IFEX donosi vijesti iz Srbije: o stanju u medijima, novom Zakonu o kleveti, o napadu na novinare u Zagrebu

16.03.2005.

 

March 8-15, 2005

 

 

 MINISTER OF CULTURE VISITED GLAS JAVNOSTI

 

 

 BELGRADE, March 9, 2005 (Glas Javnosti) – Serbian Minister of Culture and Information Dragan Kojadinovic visited the Belgrade daily Glas Javnosti.

 

 Minister Kojadinovic spoke about the current state of media in Serbia, what the Public Information Act brought, and commented on recently announced introduction of the television subscription.

 

 "I've heard so many sad songs about the state of the Serbian journalist profession on various panels. Some media are in better, some in worse position. The state, however, cannot do the job of managers, directors and editors; it cannot improve the work conditions in this profession. Those who claim that this is an unsafe profession and demand the beneficiary years of service should be aware of how many young people hasten toward it. Then they would realize that this is not a work in a coal mine. Professional organizations should work on social programs and collective agreements in order to make the better place for everyone. The unions are here acting as local town halls that protect only the interests of their members", Kojadinovic said.

 

 Kojadinovic noted that the deadline for privatization of electronic media has been extended to June 1, 2006. He has also announced the creation of media register and stressed the importance of information on the ownership structure, because, as he explained, due to lack of such records, it happened before that the owner of some print media was also a criminal. The problem of distributing information needed to be solved as well, especially those information covered with the label "official secret". Some paragraphs, behind which were hiding those who did not want the information to be provided, needed also to be unveiled.

 

 The Draft Criminal Code also has some litigious provisions on libel and defamation.

 

 "Litigious provisions have been left by the group of lawyers working on the Code, alleging similar resolutions of some European countries. Justice Minister says that it is more complicated to abrogate the Act, than to amend it. We are both against bringing the criminal charges against journalists for libel and defamation."

 

 Kojadinovic also supported further reorganization and reform of the Radio Television Serbia into a public service. He said that the subscription, although unflattering to citizens and commercial television stations, were just one of the ways of total democratization of media.

 

 "Our intention is to prevent the state institutions to own a single percent of the media. But, before that, public service needs to be demarcated from commercial television and the percentage of the commercials on RTS limited. Other media must define, through their personnel unions, whether the commercial percentage given to RTS is realistic. The state cannot be expected to do their job."

 

 Minister Kojadinovic sees the national television station as a petrified, overstaffed structure.

 

 "Name one company in this country, beside this, that has more than 8,000 people employed? I believe that Aleksandar Tijanic, current director of the RTS, has the strength to break this fossilized structure, which many of them had entered exclusively according to their political suitability", Kojadinovic said.

 

 WILL JOURNALISTS GO TO PRISON?

 BELGRADE, March 9, 2005 (B92) – Draft Criminal Code envisages criminal charges for libel and defamation, with imprisonment of the charged journalists. The possibility to charge a journalist with prison sentence from six months to three years – if the court found that the journalist has declared or reported libel or insult – has provoked fierce reaction of the media.

 The Independent Journalist Association of Serbia (IJAS) proposed the elimination of libel and defamation from the Criminal Code. The Association suggested that these provisions should be regarded as individual problem. Although the journalists were explicit in their demands, the group working on the Bill on Criminal Code regarded them as overstated.

 The lawyer Slobodan Soskic anticipated that this would only lead to "irresponsible journalism", but believed that the compromise could still be found.

 "We are under great pressure of, so to say, amateur public, and here I have in mind the media as well, which I believe is not rational enough, to annul the prison sentence and to have the fines, but to leave the libel and defamation in the Criminal Code as a punishable criminal act", said Soskic.

 However, Editor-in-chief of TV Politika Vladan Alimpijevic noted that the consequences of this mollified Code could be very high fines which the journalists, who earn 200 euros on average, could hardly be able to pay.

 The initiative of IJAS to eliminate libel and defamation from the Serbian Criminal Code was backed by the International Journalist Federation and OSCE.

 

 CONSUMERS AGAINST SUBSCRIPTION

 NIS, March 9, 2005 (Beta) – Center for consumers' protection "Forum" in Nis has protested against the initiative to introduce the television subscription.

