The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) warns that the law does not exhaust the question of public interest, that procedural correctness does not absolve public office holders of political responsibility, and that journalists are not obliged to accept a framework in which legitimate criticism is labelled as “cheerleading.”
The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) recalls that media freedom is a constitutional category and one of the fundamental prerequisites of a democratic order, particularly in matters concerning the management of public goods. Therefore, the attack by the Mayor of Zadar, Šime Erlić, on social media platform Facebook over the past weekend against colleague Ivica Nevešćanin, a journalist of Slobodna Dalmacija, fits into a broader series of attacks on our colleagues, aimed at silencing them from positions of power.
Public statements in which critical journalism, especially when it addresses the management of public goods, is described as “pressure,” a “campaign,” or illegitimate influence on public authorities are nothing more than attempts to reverse roles. Individuals in positions of power, including Mayor Erlić, are obliged to be accountable to the public, whose representatives are the media, in this case, our colleague Ivica Nevešćanin, who performed his work responsibly and professionally. Political power derives from the public, is delegated through public votes, and does not stem from one’s name, surname, or party membership, something the Mayor of Zadar should bear in mind on a daily basis. The rhetoric of the Mayor of Zadar does not constitute a defence of legality, but rather an attempt to narrow the space for public debate and to discipline the media by invoking procedure, formal correctness, and alleged institutional neutrality.
CJA reminds that no decision of a public authority is politically neutral, even when it is adopted in accordance with the applicable legal framework. Invoking legality alone, while simultaneously refusing discussion about the effects, criteria, and social consequences of a decision, represents a classic example of the depoliticisation of a political choice. In a democratic society, the role of the media is not to merely confirm that procedure has been followed, nor to cushion political responsibility, nor to maintain the illusion of the “normal functioning” of institutions. The role of the media is to expose how power is exercised, in whose interest, and with what consequences for the public.
Particularly concerning is the practice of portraying critical journalism as a source of instability, while administrative silence is presented as a guarantee of order. Such a reversal of values is not accidental: it serves to preserve existing power relations by presenting political choices as technical necessities and criticism as an irrational disturbance.
CJA warns that the law does not exhaust the question of public interest, that procedural correctness does not absolve those in power of political responsibility, and that journalists are not obliged to accept a framework in which legitimate criticism is labelled as “cheerleading.” Attacks on journalists and media under the guise of defending institutions have a clear intimidating effect and contribute to the creation of a climate in which obedience, rather than scrutiny, is expected from the media. CJA will strongly oppose any attempt to reduce journalism to a mere auxiliary service of those in power or to replace its democratic function with the simple transmission of procedural explanations.
The management of public goods is not a technical issue. It is a political issue — and as such, it must remain the subject of public, critical, and often uncomfortable debate.
Without free and critical media, the law becomes an ideological apparatus, and “order” merely another name for excluding the public from decision-making about its own resources.
On behalf of the Executive Board of the Croatian Journalists’ Association,
Hrvoje Zovko,
President of the CJA
Chiara Bilić,
Vice-President of the CJA
Drago Hedl,
Vice-President of the CJA