PODGORICA, 03.09.2018. – Even though there are not too much public cases of pressures on local journalist and media, they exist. Usually, only the pressures that happen in capital Podgorica see the light of the day. Working conditions and generally the functioning of local public broadcasters are rarely in the public focus. This is the reason we’ve spoke to the editor-in-chief of the Public Broadcaster Television of Budva, Iva Pavlovic, who is, as she said, on the tremendous political pressure to resign.
For the last year you have been the editor-in-chief of TV Budva. What are the biggest problems that you and your colleagues face in the workplace?
Pavlovic: The problems were mainly related to the lack of technique and people. What we see as a much bigger problem is that there are not enough people of knowledge and integrity who can talk about topics important for our city and sometimes it is monotonous to call the same people to comment. The other thing that can be a problem, specific for the local media, is that everyone perceives you as family member – sometimes too close, so they have a need to keep telling us what and how to work. Being critical here is much more difficult than in larger systems.
Are there pressures that you and your colleagues are exposed to? If they exist, from whom do they come?
Pavlovic: There were attempts to put pressure on me personally. The dirty campaign is still being conducted while I am answering to these questions from the stubborn political entities that make the opposition in Budva, but also some government structures that try to impose the idea that my local public broadcaster is being politicized with my arrival. The opposite was done – Journalists never worked with a less pressure than in the past year, which they themselves can confirm. If there were any attempts to put pressure on, I am here to prevent it and somewhere this is my main function – to free journalists to do their job. Television Budva was founded with the aim of promoting the city and tourism, our history and culture and my intention is to return as much as possible to that initial idea.
How much influence media managers or founders have on your work? What is the situation when it comes to the influence of politicians and representatives of state bodies / local government bodies?
Pavlovic: There is a certain obligation from us as a local public broadcaster financed mainly from the municipal budget to monitor the work of the local government, but that does not mean that we will not criticize if something is wrong. They try to influence us from time to time, but this is a matter of individual perception – I personally do not have the fear to oppose them if necessary, but often respond to our work is resolving the situation on the ground. What is much worse is the attempt of the certain party structures to influence on what we do and what is usually done with half-truths and channels through social networks. So – yes, at this moment there is a huge pressure to editor in chief to resign, but I will not do that. If they don’t like what I do, they should dismiss me. I honestly do not have one single reason why I would be ashamed of being where I am.
How do you comment the way in which local public broadcasters are financed in Montenegro?
Pavlovic: Currently, we do not have a problem in Budva, but that does not mean that it wont be, especially, when we have in mind experience from the previous years when people walked through the municipality with money bags, and workers did not receive wages for 6 months. This is the first time that the budget is so satisfactory that in spite of debt reprogramming, we can close the financial structure by the end of the year. But I am in contact with colleagues from other local public broadcasters and I know that the situation is not good. We all have the same problem – the outdated technique and the lack of people, the lack of understanding of local government that requires more allocation, and even the lack of understanding of the notion of a local public broadcaster – whose function is not and should not be commercial. It is very important to find some model of additional financing, to empower us to write projects directed towards the EU and similar funds and some part of the funds to be returned to local public broadcasters from the RDC, which was abolished.
In your opinion, which event marked the period from September 2017 to the present, regarding the media scene in Montenegro and the position of journalists?
Pavlovic: Shooting at journalist Oliver Lakic, and shifts in the Public Service RTCG are events I remember. Let’s not forget that an explosive device was thrown on the car of journalist Sead Sadikovic. But I also remember the arbitrary writings of individual media aimed at someone’s discrediting, tendentious titles. I am afraid that the media in our country are becoming more and more frequent instrument for dealing with opponents, no matter from what political spectrum they come from. Personally, I think that the concentration of ownership over certain media increases and that it leads us to a general tabloidization of society.
How often do you use confidential sources? Is the confidentiality of sources respected? Have you ever been asked to reveal it? How often do you use confidential sources? Is the confidentiality of sources respected? Have you ever been asked to disclose the sources and is it justified in the public interest? How was this case resolved?
Pavlovic: I use trusted sources when I have a chance to do so. For example, we first announced that Predrag Jelusic would be the president of Democratic party of socialist board of Budva, although his name was not mentioned as the name of the candidate for that position at the elections held in early March for party organs at the local level. Confidentiality is respected, but there have been no pressures so far to discover their names, and we wouldn’t do so – especially since the information we provided was correct.
How do you evaluate the openness of key institutions in Montenegro – the government, the parliament, the courts and the prosecutor’s offices? Have you noticed changes in their attitude towards the media (in terms of the openness of these media institutions)?
Pavlovic: Since we are a local public broadcaster, we do not communicate with the state authorities so often. But from our experience – we have excellent cooperation with the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, and the worst cooperation with the Ministry of Health.