The Croatian government has attempted to limit the media’s right to protect their sources and criticize courts and prosecutors, the Council of Europe states in its annual report on media freedom on the continent, adding that the working conditions of journalists in Croatia are concerning. Although the number of killed journalists and violence against them is decreasing, the pan-European organization warned in its report released on Tuesday of threats, pressures, and restrictions on journalists’ work across Europe.

The report, which spans nearly a hundred pages, was prepared in collaboration with the Platform for the Safety of Journalists, which brings together a number of journalistic organizations from Europe.

Croatia is mentioned several times in the report, with the so-called “lex AP” drawing the most attention from the authors. If the new Croatian media law is adopted, it will “force journalists to register”, prohibit them from “criticizing the work of courts and public prosecutors”, compel them to reveal their sources to their editor upon request, introduce the right to compensation for individuals whose names have been published in the media after “illegally” acquiring information, and introduce measures by a media council elected by the parliamentary majority.

“Critics warn that if adopted, this law will crush independent journalism in Croatia and shape a new era of state-controlled media, contrary to European standards,” the report states.

The document cites research from the Media Pluralism Monitor, a project co-funded by the European Union, which states that only four out of 32 analyzed European countries have good working conditions for journalists: Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and Sweden.

“The study’s results show a particularly worrying work situation in Croatia, Hungary, Montenegro, and Romania, where journalists do not have employee status and often lack adequate social protection,” the report says.

The Council also writes about “difficult times” for cartoonists in Europe, citing, among other things, the example of a lawsuit against Croatian cartoonist Nikola Plečko, better known by the pseudonym Nik Titanik, filed by former Dinamo Zagreb executive Krešimir Antolić.

In the 2024 report, the Council lists the major problems for press freedom: threats and intimidation, arrests, restrictive laws, SLAPP and other lawsuits, media takeovers, and attacks on public services. Threats from politicians and criminal organizations to the media are emphasized, sometimes resulting in physical violence.

This year, “new threats” to the profession are also mentioned, such as artificial intelligence, the influence of social media, disinformation, repression of reporting on climate change, and the political atmosphere of radicalization and polarization.

On the positive side, the Council writes that European institutions and a number of countries have shown that they understand the seriousness of the crisis and have accepted the key role of free media as public watchdogs informing citizens and calling centers of power to account.

Journalism students and journalists participating in the second edition of the Academy for information integrity were taught about algorithms and social media on Saturday.

This module, led by Gëzim Bala, a marketing expert and founder of LVL UP company, focused on the significance of social media. It covered how algorithms function across various applications and offered insights on creating more user-friendly content.

Additionally, participants discussed about the methods for protecting themselves on social media and strategies to maximize their profit through its use.

The Academy for Information Integrity will have a final module for this second edition, which will be held in the coming weeks.

The Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) appeals to the members of the commission in charge of evaluating project proposals for co-financing media content in Novi Pazar to distribute funds proportionately, in a fair manner, respecting legal rules and enabling media pluralism. Also, we call on the authorities from the City Administration of Novi Pazar not to put pressure on the members of the commission and to enable the conditions provided by law for the work of independent commissions.

Years back, Television Novi Pazar in that city received disproportionately high sums of money through media contests compared to other media participating in the contest. Namely, every year more than 80 percent of the funds earmarked for the media goes to this television.

This practice not only threatens media pluralism and the diversity of voices in the public space, but also calls into question the very purpose of project co-financing, which should be aimed at encouraging quality journalism and a wide range of media content.

The city of Novi Pazar was one of the first this year to announce a competition for co-financing of media content production projects, and it is expected that it will be among the first to decide on the distribution of planned funds for that purpose in the amount of 39 million dinars (almost 333.000 euros). Since the maximum amount that can be received by one project is limited to 32.5 million dinars, it is expected that this year, too, that amount or an approximate amount will be received by Television Novi Pazar.

We call on the authorities in the City Administration in Novi Pazar to stop the practice of uneven and unfair distribution of funds and to put professional reporting and public interest first when distributing funds.

The Croatian Journalists’ Association (CJA) calls on Prime Minister Andrej Plenković to refrain from constantly calling out journalists who – in the public interest – report on government affairs led by Plenković himself.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly accused journalists of leaking classified information, accused them of being corrupt, of publishing private correspondence between the appointed Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić and former State Secretary Josipa Rimac for profit and “clicks”, and claimed that there is actually no public interest in publishing such information.

Similar rhetoric is employed by the Prime Minister when commenting on publications related to investigations by the EPPO, some branches of which have reached the Ministry of Culture and Media. He mentions “privileged journalists”, singles out a “handful of privileged journalists”, and accuses them of spinning.

By accusing journalists of corruption and publishing for the sake of “clicks”, the Prime Minister puts a target on journalists and exposes them to potential attacks. At the same time, unfounded accusations are made, which politicians, especially the highest state officials such as the Prime Minister, should avoid.

Prime Minister Plenković is not and cannot be the chief editor of Croatian media. The role of journalists and the media is to question individuals in positions of power and to point out irregularities in the system because that’s how they uphold democracy and hold those elected to public office accountable to the public.

Although the Prime Minister, through attempts to introduce the “Lex AP” and the appointment of the Chief State Attorney, continues with his autocratic capture of institutions that should oversee the authorities and be independent from them, he cannot prohibit journalists from doing their job in accordance with internationally accepted professional standards and democratic values, which they protect and promote in doing so.

For the Executive Board of the Croatian Journalists’ Association:

Hrvoje Zovko, President of the CJA

Chiara Bilić, Vice President of the CJA

Dragutin Hedl, Vice President of the CJA

Today, journalist Adelina Ahmeti and cameraman Jetmir Hoxha of Kallxo.com were threatened by an individual with initials M.H in the village of Skënderaj, Klina e Mesme.

The citizen obstructed the team while they were adressing the construction of a church in the village.

According to this media, this person not only hindered their team but also used abusive and threatening words toward them. This was then reported to Skënderaj Police Station.

“Walk away, I swear as long as I get home I will f*** your m***…I swear to God, it’s going to be a problem for you”, were the threats that M.H. had said to them.

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo is concerned regarding the threat towards Kallxo’s colleagues and urges the Kosovo Police to prioritize the investigation.

We condemn any form of threats against journalists, cameramen and other media workers, and call on the competent authorities to bring justice to all threats and attacks against the media.

Each attack on journalists and media is an attack on freedom of expression and democracy.