The media scene in Serbia

A letter from a reader published in the daily newspaper Politika says: "The media reports that the Republic Agency for Electronic Communication (RATEL) will have to pay TV SOS damages in the amount of around 650 million dinars, because it had allocated the station a television channel already in use by the Second Channel of the Romanian Television. I am shocked that no one has responded to that news. This means that citizens will be forced to pay for mistakes of institutions. If by any chance the disputed channel had been allocated to TV Pink, TV B92 or TV Prva, the Government of Serbia would have already taken strict measures against RATEL.
(Politika, 18.04.2012)

TV programmes in prime time slots are full of scenes of brutal violence, vulgarities and barbarism. Branislava Dzunov claims that such programmes are a result of inertia and the lack of accountability and editorial oversight on most of TV stations. Darko Brocic, the executive editor of the company AGB Nielsen in Serbia, says that slightly more than 50 percent of viewers has a technical capability to watch such programmes on cable TV, which is still preventing them from being among the top 10 most-watched programmes – although the number of their viewers is constantly growing.
(Blic, 20.04.2012)

The 30th MONITORING REPORT of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) on the media scene in Serbia in January-February 2012 has been published. Additional information is available on the website of ANEM.
(MC, 24.04.2012)

In a wide-ranging interview, lawyer Boza Prelevic says: "Not all journalists who were persecuted during Milosevic's rule have been rehabilitated after his fall from power. Today, the most renowned authors have joined PR agencies, which indicates that our journalism is as much held hostage as the state itself. If you read again some of the newspapers published during the time of Milosevic's rule and before him, you will find many articles which are more critical than the ones published today. This is a strong signal for alarm."
(Vecernje Novosti, 22.04.2012)

"The media have become accomplices in deception of the public, because it has stopped acting as a watchdog of the power", said the president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, during an event hosted by the Media Center. She pointed out that almost all of the media outlets – acting like soldiers – had fulfilled the request or suggestion coming from the cabinet of the president of Serbia to describe the resignation of Boris Tadic as "shortening of the mandate". "Tanjug even published a news saying that international agencies had reported that President Tadic had shortened his mandate, which was of course untrue. The international media said that he had resigned from his position. It was painful to watch foreign TV channels and on-screen headlines with clearly written word 'resignation'", said Smajlovic. The vice president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Dragan Janjic, pointed out that political activities in Serbia have turned into PR.
(RTV, NUNS, 20.04.2012)

The state and the media

The delegation of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly called on the political parties in Serbia to refrain from attempts to influence the editorial policy of the media. The delegation stated that "all political participants have confidence in the electoral process and campaign" and that election campaign "has been mostly focused on issues related to economy and European integration".
(Politika, NUNS, UNS, 20.04.2012)

Public service broadcasters

Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) will continue broadcasting the parliamentary sessions. A contract on reporting on parliamentary activities was signed 10 Takovska Street, serving as an occasion for the visit of the President of the National Parliament Slavica Djukic Dejanovic and the Secretary General of the National Parliament Veljko Odalovic. According to the contract, RTS is obliged to report on the activities of the parliament each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, as well as on all days and in time slots specified by the National Parliament.
(RTS, 24.04.2012,Vecernje Novosti, UNS, NDNV, NUNS, 25.04.2012)

Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) is in the process of testing of skills of young contributors participating in the last year's public contest. 17,000 candidates applied for the contest. 10,000 candidates fulfilled the conditions of the contest, while 6,000 among them entered the second round. Following TV directors and designers, tests will be taken by scenographers, journalists and candidates in the fields of marketing and finance. After the third round of tests, the chosen candidates will be interviewed, which will constitute their last test.
(Vecernje Novosti, 22.04.2012)