 President of the Forum Jovan Jovanovic demanded from the Culture Minister Dragan Kojadinovic to retract the proposition of subscription implementation and to "find some other ways" to solve the financing of the national television station RTS.

 "You do not have to watch the public service RTS, but you still have to pay, and the fee for providing services to consumers they did not use is illegal. The consumers who have the pay-TV cable system pay monthly subscription, which is partly used for paying the license for program remission to RTS. Thus, the consumer cannot pay twice for the same service", said Jovanovic to the Beta News Agency.

 

 He also declared calling the consumers to boycott the subscription, if this demand was not recognized.

 

 UGLJANIN: IF YOU PROFIT ON PROMOTION, PROSTITUTION AND IMMORALITY, YOU'LL GET YOUR WAGES

 

 NOVI PAZAR, March 10, 2005 (Danas) – For the past month, President of the Novi Pazar municipality Sulejman Ugljanin has filed two criminal complaints against the acting director of Public Media Company Novi Pazar (RTV Novi Pazar) Elijas Rebronja.

 

 Ugljanin had filed first complaint after February 9, when the newly appointed acting directors of public companies and institutions stepped into the office. The second has been brought only recently.

 

 Speaking at the press conference, Ugljanin reminded that "the role of the municipal television was to inform the public on work of the municipal administration and public companies and institutions", which, according to him, "the station was not doing".

 

 "The station promotes prostitution and immorality. It is outrageous and that's why the criminal complaint has been filed against the director who was appointed to usurp the work of the television. This station broadcasts announcement of its choice, cuts, edits or retells the governor's statements, or statements of other people brought to the position by people's electoral will", Ugljanin explained, announcing the competition for selection of media which would monitor the work of the municipality, in order to "overcome one bad thing".

 

 The press conference revealed the existence of the municipal Agency for public appeals and complaints, and control of work of the municipal bodies, public companies and institutions. On the first day of each month, the Agency releases the results on the work of the bodies and decides on their reward.

 

 "The evaluation mark of this television's work is zero", said Ugljanin.

 

 RTV Pazar is a municipal public company, consisted of Regional Television and Radio Novi Pazar as the oldest media outlet in this region. Both media employ more than hundred people in two buildings. TV newsroom is currently placed in the rented premises in the town central, while the radio is in separate building owned by the company, from which they started broadcasting in 1972.

 

 While the wages of the employees were several months in arrears, the money from the station's accounts was used for the purchase of the spray cans for pre-electoral campaign of the coalition List for Sandzak. This information leaked after the changes of the station's management.

 

 The station's accounts were frequently blocked due to credit claimed for the television house construction. In the letter, sent to the president of the municipal council Ugljanin, the RTV Novi Pazar acting director Elijas Rebronja demanded payment of the employees' salaries for the previous month, adding that the station's accounts were blocked for a month due to outstanding debt to creditor, that is, Komercijalna Bank, and that the legal obligation of the Municipality was to settle the debt. He also stated that the station would continue to work in the interest of the public, regardless of the interests of certain political groups.

 

 

 JOURNALISTS NOT SAFE

 PRISTINE, March 11, 2005 (Beta) – International Journalists Federation (IJF) expressed concern for inadequate safety of journalists and media staff in Kosovo.

 

 IJF warned the Kosovo authorities of the insufficient police protection of the journalists in the case of bomb threats made to the Radio Television Kosova and other media in Kosovo, after the last week's resignation of the former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramus Haradinaj.

 

 "Despite the fact that the police was informed of the threats, appropriate safety measures were not taken", the Association said in the statement, noting that the police had, however, left it up to the RTK management to carry out necessary measures.

 

 "The management had decided to evacuate most of the staff, requesting the volunteers to risk their lives so as to continue the program broadcasting", said in the statement.

 

 RTK employees told Beta News Agency that this media house received the anonymous phone call on Monday evening, March 7, followed by the bomb threat on the next day. After the threat was made, the RTK and Radio Kosova building were under heightened protection measures, and the police was notified. However, Beta was later told that there was no evacuation of the staff on March 8, or new bomb threats received.

