NUNS: The President of the Municipality of Despotovac is violating the law and discriminating against the media.
The Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) calls on the President of the Municipality of Despotovac, Zlatko Marjanović, to withdraw the Decision to suspend the Competition for co-financing media content production projects, as it is not in accordance with the Law on Public Information and Media and the Regulation on Co-Financing Projects for Achieving Public Interest in the Field of Public Information.
The president of the municipality of Despotovac has issued a decision to suspend the competition for co-financing media content in that municipality, stating that "the submitted projects do not meet or insufficiently meet the interests of the citizens," under the pretext that "the majority of the population in the municipality is of older age and uses internet portals less frequently, and that the projects did not specifically address topics and events of significance and special interest to the citizens."
Article 26 of the Law on Public Information and Media clearly stipulates that the decision on the allocation of funds must be made solely based on a reasoned proposal from the expert committee. The law requires that a public authority must inform the committee in writing if it deems that the committee's proposal does not comply with the regulations or criteria, which, in this case, did not occur. The president of the municipality did not address the committee in writing to point out the deficiencies nor did he provide the committee with the opportunity to review them; rather, he made a decision to suspend the competition.
Particular concern is raised by the fact that Marjanović openly discriminated against media based on their type in his decision, suggesting that internet portals should not, or should to a lesser extent, be supported, which constitutes an unlawful practice (Article 18 of the Law on Public Information and Media).
Additionally, according to the Law on Public Information and Media (ZJIM), a public authority is required to conduct an analysis of necessary media content at least once every three years, based on the definition of public interest in the field of public information, and a report on this analysis must be prepared, which is an integral part of public competitions (Article 28). The report on necessary media content is compiled based on public consultations, expert analyses, and available reports. During its preparation, proposals are collected from experts and the broader public regarding the necessary media content that serves the public interest, based on which proposals for thematic areas, genre diversity, and target groups for future co-financing are formed.
Given that the call for the competition did not contain such an analysis, Marjanović, without previously established needs for media content, without valid justification and legal basis, unilaterally made the decision to suspend the competition.
NUNS calls on the president of the municipality of Despotovac to urgently withdraw this unlawful decision, respect the competencies of the expert committee, and enable the lawful conduct of the competition, free from political influence and discrimination. We also appeal to the relevant institutions to investigate the actions of the president of the municipality and take appropriate measures to protect the public interest and media freedoms.
Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia
