At the initiative of a group of young journalists from several different media, on December 15, 2021, a section of young journalists was established at AJM. In the meeting, the forty participants that attended, debated what will be the priorities and goals of this section in 2022. Networking among the media, improving the social and economic status of young journalists, upgrading their skills for advanced reporting and respecting the standards in the field of journalism – were some of the topics discussed at the forum.
The purpose of establishing the section is primarily to promote journalism as an attractive profession, because today there is less interest in it and many media are facing a serious problem to find journalists. In addition, the goal of the section is to build greater solidarity in the journalistic profession and to further upgrade the knowledge as professionals in the sector. In addition to popularization, the section will in the future, through capacity building, enable young journalists to get not only the opportunity to hear experiences from other media and a historical overview of how things have changed, but also about professional standards and red lines in the profession.
One of the strategic goals of AJM is building of capacities and the improvement of the working conditions in the media, as well as the improvement of the cooperation of the young journalists with their more experienced. This kind of cooperation will contribute to more active involvement of young people in creating a professional environment for the future journalists.
Mladen Chadikovski, President of AJM, Saska Cvetkovska, Coordinator of the Initiative for Establishment of the Section of Young Journalists at AJM and Dragan Sekulovski, Executive Director of AJM, addressed the event and presented the goal for the establishment of the Section of Young Journalists.
SARAJEVO, December 15, 2021 – The final conference “Free Media for a Free Society”, which presented the results of a three-year consortium project consisting of the BH Journalists Association and the Association of Electronic Media (AEM) in BiH, with the support of the European Union, was held today at the Holiday hotel in Sarajevo.
As it was pointed out, in the past three years, the Project Consortium conducted five researches on the quality of media content in local media, on working conditions and rights of journalists, and on the level of media literacy of civil society organizations. An Interactive Online Center (HUB) for media content exchange and advocacy for the independence and integrity of journalists has been established, which will also serve as a training space on ethical and journalistic standards and investigative journalism, as well as a LAB for media content production. In addition, active efforts were made to strengthen the capacity of journalists and members of civil society organizations in local communities for the professional and objective creation of media content, as well as to improve media freedoms and safety of journalists.
According to Danijel Kovacevic, political advisor to the EU Special Representative in BiH, the media outlets in BiH today have become attractive for attempts of political influence and manipulation, and this project is one of the tools to prevent such attempts, especially when it comes to local media.
“European Commission reports emphasize that little progress has been made in BiH in recent years in improving media freedoms, and that BiH needs to do more in this regard. The Law on Freedom of Access to Information, the Law on Transparency of Media Ownership, more efficient sanctioning of attacks on journalists and hate speech are some of the obligations that BiH must fulfill on the path to joining the EU,” Kovacevic said.
The president of the BH Journalists Association, Marko Divkovic, emphasized that one of the most important questions today is how much the media are able to endure various forms of pressure – from political, through financial, those who come from the judiciary, etc. As an example of that, he stated that his colleagues from BHRT are protesting today “because they have been in a situation for years to think about whether they will receive salaries every month”.
The President of the Association of Electronic Media (AEM) Elvir Svrakic expressed hope that the interactive HUB made within this project will come to life very soon and will be of benefit to all journalists and media outlets in BiH.
“Everything that happens in the society is reflected in everyone who works in the media industry, which has over 7,000 employees. I believe that this project will give good results and that the representatives of the authorities in particular will change their views on the media and understand what their role is in society”, said Svrakic.
The main findings of the research on the quality of media content, working conditions and the rights of journalists in local media, and the level of media literacy in civil society organizations were discussed by the authors of the research – Professor Dr. Lejla Turcilo and professors Amer Dzihana and Borislav Vukojevic.
“We tried to detect what are the key contents present in the local media today, but also why things are as we see them in those media. We conducted the research on a very large sample, analyzing almost 1,000 content from local media, in order to obtain representative results. It turned out that the local media largely deal with general social issues, daily politics that are not only local. Pluralism of opinions and attitudes must be much more present in the local media,” said professor Turcilo.
The author of the research on working conditions and the rights of journalists in the local media, Amer Dzihana, stated that as many as 40 percent of the respondents said that they had been exposed to attacks or threats in the past three years.
As many as three quarters of respondents (75%) stated that politicians in power put pressure on them at some point. They are followed by opposition politicians and advertisers. Low salaries are very common among journalists working in local media. Almost half of the respondents have a lower net salary than the average net salary in BiH (48%).
