SARAJEVO, 27.03.2020. – In order to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, regional journalists’ associations require the competent institutions to provide financial support and facilities to the media outlets as well as for all other professions of public importance, in addition to protective equipment for media employees reporting from the field.

“The state of emergency has put the media in a zone of dire risk to survival. If the Serbian Government does not help the endangered journalistic industry at this time, without which there is no democratic organization of the country, an unprecedented number of journalists will join colleagues who have already lost their jobs, which will lead to a decrease in the diversity of media and information that citizens receive”, writes the Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS).

The UNS in particular seeks support for the print and local media, which they say are most vulnerable, and demands that during the next three months, the endangered media be exempted from paying contributions and income taxes, utility fees and taxes on property, but also to introduce permanent VAT payment measures.

UNS points out that financial support for the media outlets is important in order to avoid layoffs or shutdowns of the media, and recall the recently adopted Media Strategy, which envisages budget support for the media.

The Croatian Journalists ‘Union (SNH) and the Croatian Journalists’ Society (HND) have requested similar financial relief from the Government of the Republic of Croatia. They demand that institutions include freelance journalists in their action measures and plans “in such a way as to allow them tax deferrals and relief for at least one year after the epidemic crisis has passed.”

They asked for measures that would allow employers to pay at least 70 percent of the monthly contract fees or 70 percent of the last paid fee in the period of three months in the case of self-isolation or treatment for COVID-19 coronavirus to freelance associates and freelance journalists:

“We remind that since the last economic crisis (since 2008), the number of journalists employed in Croatia has been cut in half, and we believed that the Government, aware of this problem, would propose measures to protect the people whose importance is shown in these difficult times, and who are exposed to the danger in order to communicate important information to the citizens, to serve the public.”

The BH Journalists Association also requires the competent state bodies and institutions of BiH to include the media sector in coronavirus spread prevention programs in the same way as all other activities of public importance, and to provide financial, logistical and any other support to public and private media outlets reporting on COVID-19 pandemic.

Two days ago, the Western Balkan’s Regional Platform for Advocating Media Freedom and Journalists’ Safety announced that through various support programs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, Montenegro will provide financial aid in the amount of approximately EUR 265 thousand to the Montenegrin media.

“Out of that amount, EUR 150,000 has been provided for print media, assistance will also be provided to local public broadcasters in the amount of EUR 35,000, and commercial and public broadcasters are exempted from paying the fee to the Agency for Electronic Media, in the amount of EUR 80,000”, Safejournalists writes.

BELGRADE, 26.03.2020. – “Information comes to us from a third hand, from trusted people from the municipality, whose names are not mentioned in stories, but we don’t have black and white what is decided,” explains Mileva Malešević, director of the TV Forum in Prijepolje, whose journalists have been unable to attend Municipal Council meetings for four years.

This municipality near the border with Montenegro has changed the rules in 2016 and effectively banned journalists from monitoring the work of one of the most important institutions of the municipality to the citizens.

The Rules of Procedure of the Municipal Council stipulated that media have the right to receive an invitation to attend meetings of the Council. However, the new municipal government, led by the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), has removed these articles from the Rules of Procedure.

Instead of open sessions, the Municipality has decided to inform the public through press conferences.

Malešević says that this practice has never come to life, that journalists do not receive announcements from the Municipality nor the information about decisions can be found on the website.

She points out that the only way journalists can obtain official information from a Municipality is by sending requests for access to information of public importance. However, lately this mechanism has not worked either.

“We are told in the Municipality that we are abusing requests to get information and they are no longer responding on them either,” Malešević explains.

Prijepolje Municipality is just one of several that have made it difficult for local journalists to work by closing their doors in the last few years.

Journalists formal undesirable in Pancevo

“The work of the Council is available to the public,” is the most common description in the Rules of Procedure of City councils in local governments throughout Serbia.

The Local Governments Act states that local authorities are obliged to inform the public about its work, which would mean in practice that journalists need have access to both local assembly sessions and council sessions.

However, the Pančevo City authorities interrupted this long-standing practice in 2019 when they virtually barred journalists from attending Council sessions.