 

 

 CULTURE MINISTER ON MEDIA SITUATION

 

NOVI SAD, March 13, 2005 (Glas Javnosti) – Serbian Culture Minister Dragan Kojadinovic was quoted as saying that the initial effects of media laws' applicability should be expected as of September 2005, due to the establishment of the Broadcast Council, appointment of the Telecommunication Agency members and political climate.

 

 Kojadinovic also warned that the domestic media could be subjected to take over by the capital of questionable origin in privatization process. In Kojadinovic's opinion, the European institutions together with the Serbian Government, journalists' associations and banks should provide affordable loans for the employees in media outlets to be privatized, in order to help them gain the majority share.

 

 

 JOURNALISTS BEATEN IN ZAGREB

 

ZAGREB, March 14, 2005 (Politika) – Five Serbian journalists were injured before the start of the handball game between Zagreb and Partizan in the second leg of the Cup winners' Cup quarterfinals and Cibona-Hemofarm basketball game in Zagreb last night.

 

 Two Belgrade journalists, Ljubisa Petrovic from Studio B and Milica Babic from BK TV were injured when fans of the Zagreb handball club attacked them throwing various hard objects. Petrovic was hit on the head, while Babic twisted her ankle trying to escape the hoodlums running toward the tunnel.

 

 The journalists that came to Zagreb to report on the rematch were unable to stay at the Hall. The club's management and police tried to transport the majority of Serbian journalists and photographers back to the hotel (RTS journalists remained in the Hall).

 

 Croatian journalists also left the Hall in a demonstrative manner, thus showing solidarity with their Belgrade colleagues.

 

 In addition, Zagreb fans stoned the bus full of journalists from Belgrade hundred meters away from the Zagreb Ice Hall. No one was injured; however, a significant damage was done to the vehicle. Journalists were safely taken back to the hotel "Panorama", where the players from Belgrade "Partizan" handball club were staying.

 

 

MEDIA OWNERS DEMAND DECRIMINALISATION OF LIBEL

 

BELGRADE, March 14, 2005 (Beta) – The Association of Private Media has called on the Justice Ministry to amend provisions of the draft Criminal Code relating to libel and slander.

 

 The legislation provides for penalties of up to three years' imprisonment for writers, editors and publishers found guilty of libel or slander. This, says the association, is out of line with international legal standards.

 

 "We note that the Council of Europe and international media organizations advocate the decriminalization of libel and slander," said the association in a statement, warning that libel and slander prosecutions can easily be used as a means of censorship.

 

 MASSARI URGES MEDIA PRIVATIZATION

 

 BELGRADE, March 14, 2005 (B92) – Chief of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Serbia-Montenegro mission, Mauricio Massari, is urging the Serbian government to privatize local media corporations in accordance with the law.

 

 Massari said that further postponement of the full implementation of the Broadcast Act, which was adopted in 2002, is halting the expected process of privatization of the local and regional electronic media, making them susceptible to political influences.

 

 The OSCE mission chief added that his office has urged the government to dedicate itself to implementing this process and end the prolonging of state ownership of these media groups by prolonging the deadlines for the privatization of these companies.

 

 

 

PROTESTS IN RTV PANCEVO

 PANCEVO, March 14, 2005 (B92) – Radio Television Pancevo has organized a protest meeting, objecting the current situation in this public company. The Pancevo municipality's budget is to be adopted until March 17.

 

However, it remains uncertain whether TV Pancevo staff will cover the session of the local assembly or they would interrupt the broadcasting after 10 minutes.

 

 TV Pancevo Editor-in-chief Nevena Simendic said that this media house will get the least funds from the budget in comparison to all other public companies.

 

 "Others will get 20 percent more money than the last year. Our budget line envisaged the increase of 9.1 percent. We asked for 41 million dinars for business and 12 million for investments, while they proposed only 25.5 millions for regular activities and 4 million for equipment purchase. With this money we can only put the bars on our doors, in the moment when the survey of the renowned marketing agency showed the increase of our TV program ratings for 135 percent", said Simendic at the meeting.

 

 Representatives of all political parties in the council's majority, Council's president and his associates have been invited to support the protest, but no one turned up. RTV Pancevo is operating without director of the station for months, which Nevena Simendic regarded as a political pressure on the editorial policy of the house.

 

 

 

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Povratak