PODGORICA, 22.12.2022. – The Ministry of Culture and Media allocated a new 367,000 euros for print media and portals, as part of the distribution of money from the Fund for Encouraging Media Pluralism.
According to the decision of the independent commission, which was published yesterday, a total of 43 projects were supported, as well as three self-regulation mechanisms in Montenegro.
The decision, however, did not specify which specific contents will be financed with citizens’ money, but only the total amount of allocated funds per media outlet. The requested amount of the project proposals was not specified either.
Three print media, Vijesti, Dan and Pobjeda, with their portals, received the largest amounts, a total of more than 125,000 euros, or an average of around 42,000 per media. These media recently opposed the increase in daily wages for employees who work on Sundays, which is provided by the proposal of the General Collective Agreement, claiming that this provision will lead to the shutdown of print media.
The weekly Monitor was supported with slightly less than 25,000 euros, while the total support for portals was close to 240,000. Within this call, out of a total of 43 projects, 15 projects proposed by non-governmental organizations that have their own online publications were also supported.
Self-regulation received the support of around 19,000 euros, of which the Media Council for Self-Regulation received around 10,000 euros, while the ombudsmen of Dan and Vijesti received 5,000 and 3,800 euros.
Last year, the ministry in charge of media also allocated EUR 350,000 help to print media and portals.
The proposal of the new Law on Media, which was recently discussed in public, envisages a significant increase in the Fund so that more than two million euros will be allocated to the media.