City government led by SNS decided in mid-September 2019 to remove the article that says “members of the media have the right to attend City Council meetings, …” from the City Council’s Rules of Procedure. As a reason, it was stated that in this way the work of the Council would be improved, it would be more efficient and emphasized that the Council would inform the public about its work through press releases, press conferences and statements.

The editor of the local PANpress portal in Pančevo, Ivana Marjanov Predić, however, says that none of this works in practice.

“They agreed to answer questions at press conferences, but that never happened, neither the Mayor nor the members of the Council, so there is no communication between the City administration and the media,” Predić says.

She adds that the City administration doesn’t publish decision on the website and the practice of sending announcements has ceased, so the job of a journalist is significantly difficult. According to her, the presence on sessions of the Council meant for her and her colleagues a chance to ask questions to members of the Council, questions like why certain decisions are made in order to properly inform citizens. Ever since that right was revoked, it has had a negative impact on the quality of their reporting.

“It affects us lot, we cover only those topics for which we have sources and that circle narrowed a lot, maybe the Red Cross, several sources from the hospital, one public company and that’s it,” Predić says.

Like her colleagues from Prijepolje, Predić says that only thanks to requests for access to public documents, she is able to obtain official information about the work of the City Council.

Transparency on paper only

Cities such as Valjevo, Subotica, Čačak, Zrenjanin, Smederevo and Jagodina have also made it difficult in the last few years for journalists to attend City Council sessions, although this is not officially prohibited.

An analysis of the Rules of Procedure of the City Councils in 24 cities in Serbia shows that most of them do not formally prohibit journalists from attending the sessions because they are public, as stated in the documents. However, what exactly this publicity implies in most of its rules of procedure is not defined.

That is why local authorities interpret these regulations in different ways and arbitrarily decide which sessions of City Council are public and which are not.

In early December 2019, Valjevo City Council reportedly sat and discussed City budget for 2020. Journalists learned of this session only after it was held from sources employed in City administration and could not inform Valjevo citizens what local government plans to do with the budget over the next year.

Lack of transparency in local decision-making in Valjevo lasts for years.

The SNS-led government in this city decided in 2017 to prevent journalists from attending sessions on the grounds that it would contribute to better and more substantive informing for citizens.

“All sessions will be held without the direct presence of the media, but with timely information on agenda items, as well as the outcome of decisions of the City Council. After each session of the City Council, a statement will be provided, which will give the public a detailed insight into the decisions made. In addition, members of the City Council will directly address press conferences as needed, explaining to the public in greater details certain decisions that are important to the functioning of the city,” said in a statement received by journalists from the Information Office.

Because of this decision, the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS) reacted and urged the authorities in Valjevo to stop the practice of endangering the freedom of public information, to make its work public and accessible to all journalists and the media without discrimination.

The IJAS pointed out that the Law on Local Governments (Article 71) stipulates that “the bodies and services of a local government unit are obliged to inform the public about their work through the media”. Nevertheless, authorities in Valjevo continued this practice.

Research shows that a similar situation occurred in Subotica during November 2016 when journalists from the local online media outlet “Magločistač” questioned how a local official was appointed director of the tourism company “Park Palic”, whether he resigned as a City Council member or was he dismissed. The journalists did not get answers to these questions because they were not invited to the City Council session when this was decided and they did not receive information on the results of the vote from the City Media Center.

In June 2016, first session of the Čačak City Council was held, marked by the decision of the new Mayor, Milun Todorović, to ban journalists from attending this body’s session. At the beginning of the session, Todorovic “asked” media representatives to leave the City Hall, so that, as he explained, councilors “would work in peace”.

According to the Večernje Novosti daily, the sessions of Čacak City Council have been public since 1992, journalists had easy access to all meetings and received materials. Due to this decision, journalists decided to boycott the work of the City Council.

Journalists from Zrenjanin were expelled in December 2013 from a City Council session where it was discussed about important issues such as budget rebalancing for 2014 and the establishment of three new public companies. The opposition, made up of members of the Democratic Party and the League of Socio-Democrats of Vojvodina, at the time indicated that the reason for expelling journalists from the session was to hide the party employment of the parliamentary majority, made up of the Serbian Progressive Party and the Socialist Party of Serbia.