Research in the field of media literacy, led by Borislav Vukojevic, showed that in civil society organizations it is necessary to implement written strategies for the development of media literacy and privacy policy for employees and target groups, conduct research for employees on their media literacy competencies, and increase training of media literacy, with an emphasis on new media technologies and fake news.
At today’s conference, representatives of local media discussed how much the media in BiH respect the standards of the profession, the principles of impartiality and pluralism of opinion, and about the working conditions in the media in general.
Amir Saletovic presented the Interactive Online Center and the Laboratory for the Exchange of Media Content between Local Media, and representatives of six civil society organizations spoke about the capacities and mechanisms of educating citizens in the field of media literacy.
The project with the slogan “Free Media for a Free Society” was launched with the aim of networking media and civil society organizations into a strong professional group that will advocate for media freedom and safety of journalists in local communities. The project is funded by the European Union within the action for civil society and media in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Civil Society Facility and Media action for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2016-2017).
PODGORICA, 15.12.2021. – A member of the Police Directorate Darko Lalovic and Branislav Karadzic from Niksic were arrested on suspicion of being part of a criminal group that organized the wounding of journalist Olivera Lakic.
According to “Vijesti”, they are connected with the Kavac criminal group.
According to “Vijesti” from the top of the Police Directorate, Lalovic was deployed in the Sector for Security of Persons and Facilities and in charge of security of the former President of the Supreme Court, Vesna Medenica.
Karadzic allegedly followed the movements of journalist Lakic.
PLJEVLJA, 15.12.2021. – Employees of Radio Television (RTV) Pljevlja have not received salaries for four months, so the existence of 33 workers and their families is endangered because the Municipality of Pljevlja does not allocate enough money for the functioning of that local public broadcaster, according to the employees’ union. At the end of November, the Revenue and Customs Administration blocked the account of RTV Pljevlja in the amount of 21 thousand euros, due to the accumulated debt for taxes and contributions.
The trade union organization of RTV Pljevlja, which is a member of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro, announced that the employees received their last salary for August 2021.
As they pointed out, the existence of a dozen families depends on earnings of, on average, 330 euros.
“10 families are endangered because we have employed married couples, people have loans, small children… For them, this income is the only source of income, so even though they do their job, they become social cases. Instead of doing investigative journalism, we worry about what our families will eat today. Every government is blackmailing us,” the trade unionists said.
They estimate that the budget of RTV planned for next year, in the amount of about 300 thousand euros, is insufficient for normal functioning.
As they stated, the problem dates back to 2010, when RTV borrowed about 250 thousand euros from Atlas Bank, with the goal of paying 10 back wages. Since then, until two years ago, the loan was repaid from regular monthly funds paid by the Municipality, which, as the union points out, were not enough for gross salaries. That is how the debt for taxes and contributions has accumulated, and the problem, they add, is complicated by political employment.
The trade union announced that this year, for the first time, the last five salaries were paid in gross amount, but that the Revenue Administration was still blocking the account of RTV Pljevlja.
As they explained, at the beginning of the year, the debt for taxes and contributions was 387 thousand euros, and today it is 357 thousand. Debt, they say, has been reduced thanks to projects implemented by employees beyond their regular obligations, which were financed by the EU Delegation and the British Embassy.
“RTV Pljevlja can be compared to RTV Budva or RTV Niksic in terms of the volume of programs, but the budget of the Pljevlja broadcaster is still much smaller,” added the employees’ union.
We remind that on December 13, trade union organization of the local public broadcaster Rozaje, which is a member of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro, asked the founder, the Municipality of Rozaje, to urgently help the media in which part of the October and full November salaries were not paid.
PODGORICA, 13.12.2021. – Unregulated registration of the portals, pressure on employees, unpaid work, poor position of freelancers, and lack of data on financial operations, are the problems that marked this year in the digital media. This year’s survey on digital media has not shown any positive developments, compared to the previous four years since it was conducted.
Employees in digital media continue to work in equally poor conditions, undeclared work is present, wages are still below average, pressures are obvious, and overtime and unpaid work are almost constant.
Digital media in Montenegro also gathers the largest number of freelancers, who are forced to work for more media in order to provide themselves with a decent income. The freelance journalistic community in Montenegro is currently strong, with a large number of mostly young people gaining experience in the media in this way. However, the legal regulations are still not favorable to them and are mentioned in only one law.