Threats, attacks and legal processes againts journalists; media-related trials

The police in Leskovac arrested I. K., aged 35, on suspicion of threatening Bratislav Ilic, a journalist working for B92, Press and local TV Klisura, while he was photographing the construction site of the company "Bagat" located in downtown Leskovac, as well as the hole in the ground, several meters deep and lacking any support walls.
(RTV B92, NUNS, 16.04.2012, Blic, Kurir, Press, UNS, Pravda – Srbija, 17.04.2012, Politika, 18.04.2012)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) expects the authorities in Leskovac to immediately charge the person who on Saturday, 14 April made serious threats to the correspondent of TV B92, Bratislav Ilic. NUNS welcomes the efficient response of the police, who quickly found and arrested the individual who had threatened the journalist.
(NUNS,17.04.2012)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) demands that the police and investigators in Kraljevo immediately investigate the circumstances of the physical assault on Milan Milovanovic, a journalist with newspaper Kraljevacke Novosti, and file charges against the attacker, Ljubisa Vujovic, who is the president of the municipal Football Association.
(NUNS, 17.04.2012)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) condemns the physical attack and threats against the journalist with the newspaper Kraljevacke Novosti, Milan Milovanovic, and against the editor of the local station TV Klisura in Leskovac and correspondent of daily newspaper Press and TV B92 from the city, Bratislav Ilic. UNS warns that threats and physical attacks against journalists have become increasingly common and demands strong response from the authorities so that attacks on colleagues would not remain unpunished.
(UNS, 17.04.2012)

Five years ago today, journalist Dejan Anastasijevic and his family were attacked with a hand grenade. The case is still unsolved. At the time of the attack, Anastasijevic was working as a journalist for the magazine Vreme, while today he is the correspondent of Tanjug from Brussels.
(Tanjug, Politika, Blic, UNS, 13.04.2012)

Four individuals from Lazarevac have been charged of threatening security and violent behaviour because they distributed posters with "death certificates" of TV B92. "By filing these criminal charges, the prosecutor's office has made clear its position that journalists have to be protected", says Tomo Zoric, the PR of the Republic Public Prosecutor's Office.
(B92 onlajn, NUNS, UNS, 19.04.2012, Politika, 20.04.2012)

The editorial office of the web portal Juzne Vesti protested because it had not been informed of today's meeting in Belgrade between the mayor of the city of Nis, Milos Simonovic, the prime minister of Serbia, Mirko Cvetkovic, and the representatives of the Italian company "Calearo". Their public statement, signed by the editor-in-chief of the web portal, Predrag Blagojevic, says that the spokesperson of the mayor of Nis, Stanislava Todorovic, confirmed today that the media had been invited in accordance with "the list prepared by the mayor himself". Juzne Vesti reminds that this is not the first time that the Mayor Simonovic himself chose the media outlets that would be informed about significant events, and that the web portal is on the mayor's "black list" probably because of "continued unbiased reporting on the activities of the city administration".
(NUNS, UNS, 25.04.2012)

Investigations of murders of journalists

Jovo Curuvija, the brother of murdered journalist Slavko Curuvija, wrote to the European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia, Jelko Kacin, because the murder of his brother has not been solved after 13 years.
(Pregled, 11.04.2012)

Jelko Kacin confirmed that he had received and responded to the letter of Jovo Curuvija. Kacin did not want to reveal the content of his reply. Instead, he pointed out that the case, as well as murders of other journalists in Serbia, must be solved. "There is strong resistance in certain political and institutional circles in Serbia whenever it comes to tackling issues related to connections between criminals and Serbian state officials during the rule of Slobodan Milosevic."
(Blic, UNS, NUNS, 11.04.2012)

Friends, colleagues and Curuvija's family are convinced that his murder has a political background, because of strong words and criticism of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic written by the journalist. A statement issued by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) points out that the investigation of the death of Curuvija, despite numerous promises of governmental officials since 2000, has not given any results. UNS condemns the fact that "perpetrators and organizers of this terrible crime against the freedom of the press have remained unpunished".
(Pravda, 24 sata, 11.04.2012)

