Professional standards

There is no reason to treat the hate speech on the Internet different from the hate speech in the traditional media, said journalist Teofil Pancic. At a public debate organized by the Cultural Center in Ruma, he described his irritation with anonymous comments on various web pages which spread the worst form of hate speech under the mask of anonymity. He described the example of two Swedish newspapers who had decided not to publish any more anonymous readers' comments on their web pages, regardless of whether they are positive or negative. "Possibility of anonymity creates favorable conditions for spreading of hatred. Freedom of speech does not allow limitations to other people's freedom, which is precisely what often happens on the Internet", said Pancic.
(Autonomija, NDNV, 15.10.2011)

The Minister of Culture, Media and Information Society, Predrag Markovic, proposed that clear professional rules should be established in the media in order to prevent publication of untruths.The Ministry of Culture, Media and Information Society had previously said that it expected the prosecutor's office to investigate who was behind the lies about insults that the Minister of Culture, Predrag Markovic, allegedly said to actress Mirjana Karanovic.
(Tanjug, RTV, NUNS, 26.10.2011)

Appraisals, awards, training courses and competitions

Journalist from Radio Belgrade, Miroslav Vojvodic, has won this year's award "Branislav Mane Sakic" for hosts who advance the linguistic culture in the electronic media.
(Blic, 16.10.2011, NUNS, 17.10.2011)

Zoran T. Popovic from Pancevo is the recipient of the "Jovan Hadzi-Kostic" award for journalistic satire.
(Vecernje Novosti, 15.10.2011, NUNS, 17.10.2011)

Journalist from the Center for Investigative Journalism of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), Stevan Dojcinovic, is among this year's winners of the "Daniel Pearl" international award for investigative journalism. The award ceremony was held in Kiev during the Global Investigative Journalism Conference 2011. Dojcinovic was a part of the team of reporters from East Europe and the USA hired by the OCCRP network (reportingproject.net) to research the increasing number of companies used to hide ownership and property, launder money and conduct secret business operations.
(NUNS, 20.10.2011)

Journalists Dinko Gruhonjic and Ljubomir Zivkov are the winners of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia's "Dusan Bogavac" award for ethics and courage. The award ceremony will be held on Thursday, 27 October 2011.
(NUNS, Beta, Danas, Politika, Dnevnik, UNS, Pravda, 25.10.2011)

The daily newspaper Press has won two awards at the 16th INTERFER international festival held in Apatin. Press won the award for its special contribution to reportage as a traditional journalistic genre and the best selection of reportages in the previous years. The newspaper's journalist, Veljko Miladinovic, has received the first prize and the golden statue in the category of journalistic reportage for his article "The Long Journey to Bruxsells" published by Press on 13 March of this year.
(Press, UNS, 24.10.2011)

A reporter from Radio Novi Sad, Mirjana Petrusic, won the second award at the international festival of reportage, INTERFER, held on 21-24 October, for her programme "Jungle in Vojvodina", while Radio Novi Sad won a special award "Interfer" for a significant contribution to advancement of reportage as a journalistic genre.
(RTV, NUNS, 26.10.2011)

The UNICEF Office in Serbia has announced a public competition for the annual award for reporting on children and their rights, with an emphasis on promotion of social inclusion of vulnerable children in Serbia. The deadline for submission of works is 5 November 2011, while the award ceremony will be held on 21 November 2011. Applications should be sent to the following address: Medija centar, Terazije 3/I, 11000 Beograd, with the designation: "Za UNICEF konkurs".
(MC, 21.10.2011)

The first winner of the "Djoko Vjestica" award for journalistic humanitarianism – established by the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) and the company Lemix from Belgrade – is Dragoljub Janojlic, a journalist from the newspaper Nezavisne Novine Palanacke from Smederevska Palanka.
(UNS, 25.10.2011, Beta, Politika, 26.10.2011)

