The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) warns that the Serbian media has begun again publishing articles which emphasize the nationality of participants in the reported events. The latest such example are the journalistic reports about the achievement of the team of surgeons in Nis, who have succeeded in reattaching the severed hand of Esref Demiri from Presevo. Some of the daily newspapers' headlines emphasized that the patient was an Albanian from Presevo, although his nationality was completely irrelevant to the subject of the news. Emphasis on the nationality of the patient gives a completely unnecessary political dimension to events, and at the same time separates and publicly marks members of a national minority.
(NUNS, 07.10.2011, Blic, 08.10.2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) strongly condemns the physical assault on Hanibal Kovac, journalist of the weekly magazine Podrinjske and contributor to Slobodna Evropa. Yesterday morning in the center of Sabac, Kovac was kicked in the back by an unidentified man and warned that he would end up "beaten or dead". It is encouraging that only several hours later the police arrested the attacker, who is now in 48-hour custody. NUNS expects that investigating bodies will identify those who had organized the attack on the journalist and punish both them and the attacker in accordance with law.
(NUNS, 06.10.2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) expects that the police will take legally stipulated measures against the member of the City Branch of the Democratic Party of Serbia who threatened the editor of the web portal www.vranjepres.info, Vojkan Ristic, because of his article about the "Kolubara affair". NUNS expects that the police – which was informed by the journalist about the identify of the person who had threatened him – will file appropriate criminal charges.
(NUNS, 06.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS)

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Serbia will receive from the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) a request for judgment on constitutionality of the Law on National Councils of National Minorities. You can read the UNS' request for judgment on constitutionality of the Law on National Councils of National Minorities.
(UNS, 06.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) demands that the Minister of Defense reveal all the facts about the armed incidents in Jarinje which are available to his Ministry. In response to his statement that the media reports on Jarinje "were not completely accurate" and that they were published under strong emotions", the UNS reminds the Minister that the Serbian public does not expect a media analysis from his Ministry, but a comprehensive and timely information about the attack on Serbs at Jarinje. The secretary-general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that NATO "had delivered all information to the Serbian side via military channels". It is known that KFOR troops record everything that happens at the crossings.
(UNS, 06.10.2011)

The Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) that the Minister of Defence publicly present all facts on the basis of which he claimed that he knew "the truth" about the wounding of Serbs in Jarinje and that the "truth was somewhere in-between". The UNS emphasizes that the secretary-general of NATO, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that NATO "had delivered all information to the Serbian side via military channels" with regard to the recent conflict between Serbs and KFOR troops in the northern part of Kosovo. When asked about the recording from Jarinje that had allegedly been delivered to the Ministry of Defence, the Minister, Dragan Sutanovac, said that "the story about the recording originated from certain media outlets and the president of the UNS, Ljiljana Smajlovic".
(UNS, 11. oktobar 2011, Blic, 12.10.2011)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA)

The Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) has decided to issue the first 12 broadcasting licenses to cable broadcasters, in accordance with the Law on Broadcasting, thereby commencing the final phase of the regulation of broadcasting in the field of satellite and cable distribution of programme in Serbia. At the invitation of the RRA, 151 broadcasters have submitted requests for programme broadcasting via cable or satellite. Within this number, 86 broadcasters already possess the Agency's licenses for terrestrial broadcasting of programme.
(Vecernje Novosti, 30.09.2011)

The most frequent violation made by broadcasters in Serbia is the incorrect designation of the appropriate age of viewers of certain programmes, said a member of the council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), Goran Pekovic, at the conference entitled "Media Laws and Protection of Children and Minors". The deputy president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Dragan Janjic, said that the situation regarding the protection of children within media content had significantly improved and that the identity of children was increasingly often hidden via facial blurring and use of initials instead of full names.
(Tanjug, Politika, Danas, 06.10.2011)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency submits around 3,000 violation reports against various radio and TV stations. The fines for these violations range from 100,000 dinars to 1,000,000 dinars.
(Danas - Biznis, NUNS, 10.10.2011)

The South East Europe Media Organization (SEEMO)

SEEMO condemns an attack on a local public service TV Tutin crew and urges Serbia`s authorities to protect journalists, especially in local communities.
(SEEMO, 30.09.2011)

SEEMO condemns continued political pressure on Hungarian minority media in Vojvodina, Serbia. The National Council of the Hungarian Ethnic Minority, an umbrella organisation of ethnic Hungarians in Serbia, fired two media executives. This Council is supposed to represent the interests of the national minority. However, its members were elected as party representatives and they appear to represent the interests of their political parties rather than those of the Hungarian minority.
(SEEMO, 04.10.2011)

The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM)

In its 25th Monitoring Report for August 2011, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) says that pressure, attacks and threats against the media have continued, including the judicial practice to pass controversial verdicts in media-related cases, and that none of the competent bodies have made any contribution to the improvement of the position of the media etc. The Monitoring Report is available at the web site of ANEM.
(ANEM Monitoring Novosti 25, 30.09.2011)

The Media Association

The Media Association will continue to monitor the implementation of the Media Strategy and demands that the legal reform envisioned by the Strategy commence as soon as possible – said the representatives of the coalition's associations. The president of the Media Association, Zoran Sekulic, said that the parliamentary and local elections cannot serve as an excuse for any delays.
(Beta, Danas, Politika, 07.10.2011)

The Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV)

At the initiative of the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV), the president of the Assembly of Vojvodina, Sandor Egeresi, and the president of NDNV, Dinko Gruhonjic, called on the media not to report on inter-ethnic incidents in a "sensationalist" manner and warned that such an approach can lead to very serious consequences. "I appeal to the media to carefully and cautiously report on incidents in Temerin. It is highly necessary to report on these incidents, but at the same time it is of crucial importance not to report arbitrary and unverified indications and interpretations", said Egeresi. Gruhonjic added that he was "irritated" by the fact that certain politicians and some segments of the public view the media as the main culprits for the incidents in Temerin. He said that some of the media in Serbia reported professionally on the subject.
(Beta, NDNV, 09.10.2011)