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Journalists in Serbia targeted 18 times since the start of 2019, scholar says

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BELGRADE, 14.06.2019. – Norbert Sinkovic, an assistant at Media Studies department of Philosophical Faculty in the northern city of Novi Sad and a journalist with Radio Free Europe (RFE) told N1 on Thursday that the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS) recorded 18 cases of threats or attacks on media people.

He added it was up to the state institutions to create an atmosphere in which the journalists would be supported.

“We see that the institutions do not do their job, they are late, don’t process the suspects. Besides, there are cases of dismissed criminal charges by the prosecution,” Sinkovic, a newly elected president of the Independent Society of Vojvodina’s Journalists (NDNV), said.

Commenting on the draft of a new Media Strategy, Sinkovic said it was not clear why the concrete measures suggested by the expert group related to the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media (REM) were replaced with “a wish list.”

Last year, in the first eight months, 57 journalists were attacked with pressure on media growing, an analysis warned. In 2017, 92 attacks on media people were recorded.

The latest European Commission report on Serbia’s progress toward the European Union also warned about deteriorating of the media freedom in Serbia, as did the Freedom House report.

State of Montenegrin media: Self-censorship and internal pressures on employees

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PODGORICA, 12.06.2019. – The state of media freedom in Montenegro does not change and is constantly at an equally low level, but what is increasingly emphasized in the reports dealing with this topic is the poor social position of the employees and the tendency of self-censorship that comes from fear of job loss.

The European Commission’s Report on Montenegro states that “The economic situation of journalists remains precarious, especially due to job insecurity and low salaries, putting them at risk of editorial interference and possible self-censorship”.

Freedom House’s in its annual report on the state of freedom in the world, regarding the Montenegrin media points out that “Journalists self-censor to avoid threats, political pressure, costly defamation suits, or job loss”.

These are the problems that the Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG) has been pointing out for a long time since there are also data that the members of the SMCG are exposed to various types of pressures on a daily basis. SMCG has tried to change the situation for the better through the current amendments to the Media Law. There was no understanding at the Working Group dealing with amendments to the Media Law in 2018 for attempts to find a way to reduce the influence of media owners on journalists and editorial offices, which was also the recommendation of the experts of the Council of Europe and the European Commission. The Working Group said that any similar regulation of relations within the editorial offices would be a barrier to media owners.

Journalists must work freely and their work must be guided solely by the public interest and the rules of the profession, and therefore SMCG has continued to insist on the necessity of arranging relations between media owners and editorial staff. SMCG, through proposals for amendments to the Law on Media delivered during the public debate, insists on the introduction of the obligation to adopt a codified document (statute) that would regulate any unregulated issues in media, such as the choice of editor-in-chief.

The SMCG proposal is that the editor-in-chief is appointed and dismissed by the founder of the media, in accordance with the Statute of the media, as a special act of the media.

“The special act of the media regulates the issues of defining editorial policy, the involvement of journalists in the appointment and dismissal of the editor-in-chief, the freedom of work and the responsibility of journalists, and the conditions and procedure according to which the editor-in-chief has the right to resign with just satisfaction in cases of such a change in ownership or the governing structure of the media, which leads to a significant change in the program base or program content of the media (so-called clause of conscience)”, states the proposal to amend Article 29 of the Law.

This act would be adopted with the prior consent of majority of the total number of journalists working in media, within 90 days from the date of foundation of the media and registration in the offical documents.

“Regulations in Montenegro do not have mechanisms for protecting journalists and editors from the influence of media owners. There is no obligation to sign an appropriate act by the owner and journalist to ensure that owners do not interfere with the editing of media content. Combined with an unconsolidated financial position, low wages, limited career opportunities, journalists and editors often adhere to the influence of the ownership structure on editing media content. Also, SMCG research in the last three years, as well as other studies, showed that censorship and self-censorship are present in the Montenegrin media, which is a huge obstacle to the increase in professional standards”, it is stated in the explanation of the proposal, reminding that the solutions were taken from the Slovenian Media Act and Croatia.

In this way, a certain level of journalistic autonomy would be ensured in relation to the employer, and even in theory, it could create the possibility for the editorial offices to function more freely.

SMCG stands for the position and it is necessary to add a new article in the Law to ensure freedom to journalists employed in the private media, freedom they do not have now.

“The journalist can not be fired, his salary can’t be reduced, his status in the editorial board can’t be changed or his responsibility can’t be determined for the attitude or opinion expressed in accordance with professional standards and program rules”, the proposal is a new article.

