Organisers of cultural events and publicly funded events must not make the granting of press accreditation conditional on the publication of specific content by media outlets. Such practices constitute unacceptable pressure on editorial independence and media freedom.
The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) expresses its full support for our colleagues at the independent news portal Ravno do dna, whose request for press accreditation to cover this year’s INmusic Festival was rejected by the organisers, effectively preventing the outlet from reporting professionally on the event.
It is unacceptable that Ravno do dna, which published 30 articles promoting the 18th edition of the INmusic Festival during 2025 and 2026, was required to publish an additional article as a condition for receiving accreditation. The organisers specifically requested: “It would also be great if you could prepare an original feature marking the 20th anniversary of the INmusic Festival. We believe such content would significantly strengthen your application and contribute to its favourable consideration.”
After the editor-in-chief of Ravno do dna, Zoran Stajčić, reminded the organisers that, in accordance with the Croatian Media Act, they must not interfere with a media outlet’s editorial policy—including by suggesting content while implicitly conditioning the granting of press accreditation—the INmusic Press Team informed the newsroom that its accreditation request had been denied.
We remind the festival organisers that this important music event, significant not only for Zagreb but for Croatia as a whole, is co-financed by the City of Zagreb. As beneficiaries of public funding provided by the citizens of Zagreb, they should refrain from targeting a media outlet that has been consistently covering the Croatian and international music scene for the past 15 years and has earned recognition as a respected and relevant publication well beyond Croatia’s borders. We also support the letter and requests that our colleagues from Ravno do dna have submitted to the City of Zagreb.
The CJA considers it unacceptable for organisers of cultural and publicly funded events to make press accreditation conditional on the publication of specific content by media outlets. Such practices represent unacceptable pressure on editorial independence and media freedom.
On behalf of the CJA Executive Board,
Hrvoje Zovko, President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association
Chiara Bilić, Vice-President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association
Dragutin Hedl, Vice-President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association