SERBIA'S MEDIA SCENE IN AUGUST 2023

The authors of the monitoring deal with: freedom of expression; monitoring the implementation of existing regulations; by adopting new regulations, but also by amending and supplementing the current ones, both from the field of media, and from other areas that directly or indirectly affect the freedom of the media; as well as by analyzing SLAPP lawsuits (strategic lawsuits against public participation) directed against journalists and media.

Freedom of speech

For the month of August, the statement of the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) was analyzed, the immediate cause of which was the incident that occurred during the presentation of the EU program "Digital Europe" in the Science and Technology Park in Belgrade. The number of incidents continues to increase, which is a worrying indicator that the situation with media freedom in Serbia is worsening. The case of non-compliance with the Serbian Code of Journalists was analyzed in more detail, regarding the manner of reporting on the event from the "Vladislav Ribnikar" Elementary School, in connection with which the parents of the murdered children sent a letter to the media. An analysis was also made of the case of Vojin Radovanović, a journalist from the daily newspaper Danas, the case of the publication of a video targeting journalists from N1 and Nova, the case of the Independent Association of Journalists of Vojvodina (NDNV), the case of Olivera Vladković, the owner of OK Radio, and Svetlana Ivanov, employed at OK Radio, then the case of Srđan Nonić, civil activist and editor-in-chief of the Niška inicijativa portal, as well as the case of Dragana Jovičić Bujak, journalist of the news portal BAP news, where it can be seen again that journalists in Serbia work under verbal pressure from high-ranking state officials.

Monitoring of the process of adoption of new laws

There is a noticeable lack of political will for genuine regulation of the media area, so regardless of the fact that the draft Law on Public Information and Media has been completed, it is still not completed due to certain disputed solutions. Another important law for the media community, the Law on Electronic Media, has also not been adopted, although the deadline for its adoption expired in the second quarter of 2022. The monitoring report deals in more detail with the current situation, controversial issues, as well as the potential consequences if the adoption of the law continues to be delayed. It is said that media experts have repeatedly advertised on the subject of changes to the law, including the latest statement from the Coalition for Freedom of the Media.

Implementation of existing regulations

When it comes to project co-financing, in August the results of 9 competitions in the field of public information were published on the website of the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications. A total of 310 million dinars has been allocated from the budget for this purpose, and the media that participated in the competition and whose projects were supported by the Ministry are listed in the monitoring report. The proceedings before the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data, which acted on the appeal, annulled the decision by which the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications refused to submit to the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) the professional biographies of persons who applied to be members of evaluation commissions for media projects in the tenders announced by the Ministry this year.

SLAPP lawsuits directed at journalists and media

A new report by the Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) has been published, with updated data on the number of SLAPP-like actions brought. Serbia tops the list of 250 new cases recorded in the last year, being 10th in Europe in terms of the number of SLAPP lawsuits filed. Although the Coalition identified 28 new cases, according to unofficial data, a significantly higher number of lawsuits were filed in Serbia. The first-instance verdict in the dispute before the High Court in Belgrade against the KRIK newsroom and its editor-in-chief Stevan Dojčinović was led by Predrag Koluvija, where the court took the position that the prosecutor's presumption of innocence was violated. The defendants filed an appeal against the aforementioned verdict, and according to media associations, Koluvija's lawsuits represent pressure on journalists to stop dealing with the "Jovanjica" case, one of the largest and most significant trials in the country. It also mentions the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Belgrade, which partially accepts the claim of prosecutor Igor Novović, former deputy mayor of Novi Pazar and official of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), in the proceedings against Ishak Slezović, director of Radio Sto Plus, editor Nikola Kočović and agency Beta. The subject of the disputed article was the death of a resident of Novi Pazar, which occurred after a fight with a taxi driver. Because of the same article, Novović initiated criminal proceedings against Kočović for the criminal offense of Insult, but the Basic Court, after almost four years of trial and a change of three judges, acquitted the journalist. Beta has announced that it will file a review with the Supreme Court.

This publication was published with the financial assistance of the European Union and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia. The Association of Independent Electronic Media is solely responsible for the content of this publication, and this content in no way expresses the official views of the European Union and the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications.

Publicly available data, data obtained from journalists, editors and other media workers, journalist associations and media associations, as well as state and non-state bodies are used for monitoring.

he monitoring report was prepared by ANEM's expert monitoring team from the "Živković & Samardžić" law office, and the entire report can be found at this link.