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NDNV: Tabla i sanduče našeg udruženja prelepljeni nacionalističkim natpisima

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NOVI SAD, 04.04.2018. – Tokom jučerašnje popodneva ili noći ponovo su, po ko zna koji put, uništeni – tabla sa natpisom Nezavisnog društva novinara Vojvodine i naše poštansko sanduče, koji se nalaze ispred kancelarije udruženja u Zmaj Jovinoj, centralnoj novosadskoj pešačkoj ulici.

Tabla i poštansko sanduče su, kao što se vidi na fotografijama koje prilažemo, prelepljeni parolama na srpskom i na engleskom jeziku: Dobrodošli u područje nacionalizma!

Tabla sa natpisom NDNV-a, kao i naše poštansko sanduče, mnogo puta su bili na meti nasilnika, što prepoznajemo kao ozbiljnu pretnju, pogotovo ako uzmemo u obzir činjenicu da su rukovodioci i saradnici našeg udruženja dugo već meta velikog broja direktnih pretnji smrću i drugih verbalnih napada.

I ovaj incident smo prijavili policiji i drugim nadležnim organima, ali nažalost moramo da istaknemo da nemamo prevelika očekivanja da će počinilac biti pronađen i primereno kažnjen, s obzirom da do sada niko, niti jednom nije odgovarao za napade na NDNV i pretnje nama i našim saradnicima, pa čak i ako je to činio ne skrivajući vlastiti identitet.

Мобинг удари на уредниците и сопствениците кон новинарите

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СКОПЈЕ, 04.04.2018 – Мобингот е многу често врзан за политичките притисоци, иако не мора секогаш да биде случај- конечно, многу од интервјуираните новинари кои работат во комерцијални медиуми не ја гледаат докрај оваа врска и се фокусирани на лошиот третман кон нив од страна на главните уредници или некои од уредниците, или како вели долгогодишната новинарка Искра Новаковска: “Во новинарската професија зборот мобинг е само пристоен израз за ниските удари кои ги доживуваме и преживуваме….Нив сум ги имала многу и се трудам да ги заборавам, но и да не му ги направам никому”.

Искра Новаковска

Иако ниту еден од новинарите кои беа интервјуирани не се жалел официјално за случај на мобинг ниту во Синдикатот, ниту во редакцијата каде работат , неколкумина од нив велат дека биле предмет на мобинг, но го премолчеле заради тоа што е “тешко да се докаже, но е и долг и мачен процес“, вели синдикалната лидерка Тамара Чаусидис.  Скоро сите интервјуирани новинари се согласуваат дека мобингот е често секојдневен начин на комуникација на уредништвото со новинарите и тие го трпат изживувањето, навредите, високите тонови со кои им се обраќаат уредниците- само заради страв да не го изгубат работното место и со тоа платата, колку и да е мала и понижувачка.

Како што вели една новинарка која до пред еден месец работеше во комерцијална ТВ блиска до власта на Груевски, а сегашна опозиција- мобингот опстанува без поддршка од надлежните институции:

“Да, мобинг има. Новинарите постојано се повикуваат на одговорност за тоа што го работеле, бидејќи некому тоа не му се допаднало и биле казнувани по 10, 15 проценти од платата.

Се сеќавам, на пример,  кога поголема група од новинари беа избркани од работа преку ноќ. Се жалеа до сите можни институции, но подршка не добија, освен декларативни зборови на охрабрување.

Една од тие колешки ја тужеше телевизијата, но го изгуби спорот- се работеше за самохрана мајка со  малолетно дете. Таа напиша и отворено писмо во кое образложи дека списокот на отпуштени лица е правен од партијата на власт (ВМРО ДПМНЕ). На ова доби одговор  од раководството на телевизијата кое беше емитувано во вестите со омаловажување на нејзината работа и со непристоен предлог – ако не може таа да се грижи за детето, телевизијата ќе и го чува”.

Оваа новинарка мобингот тесно го врзува со политичките притисоци, кои имаат директна последица и врз платата на новинарите, а целата операција всушност ја изведуваат главните уредници, кои многу често и не спроведуваат таква наредба од сопствениците на медиумите, туку самостојно преземаат иницијатива за мобинг врз колегите, за да ја зачуваат функцијата, за која сметаат дека е престижна, но и за да го потврдат на тој начин авторитетот и моќта- дека имаат целосна контрола врз “своите новинари”, сметајќи дека со сеење страв, ќе ја ја обезбедат почитта и авторитетот.

Атмосфера на страв и лов на вештерки

Ретко кој новинар од интервјуираните педесетина признава дека бил предмет, жртва на мобинг, но огромен дел од новинарите огорчено сведочат за постојан мобинг врз колегите, став кој го потврдува и новинарка која бараше да остане анонимна:

“Немав јас мобинг, но мои колеги постојано изјавуваат дека им се врши мобинг. Но, никој нема пријавено таков случај. Мислам дека на сите ни е тешко да препознаеме што од тоа што ни се случува е мобинг, а што е нешто што треба да го прифатиме како нужно зло или тешкотија при работењето. Но, имаше медиум каде сите тврдеа дека им бил вршен мобинг од уредник. Но, сите беа среќни што личноста веќе не беше на таа позиција и тоа им беше доволно. Мислам дека никој не сака да оди на пријави, тужби и сл. на таа тема”.

