PRISTINA, 20.11.2020 – Under the slogan “Journalists on the frontline”, the Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK), in cooperation with the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (OMIK) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), today held the annual awards ceremony of journalism.

Jeta Xharra and Visar Prebreza from KALLXO.com, were awarded the “Ibrahim Rexhepi” Journalism Prize for Economy, which was supported by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, headed by the Head of Mission, Ambassador Jan Braathu.

OMIK also supported two awards for the “Two best pandemic stories”, that were awarded to journalist of the Radio Television of Kosovo, Jehona Zhitia and the journalist of Klan Kosova, Arbreshë Uka.

While, for the “Women’s Empowerment Journalism Prize”, Donika Lamaxhema was awarded for her story published in Kosovo2.0, an award given and supported by the Head of the UN Women Office in Kosovo, Ms. Vlora Tuzi Nushi.

The annual journalism awards ceremony was moderated by Gentiana Begolli Pustina, who, among other things, expressed gratitude to our colleagues for the devotion given during this year.

“Unfortunately, in an empty seated area and a dimmer atmosphere than in the previous years, we shall begin the awarding ceremony of the Journalism Prize for Economy “Ibrahim Rexhepi”, as well as the other traditional award for Women’s Empowerment. Even though it is a tradition for these awards to bring joy and optimism to our community, for they appreciate journalists’ annual work on particular topics, unfortunately today not all of the award winners are with us in here – one of them is quarantined. This is a living proof that our colleagues have endangered themselves and their families so they wouldn’t only comply to their duties, but also by accomplishing their mission, which is the right and on time informing.”

Ambassador Braathu also addressed the participants through a video, congratulating the journalists for their work.

“We commend the journalists that follow the trail of public money spending and serve as watchdogs over events that shape the interactions between the economy, politics and the society in Kosovo. If anything, I think we need more economic reporting in Kosovo. Economic reporting not only about the things that should be better but also about some of the things that are good, in those that we do see progress. For example, in the private sector. The pandemic has also come with its set of challenges for the media community in Kosovo. Some of these challenges however, are challenges that journalists have faced for a long time. They are nothing new. Taken together they add up to an escalation that illustrates how hard it is to serve accurate and timely information to the general public.”

The journalists were also thanked by the Head of the UN Women Office in Kosovo, Vlora Tuzi Nushi.

“Just like doctors, the journalists have played one of the most important roles in saving lives, because if we had not received information from you, we would not have known how to take care of ourselves, nor what is happening because we were all isolated without being aware of the great risk that was threatening us. I appreciate your work in the field and the challenges you have faced, all the more so given the political changes that have taken place, so you were right on the front,” she said.

Today’s event was held in honor of World Press Freedom Day, which is celebrated on May 3, but due to the situation with the COVID 19 pandemic, the event has been postponed to November.

Sarajevo, November 20, 2020 – The growing number of attacks and threats to journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina is extremely worrying, and representatives of the authorities and institutions must be much more actively involved in the problems of protection of journalists and ensuring media freedom if BiH wants to obtain candidate status for the European Union – this was pointed out at the presentation of the report Indicators of level of media freedom and safety of journalists in Bosnia and Herzegovina 2019, which was held today in Sarajevo, organized by the BH Journalists Association.

According to Ambassador Johann Sattler, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the media have a great responsibility and ask questions that are very important for citizens, and it is imperative that they do their job in a safe environment.

– The fact that in 2019 there were 56 cases of attacks and threats to journalists is really a large number. We often have verbal attacks on journalists, not only physical ones, and these are problems that the media face in the entire region. BiH cannot get EU candidate status if there is no media freedom both offline and online, and in that sense all standards must be met. This is the task of this country and government officials, according to the European Commission, must work on media freedom as one of the 14 key priorities that BiH must meet before joining the EU – said Ambassador Sattler.

He added that it was unacceptable that public institutions in BiH had not yet started collecting data on attacks on journalists.

