The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA)

The Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA) suspended the broadcasting of several domestic and regional television stations in a non-transparent manner, because it had failed to state how the stations violated the pre-election silence, says the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV). RRA said that it was necessary to wait for reports and data from expert teams. NDNV is of the opinion that such explanation is not satisfactory. "RRA's decisions are often arbitrary, they are not satisfactorily justified and that is a big problem", said the president of the Executive Board of NDNV, Nedim Sejdinovic. It is unclear what is the legal basis for RRA's suspension of programmes of stations from the region.
(RTV, NUNS, NDNV, 09. 05. 2012)

Journalistic trade unions

On the World Press Freedom Day, the Union of Serbian Journalists pointed out that the Serbian media were under direct control of the centres of economic and political power. The Union called on the future government of Serbia to immediately consider the report on pressure and control over the media prepared by the Anti-Corruption Council in September of the last year. The Union also called on the future parliament to adopt the law on transparency of ownership at its first parliamentary session. The Union invited the representatives of the employer, members of the media coalition, to negotiate signing of a professional collective contract that would protect the employees. "Only protected journalists can work as free journalists. There can be no democratic society without free journalists and the media", says the press statement.
(Beta, UNS, 03.05.2012)