Online media outlet “Južne vesti” wrote about secret session of the City of Niš Council meeting in September 2012 at which, among other things, it was decided on the continuation of contract with Montenegro Airlines. There was no announcement of this session on the City’s website and as a reason it was said that session was scheduled by emergency procedure.

In City of Smedervo, the practice of expulsion of journalists from City Council sessions began as early as 2011, when the Democratic Party in coalition with the Socialist Party of Serbia was in power in that city.

“Local Self-Government Transparency Index 2019 (LTI)” study published by Transparency Serbia in mid-2019 shows that in 86% of cases, local governments are transparent regarding the list of names of City or Municipal Council members. But in only 11% their decisions are made publicly available to journalists and interested citizens.

The survey points to the fact that city councils discuss and decide many important issues but that their sessions are not broadcast in the local media, which is why it is important to ensure the transparency of their decisions, which most do not.

BEOGRAD, 26.03.2020. – “Mi do informacija dolazimo iz treće ruke, od poverljivih ljudi iz opštine čija imena ne pominjemo, ali nemamo crno na belo šta je doneto od odluka,” objašnjava Mileva Malešević direktorka TV Forum iz Prijepolja čiji novinari već četiri godine ne mogu da prisustvuju sednicama Opštinskog veća.

Ova opština blizu granice sa Crnom Gorom još 2016. godine promenila je pravila i praktično zabranila novinarima da prate rad jednog od najvažnijih organa opštine za život građana.

Naime, poslovnik o radu Opštinskog veća predviđao je da mediji imaju pravo da dobijaju pozive i da prisustvuju sednicama veća. Međutim, nova opštinska vlast na čelu sa Srpskom naprednom strankom (SNS) izbacile je ove članove iz poslovnika.

Umesto otvorenih sednica, opština je odlučila da će javnost informisati putem konferencija za medije.

Malešević kaže da ta praksa nikada nije zaživela, da novinari ne dobijaju saopštenja od opštine niti se informacije o donetim odlukama mogu pronaći na sajtu.

Ona ističe da jedini način na koji novinari mogu da dobiju zvanične informacije od opštine jeste slanje zahteva za pristup informacijama od javnog značaja. Međutim, u poslednje vreme i ovaj mehanizam ne funkcioniše.

“Nama u opštini kažu da mi zloupotrebljavamo zahteve da bi došli do informacija i više ni na njih ne odgovaraju, objašnjava Malešević.

Opština Prijepolje samo je jedna od nekoliko koje su u poslednjih nekoliko godina otežale rad novinara na lokalu zatvarajući svoja vrata.

Novinari formalno nepoželjni i u Pančevu

“Rad Veća dostupan je javnosti,” najčešći je opis u poslovnicima o radu gradskih veća u lokalnim samoupravama širom Srbije.

Zakon o lokalnim samoupravama kaže da su lokalne službe dužne da obaveštavaju javnost o svom radu, što bi u praksi značilo da bi novinari morali da imaju pristup kako sednicama lokalnih skupština tako i sednicama veća.

Međutim, vlast u Pančenu prekinule su ovu višegodišnju praksu 2019. kada je praktično zabranile novinarima da prisustvuju sednicama Veća.

Gradska vlast predvođena SNS je sredinom septembra 2019. odlučila da član koji kaže da „predstavnici sredstava javnog informisanja imaju pravo da prisustvuju sednicama Gradskog veća, …“, izbrise je iz poslovnika o radu Gradskog veća. Kao razlog navedeno je da će na ovaj način biti unapređen rad Veća koje će biti efikasnije i istaknuto da će Veće obaveštavati javnost o svom radu putem saopštenja, konferencija za novinare i davanjem izjava.

Urednica lokalnog portala PANpress iz Pančeva, Ivana Marjanov Predić, međutim kaže da u praksi ništa od ovoga ne funkcioniše.

“Dogovorili su se da odgovaraju na pitanja na konferencijama za novinare ali to se nikada nije desilo, niti gradonačelnik niti članovi Veća, tako da nema nikakve komunikacije između gradske uprave i medija,” kaže Predić.

Ona dodaje da gradska uprava odluke ne objavljuje ni na sajtu, a prestala je praksa slanja najava pa je posao novinara značajno otežan. Prema njenim rečima prisustvo sednicama Veća je za nju i njene kolege značilo priliku da postave pitanja članovima Veća zbog čega donose određene odluke kako bi na pravi način informisali građane. Od kako im je ovo pravo ukinuto, to se negativno odrazilo na kvalitet njihovog izveštavanja.

