The media situation in Serbia

The OSCE Mission in Serbia is ready to assist the new government in creating a legal framework that would help the independent and professional media and be useful to the citizens of Serbia.
(Novi Magazin, 30.08.2012)

Today, in the beginning of September 2012, the position of the media in Serbia is difficult in all aspects, especially with regard to their financial position due to the unfavorable economic situation and unsolved problems from the past. The same can be said of the freedom of the media and various pressures, says an article published on the web portal EurActiv. The state has not withdrawn from the media, and each year millions of euros are given to the state-owned media and media outlets that are close to the government, to the detriment of all other participants in the market and with negative consequences to the quality of delivered information. Legal proceedings against journalists and harsh fines for libel and damage to reputation have imposed self-censorship and exhausted the media. Non-transparent ownership over the media is also a cause of problems. Despite the fact that these issues cannot be easily solved, media professionals and media associations point out that none of the recent governments has been prepared to tackle them. The Media Strategy, adopted in September of 2011 after long discussions with media associations and international organizations, should allow certain advancement, despite numerous complaints regarding its provisions. The media might also benefit from the fact that the freedom of the media will be one of the key criteria for potential membership in the EU of Serbia and other candidates.
(EurActiv, UNS, NUNS, NDNV, 05.09.2012)

In the beginning of September 2012, the position of the media in Serbia is difficult in all aspects, especially regarding to their financial position due to the unfavorable economic situation and unsolved problems from the past, while the same can be said of the freedom of the media and various pressures – says an article published on the web portal EurActiv. The Strategy of Development of the Public Information System in Serbia Until 2016 was adopted by the Government of Mirko Cvetkovic on 28 September 2011 and so far it has failed to achieve results. Despite the difficult financial situation, there are many media outlets in the country. According to information from the Serbian Business Registers Agency, there are 1,156 media outlets in Serbia. This information does not reflect the number of media companies, which are certainly much less numerous, but the total number of media outlets, which means that each newspaper, web portal or news agency is registered as a separate media outlet. Newspapers are still the most numerous with a total number of 647, out of which there are 20 daily newspapers. The second position is held by 228 radio channels, out of which 24 do not broadcast 24 hours a day. Internet media is also numerous – there are 133 media outlets in this category, out of which 103 publish new information daily. There is a total of 91 television channels, out of which 22 broadcast their programme only during certain periods of time in a day. The remaining media outlets are services offered by new agencies and electronic editions.
(Blic – special supplement, NUNS, 08.09.2012)

The influence of tycoons on the political scene is not unusual and it is evident everywhere in the world, with a difference being that elsewhere this field is legally regulated, said Dragoljub Zarkovic and Ljiljana Smajlovic. Commenting on his failure and the failure of his party at the elections, Boris Tadic, the president of the Democratic Party (DS), mentioned the influence of tycoons and Miroslav Miskovic, who had wanted to use the DS as a vehicle for their entry into the political scene. In their response to Tadic's statement, the editor-in-chief of the weekly magazine Vreme and the president of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) were of the opinion that Serbian politicians make such statements with the aim to hide their own responsibility behind tycoons.
(RTV B92, NUNS,13.09.2012)

Opinions about the current media situation in Serbia

What is evident in Serbia is a "latent censorship" of the media effected through the control over the financial survival of the media and journalists, says the report issued by the Bureau of Social Research (BIRODI) under the title "The Media and the Elections 2012". BIRODI analyst, Zoran Gavrilovic, says that due to the inability to sustain themselves commercially, the media in Serbia has become a tool of economic and political promotion. He explains that the media should have served as a means of correction during the election campaign, but that they failed in their mission and often reported in favor of certain political parties. In his words, the media often created confusion during the election campaign by reporting on the election of the city mayor, who is in fact elected in the parliament, and by reporting on all statements made by presidential candidates, even when they pertained to issues that were outside the scope of the president's responsibilities. Gavrilovic points out that journalists are not to blame, but the owners of the media who demanded such reporting.
(Beta, NDNV, Fonет, UNS, Tanjug, www.mondo.rs, UNS, Informer, 05.09.2012)

