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25. 09. 2014

BYLAWS ON MEDIA CO-FINANCING IN NOVEMBER

25.9.2014 (Beta, EurActiv.rs) - Adoption of a bylaw that will define project-based media financing more precisely is expected by mid-November, it was announced on 25 September at the event dedicated to media laws, held in Novi Sad. The new Law on Public Information, adopted in early August, envisages transition to project-based financing, that is co-financing from the budget based on competitions for media projects. The law, however, does not envisage the obligatory percentage that local self-autonomies will earmark for media financing. The responsible ministry is of opinion that there is no reason for this funding to be reduced.

Sasa Mirkovic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Information, said on 25 September that the bylaw which will more precisely define co-financing of media content will be adopted by mid-November.

At the debate "New Media Laws - Opportunities and Challenges", held in Novi Sad, Mirkovic said that local self-autonomies have no reason to reduce the amounts they had been earmarking for media, regardless of the fact that the new Law on Public Information does not state precise obligatory percentage they should allocate to financing media content.

During the voting on the Law on Public Information, MPs rejected the amendment which would prescribe the minimum amount for financing media from local budgets. Journalists' Association of Serbia (UNS) had proposed that this amount be 2% of the budget, and in the case of bigger cities at least 1% of the local budget.

Some associations and experts thought that it would be good to keep local public service broadcasters, but the position of the state was that there is not enough money for that.

The new law foresees withdrawal of the state from media ownership within twelve months and transition to project-based financing of media by state funds, which means that the state earmarks funds for information of public interest based on calls for project proposals. This should be another warranty of equality on the market and better information service.

Facing Reality

President of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) Vukasin Obradovic said that journalists and media professionals first have to face reality and the reality is not their ally at the moment.

"Media were used for employing party members, they have a great technological surplus, and they are facing digitalization. The latter will also be a serious problem. This market is too small for the existing number of media", Obradovic said.

Media analyst Zuzana Serences criticized "covert political deals" pertaining to regulating the sphere of minority media founded by national councils.

"Withdrawal of the state from media ownership, co-financing of media content, limiting ownership concentration - all these key principles of the new media legislation actually do not apply to national minority councils and the media they are founders of", said Zuzana Serences.

Serences said that national councils are offered concentration of influence and monopoly over minority media.

"Information pertaining to minorities, just like any other information, must be entirely unbiased and objective, and editorial independence must be safeguarded", said Zuzana Serences.

The debate was organized by the Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina, within the Media Literacy Campaign, funded by USAID.