“Mnogo utiče, radimo teme za koje imamo sagovornike, a taj krug se mnogo suzio, možda Crveni krst, nekoliko sagovornika iz bolnice, jedno javno preduzeće i to je to,” kaže Predić.

Kao i njene kolege iz Prijepolja, Predić kaže da jedino zahvaljujući zahtevima za pristup informacijama uspeva da dođe do zvaničnih informacija o radu grada.

Transparentnost samo na papiru 

Gradovi kao što su Valjevo, Subotica, Čačak, Zrenjanin, Smederevo i Jagodina takođe su poslednjih godina otežavali novinarima da prisustvuju sednicama Veća iako zvanično to nije zabranjeno.

Analiza Poslovnika o radu gradskih veća 24 grada u Srbiji pokazuje da većina njih formlno ne zabranjuje novinarima da prisustvuju sednicama jer su one javne, kako je to u dokumentima navedeno. Međutim, šta tačno podrazumeva ova javnost rada u navećem broju poslovnika nije definisano.

Zbog toga lokalne vlasti na različite načine tumače ove propise pa arbitrarno odlučuju koje sednice su javne a koje ne.

Početkom decembra 2019. Gradsko veće u Valjevu je navodno zasedalo i razmatralo budžet grada za 2020. Novinari su o ovoj sednici saznali tek nakon što je ona održavana od izvora iz gradske uprave i nisu mogli da obaveste građane Valjeva o tome šta lokalna vlast planira sa bužetom tokom naredne godine.

Netransparentno odlučivanje u Valjevu traje godinama.

Vlast u ovom gradu, predvođenja SNS-om, odlučila je još 2017. da novinarima onemogući prisustvo sednicama sa obrazloženjem da će to doprineti boljem i sadržajnijem informisanju građana.

“Sve sednice biće održavane bez direktnog prisustva medija, uz blagovremeno informisanje o tačkama dnevnog reda, kao i o ishodu odluka Gradskog veća. Nakon svake sednice Gradskog veća biće dostavljeno saopštenje, koje će javnosti omogućiti detaljan uvid u odluke koje su donete.Takođe, po potrebi će se članovi Gradskog veća direktno obraćati na konferencijama za novinare, na kojima će javnosti još detaljnije obrazlagati određene odluke, koje su bitne za funkcionisanje grada,” pisalo je u saopštenju koje su novinari dobili od Odseka za informisanje.

Zbog ove odluke reagovalo je Nezavisno udruženje novinara Srbije (NUNS) i pozvalo vlasti u Valjevu da prekinu sa praksom ugrožavanja slobode javnog informisanja, kao i da svoj rad učini javnim i dostupnim svim novinarima i medija, bez diskriminacije.

NUNS je tada ukazao da Zakon o lokalnoj samoupravi (član 71) propisuje da su “organi i službe jedinice lokalne samouprave dužni da obaveštavaju javnost o svom radu preko sredstava javnog informisanja”. Ipak, vlast u Valjevu je nastavila sa ovom praksom.

Istraživanje pokazuje da se slična situacija desila i u Subotici tokom novembra 2016. godine kada su novinari lokalnog portala Magločistač postavili pitanje kako je lokalni funkcioner postavljen za direktora turističkog preduzeća „Park Palić“, da li je podneo ostavku kao član gradskog veća ili je smenjen. Odgovore na ova pitanja novinari nisu dobili jer nisu pozvani na sednicu Gradskog veća na kojoj se o ovome odlučivalo, a od Medija centra grada nisu dobili informacije o rezultatima glasanja.

U junu 2016. održana je prva sednica Gradskog veća Čačka koju je obeležila odluka novog gradonačelnika Miluna Todorovića, po kojoj je novinarima zabranjen pristup tokom zasedanja ovog tela. Todorović je na početku sednice “zamolio” predstavnike medija da napuste salu Gradskog veća, kako bi, kako je objasnio, većnici “imali mir u radu”.