The director of the Gender Equality Office, Natalija Micunovic, said that the Serbian media were gradually adopting gender-sensitive terminology and that the number of positive examples was on the increase. During a press conference dedicated to the "Guide to the Gender-Sensitive Approach in the Serbian Media", the participants discussed the declaration on the need for introduction of the subject of gender-sensitive reporting in the media and journalism studies, signed by professors of journalism.
(Danas, UNS, NUNS, 11.09.2012)

The state and the media

The government allocated no less than 60,560,000 dinars from the Fund for Environmental Protection to the company Ringier Axel Springer for their ecology-related projects. The president of the Managing Board of the Fund at the time was Minister Oliver Dulic, reports the daily newspaper Informer. According to available documentation, the publisher of the newspaper Blic submitted the request on January 20 and a sum of 49,560,000 dinars was approved already on the following day (which at the time amounted to 472,000 euros!). In a simplified procedure, Dulic's Fund approved allocation of additional 11 million dinars (100,000 euros) for the second contract, related to the project entitled "Preservation and Advancement of the Environment in the Republic of Serbia". The documents show that Ringier submitted their application on February 27, which was approved by the Managing Board of the Fund on March 1. Dulic explains that these media projects were financed in accordance with European Commission recommendation. The projects have been very successful because this topic was well-reported on by the media, said Dulic, and pointed out that he had never discussed editorial policy with any editor of a media outlet. In her response, the director of the daily newspaper Blic, Jelena Drakulic Petrovic, says that the company Ringier Axel Springer publishes daily newspapers and magazines with largest circulation, and that it also owns successful web portals.
(Informer, UNS, NUNS, 05.09.2012)

"As a minister, I do not want to influence the media, and I am not legally nor morally allowed to do that", said Bratislav Petkovic, the minister of culture and information, in an interview to the daily newspaper Danas. Problems with financing of public service broadcasters were discussed with Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), while cooperation in legal and other projects was discussed with OSCE, reports Danas.
(Danas, 06.09.2012, Dnevnik, 07.09.2012)

The assistant minister of culture for the media, Dragan Kolarevic, said that the state would withdraw from media ownership before the deadlines stipulated by the Media Strategy and that it would not give unfair advantage to any media, either private or state-owned media.
(Beta, RTV B92, NUNS, 12.09.2012, Danas, Politika, Alo!, Pregled, Informer, Vecernje novosti, e-kapija, NDNV, 13.09.2012)

Aleksandar Vucic, the vice president of the Government of Serbia, said: "We had to take into account the financing of the Public Service Broadcaster. A certain amount of money will be allocated in the revised national budget, but that does not mean that this money will be spent for such purpose. The state will impose certain conditions."
(Danas, Tanjug, UNS, NUNS, 14.09.2012)

The secretary for information of the province, Slavisa Grujic, said that the government had neglected Radio-Television Vojvodina (RTV) in comparison with Radio-Television Serbia (RTS). Grujic noted that the situation in the media scene was worsening, especially because problems were not being solved.
(RTV, Beta, UNS, NUNS, 14.09.2012)

The president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Vukasin Obradovic, noted that the words of the vice president of the Government of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, who said that the Public Service Broadcaster could be financed from the national budget under certain conditions, might be interpreted as a form of pressure on the editorial policy of RTS. At the same time, the president of the Executive Board of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), Petar Jeremic, is of the opinion that the state must stop financing the news agency Tanjug because in this way it jeopardizes two other private news agencies. Dragan Janjic from the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) said that if the manner of financing of public service broadcasters in Serbia was changed, then it would be necessary to define certain principles that would ensure independence of public service broadcasters. Sasa Mirkovic from ANEM expressed his disappointment with the fact that no one from media and journalistic associations had been invited to participate in the preparation of the Draft Law on Regional Public Service Broadcasters. Dejan Miladinovic from the association Local Press said that private media at the local level were receiving far less money than the media that operate as publicly-owned companies.
(Beta, RTV, NUNS, Politika, Danas, Pregled, NDNV , 14.09.2012)

