12. 05. 2006

GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA STANDARDS

BELGRADE, May 12, 2006 – Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences Rade Veljanovski believes the late amendments to the Broadcast Act in provisions regulating the Broadcast Council, allowed the government more influence on this body and its composition. Veljanovski says that the long delay in implementation of the Broadcast Act and its later amendments show that the governments after October 5 2000 never had truly accepted the rule of application of European standards in the media sphere. According to Veljanovski, the election of publicly disputed candidates for members of the Broadcast Council had only raised the doubt that political structures had other priorities and interests than the general interest of the Serbian people. “The decision to take the BK TV program of the air is indeed in line with the Act, but the manner in which it was done was bad”, said Veljanovski. Professor at the Faculty of Law Vladimir Vodinelic however disagrees: “That decision was never legally sound. It rather shows direct interference of authorities in the media sphere and violates the freedom of media, the core of the freedom of speech”, said Vodinelic.