Professional standards

The Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) is shocked by the utterly unprofessional articles about a suicide of a minor in Zemun published by the daily newspaper Kurir. NUNS points out that by publishing the identity and photographs of the 15 year-old boy, Kurir violated ethical and legal norms protecting the rights or minors, especially the victims. The Law on Public Information clearly stipulates that "underage persons must not be made recognizable in publication of information that can hurt their rights or interests", says the press statement issued by NUNS.
(NUNS, 20.08.2012)

According to the readers of the daily newspaper Press, the cult documentary series by TV B92, "The Insider", is the best TV show aired by domestic television stations. The series, authored by journalist Brankica Stankovic, has investigated numerous sensitive social and political issues, among them the "football mafia" and the operations of the mining complex "Kolubara". Criminal investigations were launched after the airing of these programmes. The second-best television programme is the award-winning "Squaring the Circle" ("Kvadratura Kruga") that is broadcast on RTS.
(Press, UNS, NUNS, 20.08.2012)

Regarding the electronic media, most of all the television, appearances of various magi and fortune-tellers are increasingly less frequent. Still, "experts with supernatural powers and close to higher forces" appear almost every day on the programme of the satellite station TV Duga. Goran Karadzic, the vice president of the Council of the Republic Broadcasting Agency (RRA), said that the case of TV Duga would be considered at the next session of the Council.
(Politika, 19.08.2012)

The daily newspaper Blic has published an article by Milan Vlajcic: "A guest in the studio asked the journalist: 'Do you know whom you invited to your programme?' (Radio Belgrade 1, Friday, 17 August, 11.00-12.00). The journalist, however, managed to say the correct name: Milivoje Markovic, the winner of the lifetime achievement award at the 29th Nisvil Jazz Festival. Why the strange question? A day earlier, it was reported twice on TV B92 News (at 18.30 and 23.00) that the award had been given to Mica Tomic. The same happened on the first and second channel of the radio programme of the public service broadcaster between 5.00 and 7.00 the next morning. According to this, the late actor Mica Tomic managed to win the award for playing sax. Such is the situation in our media today."
(Blic, 21.08.2012)

The editorial team of the daily newspaper Kurir has received a press statement from TV Pink saying that the station's exclusive TV personalities are not allowed to appear on other TV stations.
(Kurir, Press, 24.08.2012)

Visits to the media

During a travel through the countries that have become candidates for membership in the European Union, a team from the production company "HansaMedia" visited Serbia. After going through Belgrade and Arilje, the team arrived in Kusic near Javor. Young journalists from Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Bulgaria, Lithuania and England were brought together by the project that is intended to offer them insight into the life of the local population, their knowledge about the situation in the EU and the expectations from their future EU membership.
(Vecernje novosti, 29.08.2012)

The media audience

According to the recently published results of the auditing of newspapers and magazines in June 2012, Color Press Group is publishing 15 out of 20 most-read magazines. The best-ranked of the CPG magazines is Send the Recipe ("Posalji Recept") with the averagy of 235,783 sold copies. This magazine is followed by Cakes and Biscuits ("Torte i Kolaci") with 173,692 copies, Scandal! with 87,456 copies, Good Food ("Dobra Hrana") with 59,812 copies and Star with 50,605 copies. The following magazines are also on the list: Svet, Lepota i Zdravlje, Bravo, TV Novele, Hallo!, Top Zdravlje, Zene i Zdravlje, JOY, Cvece u Domu and Bravo Girl.
(ASMEDI Newsletter, Avgust 2012)

Apart from the information about their successful sales in July, Color Press Group announced the breakthrough success of their celebrity magazine Scandal!, which sold more than 100,000 copies in July. For almost two years, none of the Serbian celebrity magazines had managed to sell more than this number. The total number of sold copies of the 427th issue of Scandal! is 106,942: 88,305 in Serbia, 12,085 in Bosnia and Herzegovina and 6,522 in Montenegro
(ASMEDI Newsletter, Avgust 2012)

Media transfers

The editor-in-chief of the daily magazine Press, Veljko Lalic, has resigned from his position and his deputy and the chief of the desk, Borislav Kasanski, was appointed as the acting editor-in-chief. The press statement says that Lalic resigned because of his desire to "become active in weekly journalism" and that he suggested his successor.
(Beta, NDNV, 28.08.2012, ,Večernje novosti, UNS, 29.08.2012)

In Memoriam

Miodrag Ristic, a longtime editor of the newspaper Takovske Novine and a member of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), was burried today at the city cemetery in Gornji Milanovac. Ristic passed away at the age of 87. He began his journalistic career in 1970 and spent the largest part of it at the position of the editor-in-chief of Takovske Novine. He also cooperated with Decje Novine.
(UNS, 16.08.2012)

Sime Kronja, a journalist and a longtime member of the Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS), passed away on 22 August at the age of 88. He participated in the Second World War and worked as a correspondent for Oslobodjenje at the time. After the war, he worked for the newspaper of the Sarajevo Army District, Narodni Borac. Later he became the editor-in-chief of the newspapers Front and Narodna Armija. He was a member of the Managing Board and the president of the Court of Honor of the UNS. He also worked as the executive secretary for the press and information of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia.
(UNS, 28.08.2012)

Journalist Nikola Radas has passed away in Belgrade. He graduated from the Faculty of Law and began working in the field of journalism in 1976. Radas was a contributor to Radio Belgrade, Privredni Pregled, TV Belgrade, Beogradski Radnik and the weekly magazine Epoha.
(UNS, 29.08.2012)