The foundation for this proposal was found in Article 14 of the current Law on National Public Broadcasters Radio and Television of Montenegro. More precisely, the second part of that article is transcribed only because the same rights must be reserved for other journalists, and not only those who work in the RTCG. Journalists in Montenegro are otherwise limited by the will of media owners and this has to change. Because of this influence (and when there is no open censorship) there is self-censorship and journalists are afraid to express their opinion about the consequences that can follow after that.

Journalists are discouraged by the lack of sanctions against violators of journalistic rights

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TUZLA, 12.06.2018. –In the last three years, the BH Journalists Association has recorded 50 threats and attacks on female journalists in BiH, but it is assumed that this number is significantly higher because journalists rarely report violations of human rights to relevant institutions and organizations. This was said at a workshop in Tuzla on the topic of protecting the human rights of female journalists in BiH media.

The workshop pointed out that the female journalists in the Tuzla Canton are in a much worse position than their male colleagues, and that they are more exposed to intimidation, mobbing, sexism and other types of verbal threats and attacks.

“It is devastating that journalists attack and discriminate perceived discrimination as a normal and integral part of their everyday work,” said professor Zarfa Hrnjic Kuduzović, with the Department of Journalism at the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Tuzla, who is one of the authors of the research on the position  and protection of female journalists that BH journalists conducted last year on a sample of 100 respondents  from the media community.

“There is a very small number of reports of attacks on female journalists, and female journalists are discouraged by the fact that almost nothing is done in the sanctioning of the attackers as well as the prevention of evidencing violations of women’s human rights in the media, ” said professor Hrnjic-Kuduzovic and urged female journalists to more resolutely fight for the advancement of judicial practice and punishing violators of journalist rights advocate amendments to criminal law in BiH for more effective protection of media freedoms and rights of journalists.

The project coordinator of BHJA Milica Andrijašević emphasized that the BH journalists Association is currently implementing a spectrum of activities aimed at strengthening the network of journalists in order to increase basic knowledge on the protection of women’s rights and the rights of media professionals to recognize violence in the context of gender policies and gender equality.

“BH journalists really want to educate female journalists, editors and students of journalism about gender policies and gender equality, as well as the mechanisms at their disposal and the means of protection in cases of attacks, discrimination, mobbing … On the other hand, we want to improve the awareness of the public on the need for more efficient protection of journalists, as well as the greater involvement of judicial institutions in the implementation of existing and new laws that would more effectively protect media freedom and rights of female journalists”, said Andrijašević.

President of BH journalist Marko Divković, based on his personal experience, concluded that the greatest problem of journalists in the Tuzla Canton is insufficient knowledge of professional and human rights. He recalled that in journalism there are more and more young journalists who have not learned enough about their rights on the faculty or are trained in media outlets in the media.

“I can not say with certainty whether there are violations of working and professional rights of female journalists or their rights because they are women, but in this way, I would invite young colleagues to get better acquainted with their rights and to be protected in such a way,” said is Divković.

As the fastest and most effective way of protection is education, connectivity, solidarity and mutual support of journalists, said the participant of the workshop.

“Joint education is an excellent opportunity for female journalists and journalists to hear certain experiences, research and thus get inputs on how to react in certain situations”, said Fatima Bećirović from the Gender Center of the Federation BiH.

The Tuzla workshop was held within the project “Strengthening the Network of Female Journalists in BiH” implemented by BH Journalists Association through the USAID’s Independent Media Empowerment Program (IMEP) and supported by Free Press Unlimited from the Netherlands.

Belgrade journalists speak out against Antidot story about N1 TV

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photo: pixabay

BELGRADE, 12.06.2019. – Belgrade newspaper Danas spoke out against what it says are personal insults against N1 TV and its management by the pro-regime web portal Antidot.

Danas recalled that Antidot published what it claimed were the negative conclusions about the station’s editorial policies in an internal report ordered by N1 TV’s owner the KKR investment fund by former BBC News chief James Harding. The daily said that United Media reacted to the claims, saying that an orchestrated campaign was being waged against it to discredit and destroy the few remaining professional media in the country and denying the claims about the report.  

The Antidot story claimed that N1 and its owners were waging a campaign against the state-owned Telekom Serbia which bought several small cable operators for what experts said was an excessive price.

The daily asked NIN weekly editor in chief Milan Culibrk for a comment of the Antidot story. Culibrk wanted to know “how big and from who Antidot got a donation to accuse everyone who dared ask how a company, whose majority share-holder is the Serbian government which means the taxpayers, is spending money”.

