27. 06. 2012

Press Conference of five media and journalists’ associations “What does the new Government need to do to improve the position of media and journalists in Serbia”

The press conference of media and journalists' associations, members of the media coalition, titled "What does the new Government need to do to improve the position of media and journalists in Serbia" was organized by ANEM and held on June 27, 2012 at the Belgrade Media Center. Representatives of five media and journalists' associations called on the future Government to seriously deal with the issue of improving the position of media and journalists in Serbia, warning that today's working conditions of the media were the worst in the last 12 years.

The aim of this press conference was to introduce wide and expert public with the stands of five media and journalists' associations (ANEM, UNS, NUNS, NDNV and Local Press), members of the media coalition, related to current media situation, (non)implementation of the adopted Media Strategy, as well as with the requests directed to new Government, whose forming is still pending.

Speakers at the press conference were: Sasa Mirkovic (ANEM President), Ljiljana Smajlovic (UNS President), Vukasin Obradovic (NUNS President), Nedim Sejdinovic (Chairman of NDNV Managing Board) and Stojan Markovic (member of the Local Press Managing Board).

Over 20 representatives of stakeholders - media, journalists, competent authorities, international organizations and donor community - attended the conference.

Sasa Mirkovic, ANEM President, addressed the present by elaborating on the aim of the conference and stressing that it was indicative that the culture and media had not been in the focus of the process of discussions on the new Government, but they were rather put on a side again. Speaking in the name of the media coalition and Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Mirkovic recommended as a mandatory literature the Publication "Serbian Media Scene vs. European Standards", based on CoE 27 Indicators for media freedoms in a democracy, to the future Culture Minister and State Secretary, in charge for media. The results of the research have shown that only 4 out of 27 European standards were entirely met in Serbia, some only partly, while the vast majority of them have not been met at all. ANEM President also pointed out that the new Government was expected to align one by one indicator with the standards of the Council of Europe, as it would be the only concrete proof that things were moving in the right direction.

Mirkovic voiced the coalition's requests addressed to the future Government:

• Media Strategy to be implemented faster than it has been the case - several working groups have already been established, in which representatives of neither media/journalists' associations have participated in; media associations are very interested in seeing the results of the work of these working groups, particularly on the Draft Law on Public Service Broadcasters and Public Information Law - media/journalists associations would like to avoid the situation to see the legislations for the first time at public debates
• The process of privatization of media to be completed and the state to withdraw from ownership in media
• The state to deal more seriously with the broadcasting piracy (illegal broadcasting), as well as the process of digitalization
• Systemic measures to be introduced, in order to alleviate the position of media by reducing the amounts of certain dues, taxes and fees.

Mirkovic also pointed out that the media coalition disapproved of the establishing of regional public service broadcasters, as it was a politically motivated project and utterly unreal attempt to introduce additional fees and budget lines aimed at financing regional public service broadcasters.

At the end of his address, Mirkovic emphasized the necessity of the future minister to meet with the representatives of the media and journalists' associations.

Vukasin Obradovic, NUNS President, said that marking the death of the journalists Dada Vujasinovic, Slavko Curuvija and Milan Pantic every year had become hard and pointless, since the perpetrators were still at large.

NUNS President also pointed out that the new government would be urged to compose an international team for revision of journalists' murder investigations, with participation of foreign experts and representatives of media associations. Such team would work to determine omissions made in the investigation thus far and to establish whether there were reasons for which the names of assassins and those ordering the murders remained unknown.

UNS President Ljiljana Smajlovic said that in the last four years, the then government had been successful only in introducing censorship and self-sensorship in the media. She noted that the tiniest sign of good will of the new government would have been if it had discussed, at one of its first sessions, the report of the late Chairwoman of the Anti-corruption Council Verica Barac, the media scene Serbia and ownership in media. She pointed out the lack of legitimate reasons for hiding the names of owners of media.

Nedim Sejdinovic, Chairman of NDNV Managing Board, elaborated on the necessity to establish functioning media market and equal rights for all. He called on the Vojvodina Government to reveal the Provincial Media Strategy, and requested from the Serbian Government to consult media community and the entire public while passing new regulations relevant for the media.

Stojan Markovic, member of Local Press Managing Board, discussed the situation and importance of local media (unfinished privatization of media, attitude of local authorities towards local media, severe decline of the market and unbearable financial situation, lawsuits for libel and defamation etc.). Markovic called on the future government to complete the process of privatization of media and pass the decision (not only the Recommendation) that would oblige local self-governments to allocate 2 percent from the budget funds for information; to determine customs insentives for printing material and to provide for advertising of the state in print media. Finally, Markovic urged the future culture minister to publicly reveal the outcome of the open competitions of the Ministry of Culture, which smelled of irregularity.

Closing down the event, representatives of five media/journalists' associations emphasized that their requests to the government, aiming at improving the situation of media and journalists in Serbia, would not change regardless of which coalition formed the government.