Digital media in Montenegro has experienced the biggest expansion in the year ahead. In just four years since we conducted this research, the number of portals in Montenegro registered with the competent authorities has increased from 40 to 104. The biggest changes have been recorded in the last two years. Portals make up 50% of the total number of media in Montenegro, which speaks volumes about the influence they have on informing and creating public opinion. However, one gets the impression that the opportunity to complete this area has been missed. Especially having in mind the fact that a huge number of registered portals do not deal with information, but are different sites of non-governmental and other organizations.
From a union point of view, portals are probably one of the most insecure places for media workers to work. A large number of employees in these media work illegally, given that they do not have employment contracts and are not insured.
Also, the working day of employees in portals lasts longer on average, employees work on weekends, the pressure on them is higher (especially due to the speed of publishing information), while salaries are very low and below average.
Part of the research is dedicated to the business of digital media. Unfortunately, it is impossible to accurately calculate the value of the digital media sector or portals in Montenegro, because some portals operate within other media (TV, radio, press) and financial reports of the portal are part of the overall report of these media, and in some cases portals were founded by NGOs, companies or some other organizations, making it difficult to obtain revenue data. The closest possible data show that 49 out of 73 portals in 2020 had a total profit of just over 45 thousand euros, with total revenues of one million and 479 thousand euros and expenditures of nearly one million and 434 thousand and in them is 71 employees were registered. Almost half of the portals, or as many as 24, did not report full-time employees or stated that there were 0, which indicates that there is undeclared work in this sector.
When it comes to digital media in Montenegro, they mostly employ the most freelancers. Although the legislation does not sufficiently recognize and protect them, the Montenegrin media scene boasts a good network of freelance journalists. There are no official statistics on their number, but the Media Union of Montenegro has formed a special network of members who are freelance journalists and is trying to determine with them what the biggest problems are and possible ways to solve them.
The focus group with new members – free journalists – pointed out five main problems that will be the focus of the work of the Union. Their problems are, among other things, that neither labor nor media legislation recognizes them, as they do not have employment contracts, mostly work “on the black market” – without health and pension insurance, do not have editorial support, and are not recognized by the Central Register of Business Entities, and do not have access to state funds.
Freelance journalists live from today to tomorrow, in constant uncertainty when it comes to earnings, so for them, any planning of serious life moves is almost impossible.
The research of Trade Union of Media of Montenegro contains a number of recommendations aimed at improving the position of employees in digital media.
The state must adopt bylaws that would regulate the portal registration procedure in more detail. It is necessary to legally protect freelancers, which will be more and more in the coming years. The state, media owners and portal employees must recognize and respond in a timely manner to the challenges posed by job digitization and the digital economy.
The report is part of the “Union to Union – Recruitment and Organizing Campaign in CEE 2021” program, which is implemented with the support of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Union to Union and the Swedish Journalists’ Union.
PODGORICA, 10.12.2022 – Every attack on a journalist is an attack on the public interest, democracy and citizens’ rights, is one message of the regional campaign “Recognize and Report” conducted by members of the Safe Journalists network, the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro, the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia, the Association of BH Journalists, the Association of Journalists of Macedonia and the Association of Journalists of Kosovo.
The goal of the campaign, which was launched on December 10, International Human Rights Day, is to point out the alarming statistics of attacks on journalists and media workers in the region.
Unfortunately, the response of the competent institutions in resolving the older cases was not adequate, so we still do not fully shed light on the murder of Dan editor Dusko Jovanovic, we do not identify and prosecute the perpetrators of the attack on journalist Olivera Lakic, and in many other serious cases in the face of justice.
On the International Human Rights Day, we say that media workers have the right to do their job without fear and pressure, which is crucial for the development of democracy in every society. Journalists must not be the collateral damage of political and other confrontations, but must be provided with optimal working conditions, which imply a safe environment.
The “Recognize and Report” campaign is aimed at all media workers who are the target of pressure and attacks and aims to encourage them to report all incidents, including members of the Safe Journalists network, in order to jointly influence the authorities to respond as effectively as possible.
Reporting attacks is possible by direct contact with the listed organizations, as well as by filling out the online form at the following link: https://safejournalists.net/podgorica/?lang=me
SARAJEVO, December 7, 2021 – At the session held on June 22, 2020, the Ombudsmen for Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina made a decision on the preparation of the Special Report on Hate Speech in Bosnia and Herzegovina, at the initiative of the Council of Europe.
