The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) called on its members and the citizens of Serbia and the region to sign an initiative for formation of the Regional Commission for Establishment of Facts About Victims of Armed Conflicts in the Territory of Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
(NUNS, 03/05/2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) and Civic Vojvodina have criticized the appearance of journalist Milijana Baletic in the role of an author and screenwriter on Radio-Television Vojvodina. Milijana Baletic is one of the symbols of the journalism of the nineties, hate speech, promotion of nationalist ideology and disregard for fundamental ethical standards – says the announcement issued by NUNS and NDNV.
(NUNS, NDNV, UNS, Danas, Dnevnik, Blic, Kurir, Pravda, 09/05/2011)

The Provincial Committee of the Serbian Renewal Movement for Vojvodina is strongly opposed to the return of Milijana Baletic to the Public Service Broadcaster of Vojvodina. "Someone who was a symbol of warmongering journalism that had certainly contributed to armed conflicts in the territory of former Yugoslavia should not be allowed to work for the Public Service Broadcaster. The reappearance of Milijana Baletic constitutes an utter disrespect for war victims", says the statement.
(Pravda, 10/05/2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS)

Secretary general of the Journalists' Association of Serbia, Nino Brajovic, in his open letter published by the daily newspaper Politika, says: "I agree with Jelka Jovanovic from the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) that after the court verdict in favour of the UNS any further debate is pointless. On behalf of UNS I call on my colleagues to reconsider whether there is a better way to use our time, energy and modest journalistic resources. I suggest that we try to reach an out-of-court agreement about all remaining issues".
(UNS, Politika, 27/04/2011)

The founder of Wikileaks, Julian Assange, is the winner of this year's "Zora" award for freedom of the media presented by the Journalists' Association of Serbia on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day – May 3. The UNS says that Assange and his colleagues from Wikileaks have made a historical contribution to the world citizens' right to know.
(UNS, Pravda, RTS.rs, Blic, emportal.rs 03/05/2011)

A French journalist and writer, the editor of the cultural section in the Le Figaro magazine, Jean-Christophe Buisson, will receive tomorrow the award of Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) for journalism without borders on the occasion of the Day of Journalists of Serbia, March 27 of this year.
(UNS, 02/05/2011)

A delegation of the Journalistic Association of Serbia (UNS) laid a wreath at the former location of the Chinese Embassy, where 12 years ago three Chinese journalist lost their lives to NATO bombs.
(UNS, 07/05/2011, Blic, Politika, Kurir, 08/05/2011)

The Media Association

On May 20, the Media Association officially became a member of the European Newspaper Publishers Association (ENPA).
(NUNS, 10/05/2011, ASMEDI Newsletter 151)

Journalistic trade unions

Although the journalists of "Svetlost" from Kragujevac have been striking since February because of their employer's a year-long failure to pay salaries and contributions for social and health insurance, and the employer's decision not to negotiate with them, the employer has announced a public invitation for new employees in direct violation of the Labor Law and the Law on Strike. "Publication of a public invitation for employment of new journalists in today's issue of the weekly magazine 'Svetlost' is the culmination of cynicism and arrogance of the employer", says the announcement of the magazine's Journalistic Trade Union.
(Tanjug, B92 , 05/05/2011; Pregled, UNS, 06/05/2011)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL)

The Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) has joined the marking of the Girls' Day by inviting eight-grade schoolgirls from the primary school "Vuk Karadzic" from the village of Pecenjevce near Leskovac and their teachers to visit the Agency. The school is the first one in Serbia to receive a digital cabinet as a part of the "Digital School" project of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Information Society.
(RATEL, 03/05/2011)

Licensees who have been issued a location/frequency by the Republic Broadcasting Agency are obliged to deliver the Republic Agency for Electronic Communications (RATEL) complete technical and other documentation specified by the Rulebook on Forms (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 8/11). The Rulebook is published on the Agency's web page, including the application forms for issuance of individual licenses. RATEL will issue individual licenses for usage of radio frequencies as of July 22, 2011.
(RATEL, 05/05/2011)

The South-East European Media Organization (SEEMO)

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated on 3 May, SEEMO recalls that there is still a long way to go until media workers can enjoy press freedom. In 2010, SEEMO registered 406 press freedom violations in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Turkey, and Ukraine. These included different forms of threats made by email, letter, telephone, or in person, murders, physical assaults, bomb attacks, detentions and imprisonment, criminal charges, house arrests, political and economic pressures, as well as menacing warnings from religious leaders.
(SEEMO, 02/05/2011)

Threats, assaults, abuse and various forms of pressure are part of everyday life for journalists in South, Eastern and Central Europe, said the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO). In the last year, SEEMO registered 406 instances of violation of the freedom of the media in 20 countries. These included different forms of threats made by email, letter, telephone, or in person, murders, physical assaults, bomb attacks, detentions and imprisonment, criminal charges, house arrests, political and economic pressures, as well as menacing warnings from religious leaders. The organisation has noted an increase in the number of threats by businessmen who often operate in a mafia-like style, but journalists also receive threats from religious organisations, actors and musicians.
(B92, Beta, Danas, 04/05/2011)

The First Istanbul Media Days are scheduled to take place from 16 to 20 May 2011. The First Belgrade Media Days, which will take place in Belgrade, Serbia, are scheduled for 2012, and will be organized in cooperation with the Singidunum University.
(SEEMO/IPI, 09/05/2011)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA)

The National Parliament of Serbia elected Milos Rajkovic, Slobodan Veljkovic and Bozidar Nikolic as members of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency. The Council of the RRA has nine members, and after the latest appointments all positions in the Council are filled.
(Tanjug, NUNS, UNS, B92, Dnevnik, 05/05/2011)

The vice president of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), Goran Karadzic, said to Kurir daily that he had not watched the programme whose host showed a devil's sign on the day of Easter, and that he was not sure whether the incident constituted a violation of the law. Citizens have not complained to the RRA about that. The monitoring section began working only after the public holiday. Therefore I cannot make any official statement on behalf of the Agency".
(Kurir, 27/04/2011)

Issue No. 3
April 28 – May 11, 2011

Abbreviations