Prema pisanju Večernjih novosti sednice veća u Čačku bile su još od 1992. godine javne, novinari su imali nesmetan pristup svim zasedanjima i dobijali su materijal za sednice. Novinari su zbog ove odluke odlučili da bojkotuju rad Gradskog veća.

Zrenjaninski novinari izbačeni su u decembru 2013. sa sednice Gradskog veća na kojoj se raspravljalo o značajnim pitanjima kao što su rebalans budžeta, budžet za 2014. i osnivanje tri nova javna preduzeća. Opozicija, koju su činili odbornici Demokratske stranke i Lige socijademokrata Vojvodine, je tada ukazivala da je razlog za izbacivanje novinara sa sednice skrivanje partijskog zapošljavanja skupštinske većine koju su činili Srpska napredna stranka i Socijalistička partija Srbije.

Novinari Južnih vesti ukazali su na tajnu sednicu Gradskog veća u Nišu u septembru 2012. na kojoj se između ostalog odlučivalo o nastavku ugovora sa Montenegro erlajnsom. Na sajtu grada nije bilo nikakve najave ove sednice, a kao obrazloženje rečeno je da je ona zakazana po hitnom postupku.

U Smedervu je praksa izbacivanja novinara sa sednica Gradskog veća počela još 2011. godine kada je na vlasti u tom gradu bila Demokratska stranka u koaliciji sa Socijalističkom partijom Srbije.

Istraživanje “Indeks transparentnosti lokalne samouprave 2019 (LTI)” koje je sredinom 2019. godine objavila Transparentnost Srbija pokazuje da su lokalne samouprave u 86% slučajeva transparentne što se tiče liste imena članova gradskih ili opštinskih veća, ali da su u samo 11% lokalnih samouprava odluke veća javno dostupne novinarima i zainteresovanim građanima.

Istraživanje ukazuje na činjenicu da gradska veća raspravljaju i odlučuju o mnogim važnim pitanjima ali da njihove sednice nisu emitovane u lokalnim medijima zbog čega je važno da se obezbedni transparetnost njihovih odluka što većina nije učinila.

SKOPJE, 26.03.2020 – The situation in which we are right now requires avoiding contact with other people, working from home and using digital tools in carrying out our daily professional duties.

In order to help your communication and simplify the work from home, we decided to share with you some useful programs/applications recommended by the Online News Association.

1. For easier communication with your colleagues and share the daily tasks you can use one of the following apps: Basecamp, Asana or Slack.
2. For video conferencing you can use the apps: Zoom, Jitsi or Google Meet/Hangouts.
3. For easier management of documents you can use: Google docs or Microsoft Office 365.
4. If you use an unsecured internet connection you can use VPN or password applications. For this purpose we recommend: TunnelBear or LastPass.
5. In order to save documents on the Internet you can use: Drop Box or Google Drive.
6. If you need to connect to your work computer from home, then we recommend the application Anydesk.

Photo by freestocks on Unsplash

PODGORICA, 24.03.2020. – The Montengrin media will receive the assistance from Government and other state’s bodies, in amount of around 265,000 euros, as a support to recover from the effects of the corona virus pandemic.

Out of that amount, 150,000 euros was provided for print media, for assistance to local public broadcasters is planed the amount of 35,000 euros, and commercial and public broadcasters will be exempted from paying fees to the Agency for Electronic Media, in the amount of 80,000 euros.

The department headed by the Minister of Culture, Aleksandar Bogdanovic, recently launched a public competition for support to the print media in the amount of 150,000 euros.

“In this way, we want to support the activities of daily print media for the creation and production of content of public interest, in order to practice the right of citizens to be informed and educated on all issues, problems and consequences related to the corona virus”, emphasized Bogdanovic.

At the same time, the Agency for Electronic Media accepted the recommendation of the Government of Montenegro and made a decision to completely release the electronic media from the obligation to pay the Agency fee for the next three months.

“This measure provides additional support in excess of 80,000 euros for electronic media, all with the aim of supporting the media in order to ensure continuity in their work in these challenging times”, Bogdanovic said.

He added that one-time financial support for 14 local public broadcasters was also allocated, in the amount of 35,000 euros.

“These funds will be used to create a correspondence network that will enable Montenegrin public and national-frequency media to receive material from other cities, in the form of multimedia content, in the shortest possible time”, Bogdanovic said.

