PODGORICA, 15.09.2021 – The Fund for Encouraging Media Pluralism and Media Diversity should be established in November, the Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media Tamara Srzentic announced in an interview for the Dnevne portal.
Commenting on the media scene, the Minister said that through dialogue with the media, and in communication with representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Justice, Human and Minority Rights, they are working to identify solutions that would satisfy the entire media community and prevent the future attacks.
Minister Srzentic also says that the Government is working on amendments to the Law on Public Order and Peace in order to adequately sanction what are not criminal acts of attacking journalists but are disparaging other negative phenomena that affect the work of media workers.
“In that way, we will complete the legal framework that should ensure the safe and uninterrupted work of journalists, both in criminal and misdemeanor terms,” Srzentic told us.
According to Srzentić, the government will discuss the existing criminal offenses, threatened punishments with the competent ministries, but possibly also envisage new criminal offenses in relation to the perpetrators and actors of behavior and actions aimed at media workers.
Portal Dnevne: Unlike Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapic, you condemned, without exception, all attacks on journalists in Montenegro. As the Minister of Media, how do you assess how endangered the representatives of the Seventh Force in Montenegro are, and will you advocate for your mandate that journalists in Montenegro receive the status of an official?
Srzentic: This Government is committed to complete freedom of the media and these are the goals and values that are clearly stated in the exposition of the Prime Minister, and I, as the line minister, have a mandate to strongly and openly condemn on behalf of the Government, the Ministry, and my personal name, further prosecute any security threats and attacks on journalists.
I recognize the issue of security, among many others, as a key problem that threatens journalists and media workers in Montenegro. That is why the Government is working on amendments to the Criminal Code, but also the Law on Public Order and Peace. In addition, the Ministry of the Interior and the Police Directorate, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, have been working for some time to develop guidelines for risk assessment of the conditions in which journalists work and which we expect to significantly help police officers improve media protection.
Portal Dnevne: From relevant addresses, findings are constantly coming that the freedom of the media in Montenegro is not at a satisfactory level. What do you see as a key problem?
Srzentic: Extreme polarization of society that spilled over into all spheres, including the media sector, more frequent attacks on journalists, old cases that remain unsolved, including the murder of the editor-in-chief of the daily Dan, a growing amount of misinformation across the region following political developments in Montenegro, and inadequate sanctions policy are key issues burdening our media scene.
The media must be independent and free to open the most important social topics from different angles. Media pluralism is a necessary segment of the forthcoming social and institutional changes. Where ethical and professional media codes have been violated, citizens have legally defined response mechanisms, and expressing dissatisfaction with media workers through verbal and physical attacks is a criminal offense and must be severely sanctioned.
In addition to changes in the normative framework, we believe that it is necessary to work on increasing media literacy, greater information of citizens about how important media freedom is. We have a continuous dialogue with the media in order to reach activities and measures to have better conditions for their work. We are aware that resolving old cases of attacks and finding the perpetrators would greatly contribute to sending the message that violence and attacks on journalists will not be tolerated.
Portal Dnevne: You announced that this year is also dedicated to the reform of media legislation. What are the key changes for the media community in Montenegro?
Srzentić: In the Government, we are aware of the challenges in the media sector, so the first Media Strategy will address some of them. This year is dedicated to the reform of media legislation. Amendments to the law on media and public service law will further strengthen the protection of journalistic sources, as well as improve the election of members of the RTCG Council in terms of independence. Also, the new law on audio-visual media services will fully harmonize the electronic media sector with the EU directive of the same name, which will further strengthen the capacities of the Agency for Electronic Media, which is one of the priorities recognized in last year’s EC report.
Portal Dnevne: When will the Fund for Encouraging Media Pluralism and Media Diversity be established, and how much money is planned?
Srzentic: The Pluralism Fund is planned to be established in November. We are currently in the final phase of drafting the Rulebook, which will be on the public discussion in October. The total amount of funds allocated to the Pluralism Fund is EUR 860,093.95, of which 60% belongs to the Board of Regulators for Audio-Visual Media Services, which amounts to EUR 516,056.37, while 40% of the funds belong to the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, EUR 344,037.58 for online publications and print media.
Portal Dnevne: The Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, together with several Montenegrin media, launched a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination during the corona virus pandemic. Are you satisfied with the results of the campaign, and can more similar actions be expected?
Srzentic: Part of the Government’s responsible answer to the epidemic caused by the corona virus is informing citizens about all vaccination processes, especially due to the fact that a large number of citizens were under the influence of false news and spreading misinformation about the vaccination process. National and local authorities and the media should work together to ensure that accurate, verified and objective information based on official sources is available to the public.
This was especially important from the point of view of education and raising public awareness in Montenegro about the importance and significance of vaccination. That is why we have created a competition for the allocation of budget funds for the creation of informative and educational content in daily print media and online publications related to the vaccination process against coronavirus and epidemiological measures in 2021, which supported 22 projects with a total value of 150,000 euros.
As part of the campaign, a large number of articles, statements, interviews, and publications were published, which provided answers to key questions and challenges related to vaccination and contributed to greater visits to the official Government website covidodgovor.me.