The preparation of the report was completed in the last quarter of 2021, and representatives of the Ombudsman institution started a campaign for its promotion, which includes presentations and conferences in cities and institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, its entities and lower levels of government.
The aim of the report is to point out the steps that need to be taken to raise awareness of this phenomenon, as well as to establish effective mechanisms for the prevention, protection and sanctioning of hate speech through analysis of the legal framework, individual cases and the reaction of responsible bodies.
As part of the activities of the cameraman section at AJM, a three-day workshop was held this weekend in Ohrid on the topic: “Improving cooperation between cameramen and journalists” to which Viktor Stefanovski – executive producer at Sitel TV, Predrag Perovic – cameraman from The Public Service of Montenegro (RTCG), Goran Koprivica – cameraman from Radio Television Serbia (RTS) and the moderator of the event was Trajce Ilievski, a representative of the cameraman section at AJM.
Addressing the participants, the President of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, Mladen Chadikovski, said: “This kind of events and training are essential. Through joint discussion and presentation of problems and potential solutions, communication improves and skills journalists, camera operators, and media workers in the future. The practice of journalists and cameramen debating together about the challenges in journalism will help raise the quality of teamwork, in a spirit of mutual understanding and, in the end, a better product, story, reportage, etc.” – Chadikovski pointed out.
The representative of the cameraman section at AJM, Trajce Ilievski, emphasized that such events are of particular importance for the section and contribute to promoting cooperation, solidarity between the field and strengthening the capacity of camera operators on the one hand and journalists on the other. I am glad that this meeting was attended by thirty cameramen and journalists from 10 cities in the country and two regional representatives from Serbia and Montenegro. In addition to exchanging comparative experiences and challenges that we face daily, we came to common conclusions that we should focus on promoting the sector in the future.
In the workshop, the participants discussed the primary responsibilities of journalists and camera operators, cooperation daily on events on the field and inside the newsroom, their communication and coordination, and what the TV reports will look like in the future, topics that Viktor Stefanovski opened.
The guest lecturers, Goran Koprivica (Radio Television Serbia) and Predrag Perovich (Radio Television Montenegro) spoke about comparative experiences in relations and communication between journalists and camera operators in the public service in Serbia and in Montenegro.
“In Serbia and here, during events, the problem that we are facing all the time is the space and working conditions. But thanks to mutual support with colleagues, we manage to get the job done. I want to give an example of how things work in countries like France: during the visit of the then President of France, Jacques Chirac, to Belgrade, their team came with complete broadcast equipment starting from the lighting, all for their President to be best shown.
I must share my satisfaction about what you, as our colleagues from North Macedonia, have done with the cameraman section at AJM and such events for cooperation with journalists, you are pioneers in the Western Balkans, and I must congratulate you for the initiative and solidarity among the representatives. On the field – emphasized Koprivica from RTS.
The colleague Predrag Perovich from the public service of Montenegro agreed with the general remark, and he said: “The same thing is happening in Montenegro, we face the same challenges, but we manage to overcome them thanks to cooperation and solidarity. But like my colleague Goran from RTS, I think that what you have done and are doing as a section of cameramen should be transmitted as an experience with our colleagues as a great example of cooperation, “- said Perovic.
During the workshop, there were practical exercises and discussions on mutual communication, the role of the journalist, and the cameraman’s role. They also talked about the ethics in the work of camera operators and the specifics and details of the daily challenges faced by cameramen and journalists.
In the open discussion were shared the advantages of the profession and the challenges faced by the cameramen in the country and neighboring countries.
It was established that the cooperation between the cameramen and the journalists exists, there is excellent professional solidarity. Still, there is always room for improvement that will be worked on in the future. This workshop met with positive comments and criticism among the cameramen and journalists, which is a step forward in improving working conditions in this area.
This event is organized with the financial support of the Sigrid Rausing Trust.
PODGORICA, 3.12.2021 – Montenegro ranks third in the region when it comes to the journalist safety index with a score of 3.59, after Northern Macedonia and Croatia, it was announced at a press conference of the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG).
SMCG today presented the research “Journalists’ Safety Index“ in Montenegro, which refers to the situation in 2020, which is determined as the first year for the development of a conceptual framework and methodology for scoring, aggregating and calculating the Index.