In this way, he said, the aspiration was to strengthen the capacities of the local media, to assist the national media and to encourage timely public information, but also to comply with the recommendations of the National Coordinating Body for Infectious Diseases related to reduced intensity. movements of citizens and thus of journalists.

“All of the above is only a part of the measures to encourage the media sector, whose employees these days are on a demanding task and are doing an exceptional job, to which the entire Montenegrin public is grateful”, Bogdanovic concluded.

PRISHTINË, 23.03.2020 – Asociacioni i Gazetarëve të Kosovës është njoftuar se ekipi i Gazetës Blic, i përbërë nga gazetarët Nebih Maxhuni, Diamant Bajra dhe kameramani Arsim Rexhepi, është sulmuar sot në veri të Mitrovicës, gjatë realizimit të një storje për situatën e krijuar nga virusi Corona.

Sipas raportimeve të Gaztës Blic, ekipi ishte afruar pranë një pike ku shitej miell dhe flisnin me qytetarët për të parë si po shkon furnizmi, kur ata janë sulmuar nga dy qytetarë, duke u goditur me grushte e shkelma.

Gazetari Maxhuni është duke marrë tretman mjekësor në spitalin e qytetit të Mitrovicës.

Policia e Kosovës është njoftuar për rastin dhe ekipi i Gazetës Blic është intervistuar. AGK kërkon nga organet e sigurisë që sa më parë ta hetojnë këtë rast.

AGK do ta përcjell me kujdes rastin në fjalë duke kërkuar hetime të shpejta dhe efikase.

Sulmi i tillë ndaj gazetareve është akt i shëmtuar dhe skandaloz i cili nuk përkon me një shoqëri të lirë dhe demokratike. Vlerësojmë se aktet e tilla nuk janë të drejtuara vetëm ndaj individëve, por ndaj lirisë së medieve, fjalës së lirë dhe ndaj të drejtës së qytetarëve për të qenë të informuar.

СКОПЈЕ, 23.03.2020 – Во пресрет на најавените мерки за ограничување на движењето на граѓаните во периодот од 21 до 06 часот, Владата на РСМ вечерва објави насоки за начинот на издавање на дозволи за работа на терен на новинарите и медиумските работници. Сметаме дека е важно во услови на криза институциите да најдат начин за новинарите и медиумските работници да бидат присутни на терен, со цел да ја информираат јавноста за тоа дали се почитуваат мерките кои се на сила, но и воопшто да известуваат за прашања од јавен интерес.

Според објавените насоки, дозволи ќе се издаваат на сите традиционални медиуми кои се регистрирани во Агенцијата за медиуми, а за онлајн медиумите само на оние кои се дел од Регистарот на професионални онлајн медиуми објавени на платформата www.promedia.mk

Во контекст на ова, укажуваме дека зачленувањето во Регистарот на професионални онлајн медиуми е на волонтерска основа и служи за да се промовираат и афирмираат медиумите кои ги почитуваат професионалните стандарди и критериумите за членство, како помош на граѓаните при изборот на медиумите за нивното информирање и на бизнис заедницата во пласирањето на нивните реклами. Целта на Регистарот е да се следи почитувањето на новинарските стандарди, да се поттикнува професионалноста и да се алармира на прекршувањата, но не може да служи за ограничувања во секојдневното извршување на работните задачи.

Оттука, сметаме дека ограничувањето според кое медиумите кои не се дел од овој Регистар не можат да добијат дозвола за движење со цел вршење задачи во услови на полициски час не е оправдано и бараме Владата да го преиспита ваквиот чекор.

Во исто време сите онлајн медиуми потребно е да бидат свесни за тежината на изречениот збор во вакви времиња и да сфатат дека одговорноста од евентуално непрофесионално известување е нивна, но последиците ќе ги трпат граѓаните. Затоа уште еднаш повикуваме на професионалност и внимателност во изнесувањето на информации поврзани со кризата.

ЗНМ и СЕММ остануваат отворени за соработка со сите јавни институции кои вложуваат напори за да се надмине кризата поврзана со коронавирусот, а во насока на креирање мерки со кои ќе се заштити здравјето на граѓаните, но со кои ќе се гарантира и слободата на изразување и правото на јавноста да биде информирана.