially when it comes to the pressure against the freedom of the media which permanently destroys the foundation of journalism. In her opinion, the only realistic hope is that the progress in the field of European integration might bring certain improvements in the media scene.
(Politika, NUNS, 18.01.2012, NUNS Newsletter No. 29, 01. 02. 2012)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) warns that the decision of the Administrative Court to reject the lawsuit filed by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), which demanded reconsideration and annulment of new tariffs of SOKOJ, will threaten the survival of numerous electronic media outlets, especially local broadcasters "in which the remaining low-paid journalists and media professionals are going to lose their jobs".
(Dnevnik, Kurir, NUNS, 01.02.2012)

The implementation of the action plan of the Media Strategy is unfolding on schedule. The Law on Electronic Communication is being prepared, while the activities related to formation of the work group for preparation of the new Law on Public Information are being completed. An initiative has been sent to several ministries asking them to consider the possibility of amending the laws from their areas of competence in accordance with the aims of the Strategy – said Predrag Markovic, the minister of culture, media and information society, to the newspaper Danas.
(Danas, NUNS, 31.01.2012)

Assessments of the current media situation in Serbia

According to the results of legal monitoring conducted by the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) in November 2011, the media scene in Serbia was characterized by pressures, physical attacks and threats against journalists and members of their teams, as well as by two verdicts of the Court of Appeals which indicate a possible positive change in court practice in cases of attacks on journalists – a change that has been eagerly awaited by the media sector for a long time. Additional information is available at the web site of ANEM.
(ANEM Monitoring Novosti 28, MC, 10.01.2012, Pravda, 11.01.2012)

The 29th Monitoring Report of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) discusses the following: the Law on Cinematography and its collision with the Media Strategy and systemic media regulations which could result in serious disruption of the functioning of the media system; whether the Media Strategy is being implemented and why the implementation of some of its solutions is crucial for functioning of the media system; whether privatization of the media is possible in accordance with the existing legal framework or whether it is necessary to wait for establishment of the legal framework as specified by the Action Plan that accompanies the Media Strategy... Additional information is available at the web site of ANEM.
(ANEM Monitoring Novosti 29, 25 January 2012)

The latest annual report of Human Rights Watch (HRW) about human rights worldwide, in its part related to Serbia, points out its concern in relation to the position of national minorities, that independent journalists are faced with threats and violence, and that the asylum system needs reforms.
(Beta, Tanjug, Politika, Pravda, 23.01.2012)

Serbia has achieved significant progress in many areas, but some of the key problems have remained unsolved – says the proposed Resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Among the stated problems are the media ownership, the role of the state in the media scene, the economic sustainability of the media, transparency of ownership over the media and attacks on journalists.
(Beta, Politika, Danas, NUNS, 23.01.2012)

According to the index published each year by Reporters Without Borders, Serbia has achieved progress in relation to freedom of the media in 2011 and is now holding the 80th position worldwide, while in 2010 it was listed as 85th on the list. Montenegro holds the worst ranking among the countries striving to become members of the European Union (107th position on the list). Slovenia is the best-ranked among former Yugoslavian Republics (36), and is followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina (58), Croatia (68) and Macedonia (94).
(Alo!, 26.01.2012)

The state and the media

The Court of Appeals in Belgrade has passed a verdict according to which the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) are joint owners of the building in Resavska Street in Belgrade. This verdict constitutes a legaly enforceable completion of the legal proceedings related to the lawsuit filed by NUNS against UNS with regard to ownership over the building located at 28 Resavska Street in Belgrade. In accordance with the verdict, the UNS is obliged to recognize joint ownership over the building and the right of the NUNS to be officially registered as the owner.
(Revija Kolubara, NUNS, 15.01.2012)

As the elections are approaching, the government has started pulling the leash that is tied around the media's neck, says the president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia, Ljiljana Smajlovic. "Now it is UNS' turn to be strangled. The government's attack on the property of UNS – which constitutes the basis of the independence and autonomy of the oldest and most numerous journalistic association in Serbia – was performed via its reformed courts. First the Higher Court in Belgrade attacked the premises in Knez Mihajlova Street owned by UNS with the intention to make them again a property of the state. The latest attack on UNS took place last week, on the day of our 130th anniversary. Instead of sending congratulations, the government placed a new rope around our neck. On December 22, while we were celebrating, the Court of Appeals in Belgrade unexpectedly decided that the building where both associations are located is to be considered a joint property of NUNS and UNS. Judging by the statement issued by the Court of Appeals, a political verdict against UNS has just been adopted" – says Smajlovic.
(Novi Standard, UNS, 05.01.2012)

The deputy president of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, Bojan Kostres, expects the property or Radio-Television Vojvodina to be returned to the Province of Vojvodina in February. He announced that first regulations would be adopted by mid-February.
(Dnevnik, 20.01.2012)

Daily newspaper Danas writes: "The intellectual part of the society has no choice but to accept that in the democratic Serbia it is still possible for a reputed public servant with impeccable career to be called a promoter of terrorism, traitor and an outcast because of his signing a declaration that demanded ending of a media campaign of Serbian tabloids against the Montenegrin writer Andrej Nikolaidis."
(Danas, 23.01.2012)

Show-business manager and the informal owner of TV and Radio Timocka, Sasa Mirkovic, has announced his intention to run for mayor of the city of Zajecar.
(Blic - Srbija, 23.01.2012)