– It is great that associations like BH Journalists do it, but it should be done by state institutions, as it is in other EU countries. Another problem is the small number of incidents that have been fully investigated and resolved. Certain laws, such as public advertiser laws, must also be implemented. Part of the process includes steps forward in terms of digitization. Many journalists I have spoken to here have expressed concern for their own safety while doing their job and this is unacceptable. There are, of course, economic limitations, low salaries in the media compared to other professions, and this is especially pronounced now in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Relevant organizations must enable the media in BiH to perform their role with full freedom of expression and you can be sure that the EU Delegation is on your side – said Ambassador Johan Sattler.

The BH Journalists Association has been actively working on the problem of protection of journalists and media freedom for years and it is a tragic realization that none of the key elements that belong to the indicators of media freedom changed significantly, said Marko Divković, President of BH Journalists.

– The fact that we had 56 attacks and threats to journalists in BiH last year speaks volumes about that. One of the key problems is the huge number of defamation lawsuits against newsrooms and journalists. In this way, journalists are put under a special kind of pressure, which is a sword that constantly hangs over their heads. On the other hand, we have a misunderstanding of the role of the media by the representatives of the judiciary, as well as the political sphere that sees the media either as a means in their service or as enemies – said Divkovic.

In 2019, a total of 56 cases of attacks, threats and pressure on journalists were registered in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and only by mid-November 2020, 67 incidents were reported to the Free Media Help Line. Last year, there were 9 physical attacks on journalists and media employees, more than in 2018 and 2017. Of particular concern is the increasing incidence of online violence and the increasing number of threats that journalists receive through social networks and in comments on Internet portals. Despite reporting threats to the police, in most cases those behind threatening messages to journalists remain anonymous and unsanctioned, which further discourages media professionals and undermines their trust in the police and justice system.

Tamara Filipović Stevanović from the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) pointed out that the situation in the field of media freedoms in the entire region has worsened compared to previous years.

– Last year we had 67 recorded incidents in Serbia, and this year by mid-November we already have 68. We are also recording a significant increase in the number of incidents in other countries in the region. As for Serbia, we are some black record holders in the region. Journalists are still physically endangered for doing their job and only last year we had 11 physical attacks, and this year we have recorded as many as 27. The number of verbal threats has also doubled – said Filipović Stevanović.

BiH Human Rights Ombudsman Jasminka Džumhur emphasized that since last year when we discussed the same topics, there has been no progress.

– If we want to protect journalists, we must have a legal provision for that in the criminal law. The plan for resolving cases in court is also inadequate, and we have the problem of inefficient inspection supervision when it comes to violations of employment rights. When it comes to attacks on journalists, it is especially indicative when it is done by government officials, who should refrain from all such statements – said Dzumhur.

The director of the Center for Education of Judges and Prosecutors of the Federation of BiH, Arben Murtezic, reminded that two years ago, the HJPC instructed all prosecutor’s offices and courts to separately record all cases related to journalists. However, this recommendation of the HJPC has not yet taken root in judicial institutions.

– There is generally a problem between the judiciary and journalists in BiH, a kind of antagonism and misunderstanding between the two professions that are equally important to society. However, I do not think that this fact is reflected in individual cases concerning journalists and the media. Certainly, there should be a strategy of relations with the media in the judiciary in order to improve these relations – Murtezić emphasized, and added that the judiciary has made a significant effort when it comes to defamation lawsuits, and that some progress has been made in the courts also understanding the specifics of the profession and the rights of journalists.

Journalist Vanja Stokić described her experience with online death threats she received after she posted a photo with two migrants on Facebook.

– When the case came to the Prosecutor’s Office, the prosecutor decided not to conduct an investigation, believing that it was not a death threat, but an expression of personal attitude and dissatisfaction. The BH Journalists hired a lawyer and we filed a complaint, but that complaint was also rejected. I had that system of support from fellow journalists, but also from lawyers, human rights experts, readers of our portal, and that encouraged me. However, this decision of the Prosecutor’s Office is really devastating and I feel betrayed by the system – said Stokić.