Public service broadcasters

If the Government of Serbia revoked the citizens' obligation to pay the TV fee to the public service broadcaster, the Government would then have to cover the cost of financing of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) from the national budget, which would mean that RTS would lose its independence – this is the opinion of interviewees who talked to the daily newspaper Danas. Professor Rade Veljanovski from the Faculty of Political Science said to Danas that the TV fee system has been proven as the best way to finance public service broadcasters in Europe because "public service broadcasters should be controlled by citizens, not the government and the state".
(Danas, Press, 30.08.2012)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) is concerned about the unofficial reports that the TV fee might soon be revoked. NUNS press statement says that the public service broadcaster must not be financed directly from the national budget instead of the TV fee, and that its funding must not directly depend on the decisions by the Government of Serbia.
(Informer, 30.08.2012)

The president of the Bar Association of Serbia, Dragoljub Djordjevic, says that "if the Government decides to revoke the TV fee without stipulating that those who had not been paying it are obliged to pay, they would be free from any such obligations, unless they had been sued by Radio-Television Serbia (RTS)", reports the daily newspaper Kurir. This proves that the majority of viewers who decided not to pay the TV fee because they were dissatisfied with its programme, were right, says Kurir.
(Kurir, 30.08.2012)

Instead of the TV fee, Serbian citizens will have to pay a fee that would be charged per household, reports the daily newspaper Press. According to the draft Law on Public Service Broadcasters which will regulate the activities of the national, provincial and regional public service broadcasters, prepared by the work groups of the Ministry of Culture, the country would have the republic public service broadcaster (Radio-Television Serbia – RTS), the provincial public service broadcaster (Radio-Television Vojvodina – RTV) and six regional public service broadcasters in Belgrade, Kragujevac, Nis, Novi Pazar, Uzice and Zajecar.
(Press, UNS, NUNS, 01.09.2012)

Revoking of the TV fee is not the idea of the Ministry of the Finance and Economy and the Ministry has never considered such a proposal, said the sources from the Ministry to the daily newspaper Vecernje Novosti.
(Vecernje novosti, e-kapija, 30.08.2012)

The general director of the public service broadcaster, Aleksandar Tijanic, attended the event organized to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Serbian Air Force by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vucic. The daily newspaper Kurir says that this move by Tijanic reflects his desire to prolong his mandate or to demonstrate his sycophantic skills towards the ruling circles (from Mira Markovic to Vojislav Kostunica to Boris Tadic), reports Kurir.
(Kurir, 03.09.2012)

The public service broadcaster would need at least 950 million dinars to file lawsuits against 500,000 Serbian households that have not been paying the TV fee. Judicial web portal of Serbia says that there are only 142 ongoing legal proceedings involving Radio-Television Serbia (RTS) in the First Primary Court in Belgrade. However, in most of these cases RTS is being sued. Lawyer Slobodan Kremenjak points out that it is not crucial whether RTS can afford to initiate such lawsuits, but how the TV fee is spent by the broadcaster.
(Kurir, NUNS, B92, UNS, 10.09.2012)

The football representation of Serbia will play the first game in the qualifications for the World Championship, but it will not be aired live by Radio-Television Serbia (RTS)! The broadcasting rights for the football match have been purchased by TV Prva, but why are we paying the public service broadcaster each month if the RTS management could not even send a single journalist or a cameraman with the Serbian team, says the daily newspaper Kurir.
(Kurir, 08.09.2012)

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

The former director of Radio-Television Serbia (RTS), Dragoljub Milanovic, has been released from the Zabela prison in the city of Pozarevac after serving a ten-year prison sentence.
(BETA, Press, Danas, RTV, B92, NUNS, Vecernje novosti, UNS, 31.08.2012, Tanjug, Dnevnik, Blic, Kurir, Informer, Politika, Press, 01.09.2012)

In its response to the completion of Dragoljub Milanovic's prison sentence, the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) points out that it is still unknown who was responsible for the sacrifice of 16 employees of the public service broadcaster. The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) says that Milanovic is not the only one responsible and that it is necessary to investigate who else participated in the decision-making process that caused the employees to remain in the RTS building and not be evacuated.
(NUNS, Alo!, 31.08.2012)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemns the actions of the bankruptcy manager of the company "Agrikol Brdar i Ostali" from Sremska Mitrovica, Ivana Matic, who forbade the journalists with Radio-Television Vojvodina and Tanjug to attend the public sale of the assets of the company. NUNS has informed the Republic Agency for Licensing of Bankruptcy Managers about the unacceptable discrimination and demanded explanation and appropriate sanctions against the manager.
(NUNS, NDNV, Danas, 31.08.2012)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) voiced a protest because journalists from Radio-Television Vojvodina and Tanjug were prevented from doing their job during the public sale of the company "Agrikol Brdar i Ostali" in Sremska Mitrovica. UNS demands that the bankruptcy manager, Ivana Matic, publicly apologize to colleagues from RTV and Tanjug and that the Law on Public Information be upheld. The Law stipulates that no one is allowed to limit the freedom of public information, whether directly or indirectly.
(UNS, 30.08.2012)