On the occasion of the 13th anniversary of the brutal murder of Slavko Curuvija, the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) intends to propose the new Serbian parliament to immediately establish an independent body that would investigate all circumstances related to the unsuccessful and unprofessional investigation of the murder of our colleague. UNS considers that the claim made by the Special Prosecutor's Office – that everything that could possibly be done, within the prosecutor's authority, was indeed done in the Curuvija case – was not true.
(UNS, 11.04.2012)

"My brother was murdered by the state, which has not done anything to solve his murder during the last 13 years. All these years, judicial and political circles have been faking an investigation. They talk about my brother before elections and abuse his death for their political, pre-election purposes", said Jovo Curuvija.
(Alo!, 12.04.2012)

"I have not yet received the response of Jelko Kacin to my letter, but his statement given to the media encourages my efforts to find the perpetrators of the murder of Slavko Curuvija. Unsolved murders of three journalists and unsolved cases of bomb attack against the reporting van and the explosion under the window of a journalist's apartment, seem to prove that there are perfect crimes in this country and that no one will be punished for murders of journalists. I will not rest and will continue fighting for the rest of my life. State officials murdered Slavko and the state – not the journalists or the victim's family – has to bring the perpetrators to justice", said Jovo Curuvija.
(Blic, UNS, 12.04.2012)

Colleagues and friends paid a tribute to journalist Slavko Curuvija, who was murdered 13 years ago in front of his apartment in downtown Belgrade. They reiterated their demand that perpetrators and organizers of the crime be identified, and emphasized that otherwise it would not be possible to create a democratic Serbia and maintain freedom of speech. Vuk Draskovic said that journalist Slavko Curuvija was murdered by secret services and that "it is well-known who ordered the crime, who organized it and who executed it".
(Vecernje Novosti, Danas, UNS, 12.04.2012)

The memorial plate located at the place where journalist Slavko Curuvija was murdered is barely discernible today near a large advertisement depicting a woman shaving her legs.
(Kurir, NUNS, 12.04.2012)

Journalistic associations and the family of the murdered journalist Slavko Curuvija marked the 13th anniversary of his death yesterday. The president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Vukasin Obradovic, said: "Identify the organizers, name the killers; the authorities must peek into the dark chambers of the regime of Slobodan Milosevic". The president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Ljiljana Smajlovic, said that Curuvija had been murdered for exercising his fundamental human right – the freedom of speech.
(Beta, Politika, Dnevnik, UNS, 12.04.2012)

16 employees of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) were killed in NATO bombardment of the RTS building on 23 April 1999. Director Janko Baljak, who has made two documentary films about their death, said that "those who are truly responsible are still free", and that "the case bears the same signature and shares the same secret" as the political murders of Slavko Curuvija, Dada Vujasinovic and soldiers who lost their lives in Topcider.
(B92 online, UNS, 13.04.2012)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) condemns the fact that 13 years after the bombardment of the RTS building, the Serbian authorities have not yet launched an independent investigation that would find out who and why sacrificed 16 RTS employees during the NATO campaign. NUNS considers that this and other cases of murders of journalists and media workers in Serbia must be solved for the rule of law to be established.
(NUNS, 23.04.2012)

Families, colleagues and friends of RTS employees killed in the bombardment of 1999 laid wreaths and lighted candles at the monument entitled "Why?". The general director of RTS, Aleksandar Tijanic, said that those who are hiding the truth about the tragic event act as accomplices. The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) and the Journalists' Union of Serbia called on journalistic associations and trade unions from NATO member countries to demand independent investigations of the war crime in their own countries.
(Beta, UNS, NUNS, NDNV, Danas, Pravda, 23.04.2012, Vecernje Novosti, UNS, 24.04.12)

The president of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), Arne Konig, issued a statement on the anniversary of the death of 16 media workers of RTS killed during NATO bombardment. EFJ supports the initiative of the UNS and the Journalists' Union of Serbia to mark April 23 as the Day of Remembrance. Konig called on other members of the European Federation of Journalists to support the Day of Remembrance and emphasized that the media must not be a military target.
(UNS, NUNS, 24.04.2012)