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08. 08. 2010

JOURNALISTS PREPARING FOR PUBLIC DEBATE

Belgrade, August 8, 2010 (Danas) - The public debate on the Media Study, which would be the basis for drafting the Strategy of Media Reform in Serbia, will start in September, while the journalists' associations have already begun preparations for their participation.

Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) has called journalists to send their proposals and suggestions on the Media Study, in order to assist representatives of this association to better prepare for the public debate that would be held during autumn.

Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), together with Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (IJAV) and Local Press has already formed working groups that would deal with the draft Media Study, and later represent their opinion on the media strategy during the public debate.

As announced, the organization of six workshops is expected, where the Study would be debated, following which the draft Media Strategy would be delivered, also to be debated before its adoption. The draft is expected to be concluded by the end of October.

Among other things, the Media Study recommends the transformation of the news agency Tanjug into a non-governmental and non-profit public institution, while the experts working on the Study proposed that the local print media be financed by the state. One third of the collected TV fees would go to the RTS, while the rest would be allocated to regional, minority and civil sector media under predetermined model.

The Media Study, produced by European experts engaged by the European Commission Delegation to Serbia, was presented in late June this year. Among other proposed solutions, the experts recommended one public service broadcaster on national level (RTS), and establishment of 15 regional, which would be equally financed from the TV fees and advertizing income. The Study also recommended no more than two commercial TV stations with national coverage.