NUNS: The Municipality of Sjenica should announce competitions for all types of media, and Vranje should reconsider its decision regarding the allocation of funds.
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) believes that the decision of the municipality of Sjenica to limit this year's competitions for co-financing media content exclusively to television broadcasters and media in the languages of national minorities constitutes discrimination against other media.
In response to a journalist's question about the reasons for this decision, the municipality announced that they want to "report more on cultural and political events in Sjenica," as citizens are "very often deprived of information about events." This explanation indicates that the municipality intends to finance regular information dissemination and ongoing media activities, which is in direct contradiction to the Rulebook on co-financing projects for achieving public interest in the field of public information.
According to Article 15 of the Rulebook, project co-financing does not cover daily reporting on social, political, cultural, and other events, such as news, central informational programs, morning shows, and similar content. The aim of this mechanism is to support the production of media content that is not commercially viable but is of special importance for achieving public interest.
Furthermore, Article 5 of the Rulebook clearly states that "the authority may announce a single competition or several individual competitions, according to the target group for which the content is intended, thematic area, or type of media so that all types of media are included." Accordingly, the municipality of Sjenica should announce at least one more competition that will allow participation from other types of media, rather than excluding certain ones based on the platform through which they broadcast content.
The decision of the municipality of Sjenica represents a gross disregard for legal regulations and harms the development of pluralism and equal conditions for all media. NUNS calls on the municipal authorities to urgently amend the competition conditions and ensure a fair and transparent process that will not discriminate against media but will evaluate projects in accordance with the Rulebook and the Law on Public Information and Media.
At the same time, out of a total of 30 million dinars allocated in the competition in Vranje for 2025, Vranjska plus and Radio Television Vranje received as much as 27.7 million dinars, while Radio Television Bujanovac, which has the same majority owner as Radio Television Vranje, received 650,000 dinars in the competition. Such a distribution of public funds indicates a serious imbalance in the treatment of media at the local level and raises questions about the purpose of the competition itself.
These three media houses together received as much as eight individual projects, while all other media, including local portals, radio stations, and smaller production companies, received minimal funds or were completely excluded from financing.
NUNS calls on the City of Vranje to urgently reconsider this decision and take into account the fact that Vranjska plus and Radio Television Vranje repeatedly violated the Code of Journalists of Serbia last year, according to the assessment of the Appeals Commission of the Press Council. The relevant authorities must ensure a transparent, fair, and legally grounded distribution of funds that will not favor certain media to the detriment of the entire informational landscape and the public interest of citizens.
We also urge the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications to react and ensure compliance with the prescribed criteria during the implementation of media competitions at the local level.
Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia
