12. 06. 2014

"IMPLEMENT THE MEDIA STRATEGY"

Tirana, 12.06.2014 (Beta) - The Government of Serbia and the Serbian Assembly must ensure the full implementation of the Media Strategy, the experts of the South East European Media Observatory said.

Experts Jovanka Matić and Dubravka Valić Nedeljković said in the analysis "The Integrity of the Media is Important," that Serbian government adopted the Media Strategy in 2011, and noted that almost nothing has been done to implement the strategy, although there is a clear action plan to implement the provisions of this document, which was adopted after an extensive and several years long public debate.

They added that new media legislation, foreseen by the Media Strategy, must provide non-discriminatory business environment and equal opportunities for all media, transparent media ownership, and prevent the concentration of media ownership.

There is a need to ensure neutrality, impartiality, and transparency in all forms of government assistance to media, through public competitions on equal terms for all media, and the supervision of an independent and non-partisan commission, the experts said.

According to them, the financial and editorial independence of the public service broadcasters must be secured, along with transparency of their work, as well as financial and political independence of the Republic Broadcast Agency.

The Ministry of Culture and Information should provide adequate bylaws for the privatization of state owned media, and through specific incentives encourage journalists to become owners of media outlets in which they work, it is stated in the analysis.

It is assessed that journalists do not have the capacity to defend their profession, as seen in the fact that they cannot unite in defense of their own interests, and that they operate in a very bad economic environment.

Jovanka Matić and Dubravka Valić Nedeljković called on the Media Coalition to initiate the founding of a national journalists' trade union, which will not be linked to any existing professional organization, it will be free from political influence, and will be dedicated solely to the protection of journalists' rights through negotiations with employers, which will result in a collective branch contract.

The two-day conference in Tirana was attended by representatives of media, journalists' associations, regulatory bodies, and media experts from Southeast Europe and the EU.

The analysis "The Integrity of the Media is Important" is part of a project implemented by the South East European Media Observatory, with the support of the European Union.