13. 05. 2011

Agreement signed for the establishment of Press Complaint Commission

Belgrade, May 13, 2011. (Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade) - Serbia is about to establish a press complaint commission, a self regulatory body, where the public can file complaints on reporting in the print media. The establishment of the commission is meant to contribute to journalists and media adhering to high professional and ethical standards.

The Press Complaint Commission of Serbia is the first self-regulatory body for the print media in Serbia. It will selected by the Press Council of Serbia, which was founded in 2009 by the Association of Media, the Independent Association of Serbian Journalists, the Journalists' Association of Serbia and local press. Similar bodies are functioning in a number of countries.  During the process to establish the commission, the Press Council has been studying different models and has had close cooperation with the Norwegian Press Council.  Norway decided to support the initial phase of the Commission's work. The project, worth 1.38 MNOK (Euro 175.000), will last for one year.

The establishment of a functional Press Complaints Commission in Serbia will give the citizen's a possibility to file complaints and to have their grievances addressed without going through expensive and slow court procedures. Likewise the media can avoid court procedures.  The experience from other countries have been that a Press Complaint Commission can play an important role to increase professional and ethical standards in the media and to increase the trust between citizens and the media.