21. 04. 2011

Media Strategy no longer at a standstill

Belgrade, April 21, 2011 (Source: Media Center Newsletter) - After almost a year of preparations and "birth pains", a proposal of the media strategy of Serbia might be ready as soon as July. A work group comprised of experts proposed by the Ministry of Culture, media organizations and associations, and representatives of the media industry, was officially formed on April 18 and immediately began its work. The task should be completed by the end of May, followed by a public discussion about the prepared document. The European Commission will hire one consultant, while representatives of the Council of Europe, OSCE and the civil sector will be able to follow the activities of the Work Group in the capacity of observers.

Preparations for creation of the media strategy, as well as the activities with such purpose, are characterized by two novelties that have never been evident in earlier practice when it comes to crucial media-related issues. The first novelty is the fact that five journalistic and media associations have coordinated their approach with regard to the government, and that they have been carefully harmonizing their positions since the last year. The second one is the fact that the European union, as well as domestic and international non-governmental organizations, have shown strong interest in the process of preparation of the strategy.

These two novelties have significantly strengthened the position of journalistic and media associations in their struggle for widening of media freedoms and improvement of the economic position of the media and journalists. Thanks to the joint approach of the journalistic professionals, the centers of political and economic power now have less room for separate deals with various organizations and associations, while representatives of the EU have demonstrated their intention to closely link Serbia's advance in the process of EU integrations with achieved progress in the media sector.

Preparation of the strategy began in the last year, when a group of European experts performed a study of the media scene in Serbia. This document has been the subject of a several months-long debate. Near the end of the last year, organizations and associations have defined their platform for the media strategy which insists on the following: transparency of ownership of media outlets and the state's withdrawal from media ownership; equal conditions for all media outlets in the media market; establishment of the public interest as the only criterion for allocation of budget funds to the media; improvement of financial position of the media and journalists...

After the public discussion, the Ministry of Culture hired an agency to create draft media strategy using the data and conclusions presented in the study, the material from the public discussion, and proposals made organizations and associations. The task was completed relatively quickly, but neither the Ministry nor journalistic professionals were satisfied with the results. After it became obvious that the strategy cannot be prepared in this way, the Ministry again turned to organizations and associations. Preparations began for creation of a joint work group, but before the activities were completed, the Government was reconstructed and the personnel in the Ministry was changed.

People who now hold the top positions in the Ministry want to speed up the process, with the aim to complete both the draft strategy and the public debate before the summer break. Taking into consideration the previous bad experience, organizations and associations have insisted on the right to have a separate opinion on the issues which might lead to disagreement. This was done so that it would not be possible to present the final version of the strategy - whose preparation is within authority of the Ministry of Culture - as a joint opinion of journalistic professionals and the government, regardless of media professionals' position on individual issues.

It is important to note that the Media Association - mostly comprised of owners of print media - participates in activities of the newly-formed Work Group. Last year, the media industry had refused to participate, believing that it should have the last say in the process of preparation of the media strategy. However, the Ministry and five organizations and associations have remained firm in their position that the media strategy has a national character and that it includes a wide range of issues, from media freedoms and rights to economic and market topics.

Participation of representatives of the Media Association in preparation of the strategy is extremely important because it increases the odds of creating a document that would be accepted by everyone - the media industry, journalistic organizations, and the state. The strategy itself cannot solve the problems of the neglected Serbian media scene and Serbian journalism. It is only a starting document whose adoption does not necessarily have to affect anyone's interests. The strategy should basically serve as a starting point for changing of the laws that regulate business activities of the media and the media scene as a whole, or for adoption of new laws.

Preparation of laws would entail specific solutions and, judging by previous experience, a compromise will not be easy to achieve. Adoption of laws is followed by their implementation, which has proved to be the most difficult task since the centers of political and economic power have already demonstrated immense creativity in their attempts to find loopholes in solutions that they had adopted themselves, if their implementation would be detrimental to their interests.

It is reasonable to expect that the election campaign will begin in earnest after the summer break, which means that media-related laws will not be a priority for parties and their representatives in the parliament. Taking everything into account, it is unlikely that significant changes will occur in the Serbian media scene in this year i.e. before the next elections. But even the completion of the media strategy would represent a huge step. Media organizations and associations would have at their disposal a very important document that they could use to support them in their joint approach to relations with the current or any future parliament.

The strategy is adopted by the state itself, among others, which entails obligation to adhere to its key commitments. At the same time, it is important to preserve a very significant legacy of the preparation of the strategy, which is the willingness of organizations and associations to have a joint approach to crucial issues they agree on. Successful operationalization of strategic commitments cannot be achieved without strong involvement of the media and journalistic and media associations.

Dragan Janjic