BIRN editor and Vreme weekly contributor Slobodan Georgiev said the Antidot story is senseless. “This is a strike against N1 just as the Telekom deal was not about business but was intended to destroy N1. This is about primary political influence with the aim of destroying N1 or at least chasing away (its news director) Jugoslav Cosic,” Georgiev said.

KRIK investigative journalism portal editor Stevan Dojcinovic recalled that Antidot is already being sued “for its lies” and added that the Antidot portal was set up to look like an investigative journalism team but was actually just there to attack the political opposition and independent journalists.

Ličnim uvredama na nezavisno novinarstvo

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photo: pixabay

BEOGRAD, 12.06.2019. – U pokušaju da diskredituje nezavisne medije u Srbiji, prorežimski portal Antidot otišao je korak dalje, te je uputio lične uvrede na račun čelnih ljudi N1.

Female journalists do not recognize day-to-day stress and gender-based violence as professional problems

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BRČKO, 12.06.2019. – Female journalists in BiH are not sufficiently familiar with domestic and international mechanisms for the protection of labor and social rights, and very rarely recognize gender-based violence, threats, and attacks that they are exposed daily. This was pointed out yesterday at the workshop “Position and protection of female journalists in BiH” organized by BH Journalists Association in Brcko. 

Insufficient education of female journalists about their rights, including gender-based violence, is one of the main problems faced by female journalists and why they rarely report attacks, discrimination or mobbing at the workplace. Also, the length of court proceedings and the disappointment in the judicial system are the reasons why female journalists and other media employees do not believe that they will be adequately protected, and in some cases, they suffer from various forms of professional and gender violence by decades.

Project coordinator of BH journalist Milica Andrijasevic said that networking of female journalists is necessary in order to protect them from gender-based violence and violation of professional rights in a more effective way, but also to help to improve the position of female journalists in their media houses.

“The biggest disproportion in the representation of women and men at the main management positions is in the television sector. Even three-quarters of directors and editors-in-chief in this sector are men, while women account for only 15.8 percent. In general, the share of women in the director’s position in the media is 25.3 and men 74.7 percent, “Andrijašević pointed out.

She added that in the BH journalist’s research, female journalists were more engaged in problematizing simple and less attractive topics and media content, especially in news programs, and that they often accept topics that are simpler, under pressure from editorial colleges.

Fatima Bećirović from the Gender Center of the Federation of BiH pointed out that, in addition to discrimination, female journalists and other media professionals are exposed to various forms of professional stress.

“Journalists and female journalists are very often a target of the attack, regardless of their sexual affiliation precisely because of the profession they are dealing with. It is truly a devastating fact that out of 120 reported cases of violation of journalists’ rights, only 30% have been sanctioned “, – Bećirović said, adding that journalists often do not have time to advance in their profession because bh. society did not apply gender equality in an adequate manner and there is no equal consensual measure for the professional advancement of men and women.

President of the BHN Club of Journalists Bosanska Posavina Admir Kadrić said that male colleagues must work more on gender equality in media houses and enable female journalists to do a better job, move faster and be elected to leadership positions. “The curse of our business is a desire and a collision for information, and we have less time to deal with professional advancement or strengthening the position of journalists within the editorial staff,” Kadrić added.

In addition to all the factors that influence the objective work of the media and the position of female journalists and journalists in the Brcko District, there is a lack of financial support and relatively low salaries in the journalistic profession. A longtime journalist and correspondent of EuroBlica Cveta Kovačević explained that journalism work is in most cases considered a male job. “Journalists often complain because they are given easier tasks because they are considered insufficiently competent for research, execution of “hard” topics”, Kovacevic said. She added that Brcko District’s local authorities are open to journalists, one of the few that allows media to be present during sessions and legislative and executive authorities, which is why they will be more interested in their own contribution to improving the position of journalists in the Brcko District.

The workshop in Brcko was held within the framework of the project “Strengthening the network of female journalists in BiH” implemented by BH Journalists Association through the USAID’s Independent Media Empowerment Program (IMEP) and with the support of the Free Press Unlimited from the Netherlands.

Steering Committee of BHJA : Russia’s Ambassador to BiH must publicly apologize to Zurnal journalists

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SARAJEVO, 11.06.2019. –Steering Committee of BHJA requests Mr. Peter Ivancov, the ambassador of Russia to Bosnia and Herzegovina, to publicly apologize for verbal insults and inappropriate comments on the web portal Zurnal and his journalist Avdi Avdic. Visiting the N1 television program in Sarajevo, Ambassador Ivancov said that “Zurnal portal is not credible” for him, and that journalist Avdo Avdic “embarked on internal political processes”.