Photo: PR Centar
The president of the SMCG, Marijana Camovic Velickovic, said that the Journalists’ Safety Index is the first attempt of its kind to rank the level of safety of media employees in the region.
“The index was created with the aim of measuring and monitoring changes in the political environment in seven countries of the Western Balkans, which have a direct and indirect impact on the safety of journalists and media actors in the course of their work,” explained Camovic Velickovic.
She said that the security index for Montenegro is 3.59.
“If it is known that the ratings ranged from one as the worst to seven as the best, all countries are moderately rated, and Montenegro is in the middle of the region, behind Northern Macedonia with a score of 3.93 and Croatia with a score of 3.73. It is followed by Kosovo with 3.39, Albania with 3.38, Bosnia and Herzegovina with 3.00 and Serbia with the worst ranking with 2.95 “, stated Camovic Velickovic.
She explained that the Index relies primarily on research evidence collected and analyzed by safejournalist.net partners in accordance with a rigorous research procedure and in a way that can track changes that will occur over time.
Based on research material, nine members of the Advisory Panel from each country assess the situation and award points for each of the 19 indicators in four areas – legal and organizational environment (existence and application of legal guarantees relevant to journalist safety), prevention (existence and application) various preventive measures that have a direct impact on the protection and safety of journalists), the process (treatment of journalists by state bodies and public officials and the effectiveness of the criminal and civil law system related to investigations of threats and violence against journalists) and real security (incidents and cases of various threats) and acts of violence against journalists and the media) “, said Camovic Velickovic.
She pointed out that in Montenegro, the Advisory Panel consisted of experienced journalists as well as legal and media experts.
Photo: PR Centar
Researcher Bojana Konatar said that, when it comes to the legal and organizational environment, ie laws that protect the safety of journalists in Montenegro, the score is 3.71, for preventive mechanisms 3.75, for procedural actions 3.41 and for real security 3.58.
“Montenegro received the best marks for freedom of association and freedom of trade union organization, and for access to special protection mechanisms, which are available to journalists if they are under threat or are victims of attack. Montenegro is also better rated in the area of source confidentiality,” said Konatar.
She explained that Montenegro was rated the worst for other laws protecting journalists, explaining that the rating was such because journalists were arrested last year for spreading false news.
“Also, investigations are what Montenegro is not recognized for as a country that protects journalists in the right way because they are not conducted quickly and thoroughly. In a large number of cases, there is no judicial epilogue or they have not been resolved. We were assessed badly because of physical threats and harassment, but also because of threats and attacks on the media,” said Konatar.
When it comes to legal provisions related to defamation and their application, they generally do not cause the effect of intimidation among journalists and the media and the score is 3.55.
“Defamation has been decriminalized, but a large number of lawsuits can have the effect of discouraging journalists, as well as the duration of proceedings. Only the most serious cases come to light, in which large sums of money are demanded from the media and journalists, as well as cases in which they are sued by public officials, politicians and other media. Such cases were not recorded during 2020, but 22 lawsuits were initiated on this basis,” Konatar said.
She pointed out that the rating of 4.57 was given for the confidentiality of journalistic sources and for the fact that this right is guaranteed by the legislation.
“The protection of journalists is well regulated by the Law on Media, but there is a danger that state bodies will use the envisaged restrictions and seek disclosure of sources, even when it is not necessary. The case of Jovo Martinovic – an investigative journalist who ended up in prison due to contact with a source of information, causes a certain degree of self-censorship among journalists, “said Konatar.
According to her, when asked whether other laws are applied objectively and allow journalists and other media actors to work freely and safely, Montenegro received a score of 2.90.
“Unfounded arrests of journalists due to the spread of panic and riots, as well as fear of SLAPP lawsuits are the cause of low results in this field. Directly and indirectly, the authorities continue to restrict media freedom and make it more difficult for journalists to work. Three journalists from three different media outlets were arrested in January 2020. Although they were acquitted, it is clear that these cases caused an intimidating effect,” Konatar said.
She said that, when asked whether journalists are free to practice their profession and to establish, join and participate in the work of journalistic environments, Montenegro was rated with 4.21.
“Licenses have not been introduced and there are no new initiatives to license journalists. Journalists have the freedom to organize and associate in various professional associations. However, there is pressure on some individual union members or the entire union organization, which encourages an atmosphere in which union membership is still considered undesirable. More than half of the media workers are united in the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro,” said Konatar.
