Sarajevo, 6.12.2018.-The Employee Council of TVSA employees in the context of current events relating to the performance of the BiH cartoonist Filipa Andronika in the show Dore vibracije, and the unpleasant consequences the Employee Council has the need to make a statement to express its attitude. We openly support freedom of expression, artistic freedom, as well as journalistic and editorial liberties for the choice of TVSA’s and TV’s guests as public broadcasters funded by our fellow citizens. From the responsibility to the viewers above all, we express our commitment to openly fight for the responsibility of the publicly spoken word. It is inadmissible on the basis of personal interpretation of any artwork, to be condemned nor expressed to public lynch. Television Sarajevo and its employees (Employee Council) do not want to be a space for political accumulation based, we repeat, on the assumptions. Freedom of artistic expression, as well as freedom of the media in this way is once again uncompromisingly compromised.
Given that some colleagues from TVSA who have participated in the show in any way are suffering from discomfort, some are exposed to media lynch, and what is worst, after visiting our program and the reactions of the Management Board of JP TVSA, a caricaturist Filip Andronik and our colleague Enisa Skenderagić received threatening messages. The TVSA Employee Council appeals to the relevant officials to respond to their mandates. If a failure is also made, we remind you that any possible irregularities remain the possibility of filing with the Regulatory Agency for Communications, whose task it is to assess and determine it. Please note that, as the Council of Employees, we will protect our colleagues who are exposed to various pressures. Over the past period, the unprofessionalism of individual persons in managerial and editorial positions in TVSA has done many major and serious injuries, and has not responded to it.
We strongly condemn the political pressures and the impact on the professional and ethical reporting that TVSA has been experiencing almost daily, as well as political abuse of leading positions on TVSA. The TVSA Employee Council will not tolerate any political abuse of this or potential future cases. We are looking for and struggling to ultimately become a public broadcaster who respects all professional and ethical standards and is only responsible to fellow citizens and legislative bodies. The Council of Employees at the same time condemns the numerous examples of self-censorship and unprofessionalism that we have witnessed for years, and we have created these intentions in November this year. The Council of Employees as a newly established body within the public enterprise. We will not allow censorship, restriction of media freedom and freedom of expression. Valuable and honorable people, journalists with many years of experience, work in our TV outlet,are ready to preserve the dignity of TVSA and the profession, and to fulfill their basic role, which is to serve the citizens of Canton Sarajevo.