Authors of the best media reports about local self-government were awarded with a study trip to Strasbourg and Paris, where they will visit media companies and EU institutions in France. Recipients of the award are as follows: Ivana Pavlovic (Ekonomist magazine), Nenad Kovacevic (Novi Magazin), Sladjana Gluscevic (Dnevnik), Aleksandar Bjelogrlic (Zrenjanin), Jelena Aleksic and Sandra Mandić (B92) and Olivera Sasek-Radulovic (Niska Televizija).
(Blic, Dnevnik, UNS, NUNS, 26.10.2011)

Renowned caricaturist and illustrator, Dusan Petricic, will open his solo exhibition of illustrations and caricatures entitled "My Toronto" on 3 November in the Campbell House Museum in Toronto. A book with illustrations and caricatures with the same title will be promoted at the same time. The book contains works published by Petricic during the years by the leading Canadian daily newspaper Toronto Star in his column, "Dusan's World". Each week, Petricic also publishes a caricature on the front page of the daily newspaper Politika.
(ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)

ABC Serbia, the Media Association of Serbia and Business Dialogue organize the Second Press Media Summit on 16 November in the Belgrade Hotel Continental. The aim of this year's event is to exchange opinions, ideas and experiences related to the most significant aspects of the current situation in the print media; to advance cooperation, mutual exchange of information, and the efficiency of business operations; and to examine the immediate future of the industry.
(Dnevnik, Blic, NUNS, 21.10.2011, ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011, Press, Pravda, 24.10.2011)

Magazine publishers from Serbia were represented at the 38th Magazine World Congress held in New Delhi on October 10-12 by the president of the Color Press Group and a member of the Managing Board of the Media Association, Robert Coban. The next Magazine World Congress will be held in Rome in September 2013.
(ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)

On 27 October in the Press Center of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), the Center for Development of Photography will present the best photographs published in the media during the last several years. The exhibition will be open until 20 November, when it will be moved to Athens.
(UNS, 26.10.2011)

Media visits

A delegations of the Association of Iraqi Journalists visited the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS). The representatives of the two associations have signed a protocol on cooperation. Iraqi journalists pointed out that the war in their country had forced them to lag behind the changes experienced in the media industry.
(UNS, 14.10.2011, Kurir, 16.10.2011)

The president of the Government of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Bojan Pajtic, visited the Media Association. His hosts were the editors and directors of media companies that are members of the Association.
(ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)

Anniversaries

The newspaper Alo! celebrates its fourth birthday today. The newspaper writes that in a short time it has managed to become a tabloid with the largest circulation in Serbia. Among the numerous readers from all parts of Serbia, the newspaper received its first congratulation note from the deputy president of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), Dr Nenad Popovic.
(Alo!, 15.10.2011, NUNS, 17.10.2011)

Newspaper Vecernje Novosti have turned 58. More than 5.2 billion copies have passed through the hands of its readers since October 16, 1953.
(Vecernje Novosti, 15.10.2011, NUNS, 17.10.2011, ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)

Other news

The Info Local Media Group has joined the Press Council. The group comprises of seven local newspapers from Vojvodina and one newspaper from South Serbia. The following newspapers ar the new members of the Council: Somborske Novine, Suboticke Novine, Nove Kikindske Novine, Zrenjanin, Backopalanački Nedeljnik, Vrsacka Kula, NS Reporter and Nova Slobodna Rec from Vranje, whose total circulation amounts to around 56,000 copies.
(UNS, NUNS, 19.10.2011, Politika, Vecernje Novosti, 20.10.2011)

The Press Council, which is the first self-regulatory body on the media scene of Serbia, got a new visual identity in mid-October. The creative team from the Communis agency designed a new logo and a series of advertisements that will be used to present the Press Council to readers in the following period.
(ASMEDI Newsletter, October 2011)

In Memoriam

A renowned dramatic writer, Ferenc Deak has passed away in Subotica at the age of 73 after a long illness. He will be remembered as a journalist, dramatist, and a former director of Radio-Television Vojvodina, as well as an author of numerous film scenarios.
(Vecernje Novosti - Vojvodina, 24.10.2011)