14. 02. 2014

"Free media key to galvanizing people into action"

Belgrade, 31.1.2014. (Tanjug, B92) - Cooperation between Serbia's media, civil sector and independent state bodies is key to involving citizens in the democratic process, a panel discussion heard.This will result in a successful EU accession process, concluded the gathering held within the framework of the Serbian-German civil dialogue.

During the discussion about citizens' participation in the democratic process and media freedoms, Florian Nehm from the Association of German Magazine Publishers noted that free media play a very important role in any democracy and contribute to transparency, but that is often a problematic topic, as media freedoms have economic and political constraints.

At the moment, Serbia has a chance to create a new framework for the media, which must not be under state control or under the influence of oligarchs, but also not financed by foreign funds, and they have to be subsidized too, Nehm said.

The advertising regulated by law, protection from piracy and unfair competition and professional oversight of the media are prerequisites for free media, Nehm said.

Mirko Schwaerzel from the German National Network for Civil Society noted that free media and citizens' participation in the democratic process are two intertwined topics, and estimated that the civil society, together with the media, should be the fourth pillar of democracy.

Zoran Stojiljkovic, professor at the Belgrade-based Faculty of Political Sciences, said that citizens, media and civil society in Serbia do not have a democratic infrastructure or democratic capacity, and any support from the European democratic community is valuable to them.

Vukašin Obradović, president of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS), noted that Serbia cannot have active citizens without free media, but underlined that the media focus on the interest of politicians, and not citizens, and that is why citizens do not place much trust in the media.

Milorad Tadić, president of the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), called on the Serbian minister of culture and information "to do something and stop the tabloidization and vulgarization of the media," Tanjug reported.