Legal representatives of the killers of the French football fan Brice Taton made a public appeal to the general director of the Public Service Broadcaster, Aleksandar Tijanic, to broadcast or deliver a transcript of the statement made by Dragan C. and recorded by RTS journalists, considering its significance in the case.
(Blic, Informer, 31.08.2012, Tanjug, Dnevnik, 01.09.2012)

Legal representatives of the individuals convicted of the murder of Brice Taton announced their intention to file criminal lawsuits against the responsible persons from Radio-Television Serbia (RTS). They claim that the public service broadcaster aired a shortened and "doctored" part of the video recording of a statement made by the retired employee of the police, Dragan Crepulja, who witnessed the fatal fall of the French football fan, reports the daily newspaper Informer.
(Informer, 12.09.2012)

Like in the previous several seasons, the Football Association of Serbia has announced its intention to fight against the stations which broadcast football matches during the protected time slot, "Buy Local". Despite the fact that the Football Association of Serbia and the Super League signed a contract with Telecom Serbia and TV Arena about the so-called protected time slots in order to protect the interest of domestic football, cable television channels have continued to broadcast football matches from all parts of the world during weekends, when the domestic league matches are being broadcast. If this practice continues, the Association will sue the channels that have violated the contract, reports the daily newspaper Kurir.
(Kurir, 31.08.2012)

The editorial team of the daily newspaper Blic says: "Blic has never been a political party-affiliated media outlet. All these years, Blic has striven to prevent people who used to spread destruction in Serbia, incite hatred and promote false patriotism from holding important official positions. We will continue to do so, despite the pressure and threats. The press statement issued by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) is one of such threats – not only against Blic, but against the freedom of speech and criticism."
(Blic, UNS, 01.09.2012)

An activist from the Anti-Fascist Action from Novi Sad, Zoran Petakov, was sentenced by the First Primary Court in Belgrade to 100 days of house arrest with electronic monitoring in place of 100 days of prison sentence. Petakov was charged with insulting the Bishop of Backa of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Irinej, who sued him in 2005 because Petakov had said in a TV appearance that SPC was supporting certain extremist groups in Serbia. Non-governmental organizations point out that the Court refused to consider any of the proposed evidence and that it decided not to examine Bishop Irinej.
(Autonomija, NDNV, 04.09.2012)

Alleged irresponsibility and failure to honor business agreements could cost actor Sergej Trifunovic 2,500 euros. TV Hepi will demand payment in a court of law. According to reports published by the daily newspaper Alo!, TV station officials claim that the actor violated the contract worth 15,000 euros. The contract stipulated that Trifunovic was obliged to appear in the reality show "Couples" twice a week until the end of the last season. However, he appeared in the programme only two times.
(Alo!, 07.09.2012)

Despite police assistance, inspectors from the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) did not succeed in ending the broadcasting of the programme aired by TV KTV from Zrenjanin. The station was defended by its viewers, who prevented the inspectors from accessing the broadcasting equipment located in Bagljas. "The attempt to close down the station is illegal because the legal process before the Administrative Court has not been completed yet. At the same time, the RRA attempted to take over the competency of the Republic Agency for Electronic Communication (RATEL) which is a legal nonsense", said Dana Radic, the director and editor-in-chief of TV KTV. According to the article cited in the decision, RRA can suspend broadcasting of the programme of broadcasters who operate without a license or whose license has been revoked. TV KTV has a license, but is prevented from broadcasting its programme on the correct channel.
(Vecernje novosti, NUNS, UNS, 10.09.2012, Danas, NUNS, 11.09.2012, Dnevnik, 12.09.2012)