When asked whether the work of journalists is stable and whether they are protected in the workplace, the score is 3.35.
“The economic position of journalists is worsening from year to year. Labor rights are not fully respected, especially not in private media, local and online media, and wages are below the national average. The corona crisis has not helped employers realize that they need to provide economic support to journalists so that they can do their job smoothly. Although the state was very generous to the media, the employees generally did not receive any increase in salaries during 2020, despite the multiplied volume of work,” said Konatar.
Asked whether journalists and media actors have access to immediate and effective safeguards when threatened, Konatar said the score was 3.55.
“The police have hired special teams that should help solve cases of attacks on journalists, but so far it has not had much success. During 2020, 18 cases of attacks and threats to journalists and media organizations were registered. The problem remains that a large number of registered cases of threats and attacks, prosecutors still mark as misdemeanors, and not criminal acts“, said Konatar.
Photo: PR Centar
She pointed out that the score of 4.04 is for journalists and other media actors to have access to special protection / security mechanisms.
“There are general mechanisms that enable the protection of journalists and their physical integrity, but still journalists do not have special protection mechanisms. The state conducts security risk assessments in certain cases, when after the attack it is assessed that the safety of journalists may be endangered and that the attack may be repeated. During 2020, two journalists received police protection. “Only non-governmental organizations offer legal and psychological assistance to journalists who are victims of attacks and pressures,” said Konatar.
She said that when asked whether journalists have access to legal measures and support mechanisms when faced with gender-based threats, harassment and violence, the score is 3.91.
“There are state-level mechanisms that protect women and women journalists. There is still a lot of room for improvement when it comes to journalists. During 2020, an increase in the number of cases of threats and attacks on journalists was registered, and there are six such cases in the register. An increase in the number of online threats to journalists has also been registered. In one case, the ombudsman discovered that a journalist from the Public Service was discriminated against on the basis of religion,” said Konatar.
Speaking about the practice of regular public condemnation and attacks on journalists and the media and whether it has been established, Konatar said that the score is 3.55, while when asked whether the police authorities are sensitive to the safety of journalists, the score is 3.73.
“When asked whether specialized investigative units and / or officials are equipped with relevant knowledge for the investigation of attacks and violence against journalists, the score is 3.46. The government has previously set up a special unit to attack journalists and media assets, but its success is only partial, due to poor co-operation with state investigative bodies. There have been no other attempts to establish better protection for journalists. Threats and attacks on journalists are still not recognized as special crimes,” Konatar pointed out.
She said that investigations of serious physical attacks on journalists and other media actors are rated 3.17.
“No serious case of attack on journalists has been fully investigated, even the murder of Dusko Jovanovic after so many years has not been resolved. The orderers are still unknown. Investigations into attacks on journalists are still slow, lengthy and often fruitless. Some of the most serious cases are outdated,” said Konatar.
She said that the score of 3.58 was for the effectiveness of protection of journalists and other media actors when it comes to various forms of online harassment, while the score of 3.42 was for investigations of all types of attacks and violence against journalists and other media actors to be conducted transparently.
„When asked whether the state authorities have established a quality system for collecting statistical data in order to prevent impunity, the score is 3.43“, said Konatar.
Speaking about non-physical threats and harassment, Konatar said that the score was 3.16, explaining that last year was specific and extremely difficult for journalists, especially considering that they worked during the crisis, parliamentary elections, change of government, as well as and at the time of mass liturgies for the adoption of the Freedom of Religion Act.
“A large increase in the number of threats and harassment has been registered, especially through social networks. There were also cases in which journalists were wiretapped and this information was disclosed after the election. Three of the four registered cases in this category concern female journalists. It is worrying that in one case, the threats moved to the real world, because the journalist was stalked“, said Konatar.
The rating for threats to the life and physical safety of journalists is 3.98, while when it comes to actual attacks, the rating is 3.89.
“During 2020, two physical attacks were registered, but there were no situations in which journalists suffered more serious injuries. Unfortunately, the beginning of last year showed that the authorities can find a way to deal with the work of journalists who do not suit them, even if that means their arrest,” Konatar said.
She said that the score was 3.30 when it comes to threats and attacks on media institutions, organizations, media and journalist associations, stating that a number of these cases had been registered in previous years, but that the threats had probably moved to social networks due to the pandemic.