Steering Committee of BHJA believes that Mr. Peter Ivanc’s statements represent a rough attack on the freedom of the media and the right of journalists to critically analyze current developments in BiH, including political – intelligence and judicial affairs, which Zurnal wrote over the past several months. By giving his own, no argumentative opinions on the work of journalist Zurnal, Ambassador Ivancov brought the entire editorial office to direct danger! This diplomatic pressure on Zurnal’s journalists has added weight, since it comes from the ambassador of the Russian Federation – a country with significant influence in BiH and countries of the region – and has been launched with the aim of destroying the professional reputation and credibility of information published by this media.

Steering Committee of BHJA invites the Presidency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of BiH to urgently send a protest note to the Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the relevant institutions of the Russian Federation for the inadmissible interference of their diplomat with the work of a Bosnian-Herzegovinian media. Also, the Steering Committee of BHJA will send a protest letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation due to the statements of Ambassador Ivancov.

Steering Committee of BHJA

Osamnaest godina od ubistva novinara Milana Pantića

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BEOGRAD, 11.06.2019. – Danas se navršava osamnaest godina od ubistva novinara “Večernjih novosti” iz Jagodine Milana Pantića, a nalogodavci i ubice još uvek nisu otkriveni.

Kako prenosi list “Politika” komemoracija će biti održana u 11 časova na Gradskom groblju u Jagodini, dok će u Narodnoj biblioteci u tom mestu biti uručena tradicionalna nagrada “za novinarsku hrabrost Milan Pantić”, čiji je ovogodišnji dobitnik, kako navodi taj list, američki novinar i suosnivač onlajn magazina “Intersept” Džeremi Skejhil.

Dopisnik “Večernjih novosti” iz Jagodine Milan Pantić ubijen je 11. juna 2001. u hodniku ispred svoga stana u Jagodini, udarcem tupim predmetom u glavu.

Pantić je pre ubistva objavio više tekstova u kojima se bavio privrednim kriminalom u pomoravskom okrugu, a najviše je pisao o privatizaciji i korupciji u jagodinskoj pivari i popovačkoj cementari.

AJK asks for amendments on the new draft law on the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK)

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The Association of Journalists of Kosovo (AJK) has reacted to the new draft law of Radio and Television of Kosovo (RTK). The five-year mandate without a term limit for the position of General Director of RTK as it is proposed is a serious threat for transparency, editorial independence, and the credibility of  RTK.  If  a  single  individual  leads  the  institution  for  decades  it  can  stifle  creativity  and independence. AJK is proposing to limit the mandate of the General Director of RTK to three years with the right for reelection for a second term, or a five-year mandate without the right of re-election. Due to the complicated situation, we seek the assistance of the embassies and the international organizations in Kosovo to put forward our proposals.

Furthermore,  the  draft  law  contained  other  weaknesses  that  need  intervention  in  order  to  ensure  the independence of RTK. AJK proposes that the following changes be made to the draft law:

  • The new draft law has removed the limit of bought content that RTK can purchase from independent producers, thus endangering the original content produced by RTK.  AJK proposes that the percentage of purchased content, which previously existed, be reinstated.
  • The draft law does not contain public clear guidelines for buying audiovisual productions, thus threatens the free competition. AJK proposes the previous guidelines be reinstated.
  • In concordance with the Law No. 05/L -020 on Gender Equality, AJK recommends that five out of the eleven  RTK  Board  Member  positions  are  held by  women,  in  comparison  to  the  new  draft  law,  which mandates that only two women will hold RTK Board Members positions. Furthermore, AJK suggests that women  hold  two  out  of  the  five  Senior  Management  positions,  as  well  as  30%  of  other  managerial positions.
  • The  Board  of  RTK  must  be  elected  by  a  non-political  council  that  will  provide  a  shortlist  for  board members to the Assembly of Kosovo for approval. This model was successful in regional countries like North Macedonia to depoliticize the Executive Board.
  • The article which lists the profiles of the Board of Members should change the term “business” with “a person from the field of economy.”
  • The draft law should add a specific article stating the maximum number of deputy directors in order not abuse with the position and the taxpayer’s money.
  • AJK  recommends  that  the  RTK  Director  of  Television  in  Albanian  language,  Director  of  Television  in Serbian language, Director of Radios, and the Deputy Directors of Radio and Television must have the same mandate as the General Director of RTK in order that when a new director comes in place he/she should have their employees and not the ones from the previous administration.