Public service broadcasters

More than a half of the citizens of Nis (53%) "supports the ambition" of TV Niska (NTV), founded by the City Assembly, to "become a regional public service broadcaster, with all rights resulting from that status" – this is the result of the research conducted by the Agency for Research of Public Opinion Lubris Extra from Nis.
(Danas, UNS, 06. 01. 2012)

Threats, attacks and legal proceedings against journalists; media trials

Journalistic associations demand that the Primary Public Prosecutor's Office in Nis complete as soon as possible the legal proceedings against the person suspected of sending the correspondent of Politika and Sportski Zurnal from Nis, Tomislav Todorovic, SMS messages containing insults and threats. The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) believes that "successful completion of this legal process will significantly contribute to protection of the freedom of public informing and increased safety of journalists".
(Tanjug, Pravda, Politika, 12.01.2012)

The Society of Journalists of Nis (DNN) welcomes the initiation of the legal process against Dejan Brankovic because of his threats against the correspondent of Politika and Sportski Zurnal from Nis, Tomislav Todorovic. "Since the suspected individual is an official from the Football Club Radnicki, we call on the Club to issue a public statement about this case", says the DNN.
(Blic, 13.01.2012)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia has condemned the repeated threats against TV Apatin delivered via social network Facebook and the YouTube website by Marko Knezevic, the president of the Municipal Council of the Movement of Socialists Apatin.
(UNS, NUNS, 16. 01.2012, TV Apatin, Dnevnik, 17.01.2012)

The leader of the New Serbia political party, Velimir Ilic, claimed at the court session related to the lawsuit filed against him by journalist Vladimir Jesic because of a physical assault that took place in 2003, that the incident was organized by Beba Popovic, the then head of the Information Bureau of the Government of Serbia. During the recording of the interview, Ilic kicked Jesic.
(Alo!, Danas, Blic, Politika, Kurir, Dnevnik, NUNS, 20.01.2012)

Jovan Dulovic (76), a journalist from the magazine Vreme, was taken to the Emergency Room in a serious condition due to injuries and suffocation caused by a fire in his apartment Starine Novaka Street around 14.20. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
(Blic, 21.01.2012)

The Higher Court in Zrenjanin has rejected the private lawsuit filed by the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Zrenjanin and a member of the Managing Board of Radio-Television Vojvodina, Dalibor Bubnjevic, against the newspaper Blic and the journalist working for the Novi Sad correspondents' office of the newspaper, Ana Lalic.
(Beta, NUNS, 28.01.2012)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) condemns the insults against journalists spoken by Branislav Jovanovic, the director of the Construction Directorate of the City of Nis and a member of parliament from URS, Branislav Jovanovic. During his appearance in the programme "Odgovorni" aired on RTV 5 from Nis, Jovanovic said that "today it is possible to make journalists write whatever you want if you pay them a hundred euros". This is not the first time Jovanovic has publicly insulted journalists. In October 2010, Branislav Jovanovic appeared in a TV show and called journalists working for "Juzne Vesti" "sick people" and "mercenaries". The UNS calls on Jovanovic to apologize to journalists and stop disparaging those he is supposed to be accountable to – whether he like it or not – according to the Law on Public Information and the Law on Availability of Information.
(UNS, Juzne vesti, 01. 02. 2012)

The head of the President Boris Tadic's press department, Jasmina Stojanov, threw out on Monday a production team of TV Svet Plus Info from the premises of the Alliance of Independent Trade Unions of Serbia, where the representatives of the Union were meeting with President Tadic. Jasmina Stojanov threw away a microphone belonging to Svet Plus Info and told the station's journalists that he could not ask the president any questions because the station was not accredited and was not "licensed to operate". We remind that this is not the first time that the independent production team has been prevented from reporting by the Cabinet of the President of Serbia. The president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, says that "it should be examined whether this is a case of discrimination of an independent production team because of its editorial policy, which is a matter of choice of its founders and owners, and whose possible violation of professional standards and journalistic code of ethics should be sanctioned by the competent Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) in accordance with its authority and certainly not by a press department of any state institution".
(UNS, 25. 01.2012)

Famous film director, Emir Kusturica, is supposed to come to the Higher Court in Belgrade to give a verbal explanation of his lawsuit against the editor Petar Lukovic and the web portal E-Novine demanding two million dinars because of the damage to his reputation and honor.
(Tanjug, RTV, NUNS, 25.01.2012)

Investigation of murders of journalists

The US Congress is preparing a question for Serbia regarding the case of murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, reports daily Danas from Washington. The question will mostly pertain to the result of the investigation about the murder of Curuvija and its future prospects. The question could soon be delivered to ministers Ivica Dacic and Vuk Jeremic, who will visit Washington and attend the Prayer Breakfast.
(B92, NUNS 01.02.2012)

The media in minority languages

Zoltan Kozma and Ildiko Oros are new acting editors-in-chief of TV Panon and Radio Panon, respectively, as decided by the Panonija Fund, it was reported on January 24. At the same time, it was decided that the position of the programme director in the media company from Subotica will be held by Diana Domanj Dudas, the current director of the Public News Company in Backa Topola and a member of the National Council of Hungarians. "We want to cooperate with domestic TV stations as well as the Hungarian Television", said Kozma to Magyar Szo.
(Magyar Szo, NDNV, NUNS, 24. 01.2012)