The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) considers the threats made against journalist and editor-in-chief of the Morski.hr portal, Jurica Gašpar, to be very dangerous, as well as the scandalous meeting of private shipowners with the owner of a PR agency, which suggests potential influence peddling and media manipulation to publish favorable content. CJA expects the police to investigate the threats against Gašpar and to bring those responsible to justice.
The Morski.hr portal reported on Sunday that after a working meeting where the Croatian Association of Private Shipowners discussed arrangements with PR agency Ankica Mamić, a message appeared in the WhatsApp group “Shipowners in the Adriatic” calling for the abduction of the portal’s journalist. For such a crazy and unacceptable initiative, some members in the internal communication of the shipowners’ group even suggested gathering funds.
“Here’s Cesarica (the name of the boat), paid, and asks for a suggestion that we all give 100 euros so that someone can take the idiot from Morski.hr for a ride in the port,” read the message in the group. The president of the Croatian Association of Private Shipowners, Arsen Ercegović, condemned such messages.
The threat against Jurica Gašpar is part of a scandal that Morski.hr published on September 1 under the title “Shipowners hired a PR expert for 100,000 euros: We will crush Morski.hr, we would block the Split port, but… don’t worry, I’m good with Glavina and Bačić.” An audio recording of the meeting between the mentioned association of shipowners and the PR agency led by Ankica Mamić was also published alongside the article.
In the conversation, for which all participants consented to be recorded, there is a particularly unacceptable part concerning the “polishing” of the shipowners’ image, creating content that Ankica Mamić discusses, with the addition that these contents will be sent to the media and ministries, along with a special note that Mamić is well-connected with the Minister of Tourism and mentioning Deputy Prime Minister Branko Bačić. The audio recording, which lasts about half an hour, clearly shows that representatives of the private shipowners’ association complain about the reporting of Morski.hr, and Ankica Mamić is there to help them. A particularly interesting part is when the PR expert, speaking about what she calls the positive stories of her clients, among other things says: “We need to include the Minister of Tourism in this story, definitely involve him, so that we can start creating good stories about all the good things you do, and then we will reduce Morski to what it is—a marginal portal…” For HND, such arrangements are scandalous, and the part where it is practically suggested that one portal should be marginalized is especially unacceptable.
Although the ministers named denied any connection with the mentioned PR expert, it is evident that various PR arrangements with ministers and other government representatives to influence the media have been a long-established practice for years, which is highly controversial. Different PR agencies, which CJA has long warned about, want to create content through the media and in cooperation with various ministries and public authorities that are not in the public interest and are therefore enemies of journalism.
PR agencies have stepped outside their bounds, often becoming more than just spokespersons for their clients; they actively participate in their business policies. If media that report differently stand in the way of such policies, they should be marginalized, as in this case, which is unacceptable for CJA.
Furthermore, CJA warns again that some PR experts present themselves in the media space as independent political analysts, boasting about their connections with those in power while often working for them without disclosing this transparently. As a result, their appearances in the media can mislead the public, as this same media space is used for concealed particular interests.
On behalf of the Executive Board of the Croatian Journalists’ Association
Hrvoje Zovko, President
Chiara Bilić, Vice President
Dragutin Hedl, Vice President