Journalist Nedim Pobrić, author of the analysis “Investigations and prosecution of attacks on journalists and media workers in Bosnia and Herzegovina” conducted within the Safejournalists project, said that the phenomenon of increasing violence and threats against journalists is not a subjective perception of the media community, but a statistical fact .

– We tried to get individual data from judicial institutions and the answers we received were really devastating. Most of the threats made to journalists, and even in cases where the identity of the perpetrators was known, generally ended up with investigations suspended. As for physical attacks on journalists, in many cases proceedings have been initiated and cases have been formed, but these are lengthy processes and sanctions are often inadequate. Creating a more efficient framework for investigating and prosecuting attacks on journalists is one of the key priorities for BiH’s accession to the European Union. In the report from October this year, the European Commission stated that nothing has been done in recent years in order to make that framework more efficient and functional, which speaks enough about the engagement of our representatives of authorities and institutions – Pobrić concluded.

The report Indicators on the level of media freedom and safety of journalists 2019 was produced as part of the fourth regional assessment of the level of media freedom and security of journalists in the Western Balkans, within the project Regional Platform for Media Freedom and Safety in the Western Balkans supported by the European Union.  The presentation of the report was organized as a hybrid event (online and offline) with the participation of 27 journalists, representatives of international and media organizations, the judiciary and state institutions, and in compliance with all epidemiological measures.

PODGORICA, 20.11.2020 – Radio Television of Montenegro received a warning from the Agency for Electronic Media of Montenegro due to hidden TV promotion during the show “Good morning Montenegro”.

Contrary to the regulations within the show on TVCG1, the public service broadcasted commercial content without clearly expressing it as such, openly advertising a retail chain in Montenegro.

The Agency said that such content should be clearly marked as commercial audiovisual communication, that telepromotion must be clearly observed, and that sponsored content must be highlighted as such, and that sponsored programs must not directly encourage the purchase of sponsor goods.

“An anonymous complaint, registered with the Agency for Electronic Media under No. 02-1122 of October 19, 2020, is accepted,  and the Public Company “Radio and Television of Montenegro” from Podgorica, the public broadcaster of the “First Program of Television of Montenegro” (TVCG1), received a warning as an administrative-supervisory for violation of … the Law on Electronic Media, … Policy on Commercial Audiovisual Communications and Broadcasting Approval, during broadcasting of the culinary column ‘Tastes of the Morning’, which was broadcast on October 17, 2020, in the period from 09:40:55 to 09:48:11 (7 minutes and 16 seconds), as part of the morning program “Good morning Montenegro”, it is written in the decision of the Agency.

Skopje, 15.11.2020

The Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM), the Independent Trade Union of Journalists and Media Workers (SSNM) and the Council for Media Ethics of Macedonia (CMЕM) strongly condemn the hate speech that we have witnessed in the past few days against several journalists, NGO`s and calls on the competent authorities and institutions, especially the Ministry of Interior and the Public Prosecutor’s Office to react immediately to put an end to such attacks because they directly affect the freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

In the last few days, journalists Boris Georgievski, Ljupco Popovski and Borjan Jovanovski have been the subject of attacks, insults, defamation and hate speech on social networks because they had their own, different view of the closing words of the commentator of the match Georgia – Macedonia, Toni Stojanovski . We mention that an argumentative expression of opinion on the professionalism or unprofessionalism of a certain procedure is a free expression and must not be the subject of hate speech, just as the commentator Stojanovski must not be the subject of hate speech for his closing remarks.

Previously, the entire editorial office of the Meta Agency, as well as the employees of the Metamorphosis Foundation, were subject to attacks and hate speech, and their colleague Bobi Hristov was also subject to insults and attacks after inappropriate comments by a party president and MP.

Free media and journalists are the basis of the functioning of any democratic society, and a precondition for that freedom is the ability of media professionals to work in an atmosphere free from threats and insults.

Journalists work for the public and their actions are allowed to be criticized, but only if it is well-argued, cultural and does not provoke hate speech, calls to endanger their safety and the like.

At the same time, we call on the media, especially some of the online media, not to transmit / publish messages with propaganda content that stimulate the already boiling atmosphere.

Skopje, 13.11.2020 –