The municipality of Surdulica has not yet announced this year’s competition for media projects, even though it is the legal obligation of local governments to allocate part of the funds for these purposes from the budget every year. We call out the local government of the municipality of Surdulica to announce a competition for the media so that the local media can provide high-quality coverage of events from that place.
IJAS Commissioner Radoman Irić says that he has spoken several times in the last three months with the leaders of the municipality of Surdulica, with the aim of persuading them to announce a competition for co-financing of media projects, however, this has not happened yet.
“Twelve out of over thirty active media in the Pchinj and Jablanichki districts ask every day when the municipality of Surdulica will announce a media competition. On Monday, I sent an SMS message to Minister Novica Tončev, who is a person with authority in Surdulica, to which I immediately received the reply “And, relax”, which means that will be no competition”, said Irić.
We remind the local governments, and therefore the leaders of the municipality of Surdulica, that according to the Law on Public Information and the Media, an annual budget allocation for the media is required. The survival of local media depends on state aid, and citizens need them in order to be accurately and timely informed.
We invite the authorities to fulfill the legal obligation and as soon as possible announce a competition for the co-financing of media projects. Also, the funds allocated for these purposes should be decent, not minimal, as it was the case in previous cycles, so that the media could perform their work well.
IJAS
November 7, 2023