Новинарка која има работено во комерцијален дневен весник, вели дека имала неколку примери на мобинг, но малтетирањето не го поврзува со новинарска непослушност и одбивање да служи на партиски или други интереси:

“ На суптилен  но и на помалку суптилен начин. Ова мислам дека е многу деликатна тема и голем проблем кој тешко се детектира и уште потешко санкционира. Мобингот постои,  на него биле изложени и мои колеги, ретко кој се пожалил некому. Од вас се очекува ова сами да си го решите во балкански стил – покажи заби! Нема правила на игра, ниту професионален кодекс на однесување. Секој мобинг може да пројде под изговорот „се зезав“!

На пример, во една сосема нелогична ситуација, со ништо предизвикан, еден колега  ми рече – мрш! Откако подоцна насамо инсистирав да ми објасни зошто така постапи, ми одговори дека бил нервозен и не се сеќава дека воопшто такво нешто изустил. Се извини.

Мислам дека  кога во тимот  има атмосфера на страв и „лов на вештерки“ од различни причини, мобингот станува многу изразен, по принцип на домино коцки. “

Соња Крамарска

Љубиша Станковиќ, новинар кој работеше во згаснатиот весник “Утрински весник”, а воедно беше и синдикален лидер, говори за неколку случаи на мобинг на тогашната главна уредничка Соња Крамарска:

“Уцените и заканите беа составен дел од „уредникувањето“ на тогашната главна уредничка. Новинарите знаеја дека казните доаѓаат на секои два до три месеци, само беше непознато за колкав процент ќе биде намалена платата, а која пред комплетниот „распад“ на „МПМ“ дојде на ниво од 300 евра или 18.000 денари.

Колку за илустрација: зад името на Соња Крамарска се врзуваат отпуштања на десетина новинари, а уште пет-шест сами си заминаа, бидејќи не можеа да го поднесат теророт. Имено,  Крамарска не уредуваше весник, туку луѓе. За неа, од некои новинарки, беа поднесени приговори кои упатуваа на форми и облици на мобинг, а кога уследија закани дека тоа ќе го стори целата Редакција, менаџментот ја разреши од функцијата главен и одговорен уредник и со тоа самите се спасија од одговорност”.

Малтретирањата на уредништвото во време на владеењето на ВМРО-ДПМНЕ најчесто се врзани со непослушност, одбивање на новинарите да служат на власта, на владејачката структура, со која и уредништвото и сопствеништвото имаат склопено пакт за пропагандни цели, прикриен под фразата- соработка со партиите. За оние кои не се согласуваат да бидат ударна тупаница на власта или барем нивен послаб, но значаен мегафон, следува парична казна, за која најчесто молчат:

“Платите на новинарите изминатите години константно се намалуваа. Ако пред повеќе од 5 години, платите се движеа во категорија високи (околу 800 евра), потоа под изговор дека фирмата е во  „тешка финансиска криза“ се намалуваа и стигнаа до сума од средна плата (околу или под 500 евра). Платите се намалуваа и како казна –  зашто си одбил позиција која си знаел дека нема да можеш независно да ја извршуваш или си одбил задача од различни причини”- сведочи новинарка која има работено во комерцијален ТВ концесионер, за пропагандната машинерија на ВМРО-ДПМНЕ со која сопственикот ја одржувал телевизијата, за да добива на сметката огромни суми од владините реклами, но и воедно и милост од власта и за другите бизниси кои непречено се одвиваат.

Следната недела ќе читате:  Порталите ги голтнаа работничките права на новинарите

*Оваа статија e објавена во рамките на регионалниот проект “Невидливото насилство: списанија весници”, поддржан од ЕУ, и дел од програмата “Заштита на слободата на медиумите и слободата на изразување”, имплементирана од Хрватското здружение на новинари, како дел од “Регионалната платформа за медиуми за слобода и безбедност на медиумите” новинари на Западен Балкан “. Проектот се реализираше преку партнерство на шест регионални новинарски здруженија: Независната асоцијација на новинари на Србија, Здружението на новинари на БиХ, Хрватското здружение на новинари, Косовското здружение на новинари, Здружението на новинари на Македонија и Сојузот на медиуми на Црна Гора.

Vanhoutte: Reforms in the media will survive only if there is political will

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SKOPJE, 04.04.2018 – Further significant progress can be achieved in a few years, provided that the government, especially the relevant minister, remain involved in supporting a free and professional media environment – said the Belgian expert in an interview withTruthmeter.mk and Meta.mk.

Peter Vanhoutte, the mediator in the talks between political parties during the process of reaching the Przino Agreement, recently visited Macedonia for the second time since completing his mission in 2016.

He was here once in June, 2017 when he was invited by the AJM, immediately after the appointment of the new Government, and now as part of the team that supported the workshop to implement the Urgent Reform Priorities, organized by the Government and initiated by the Republican Institute from the United States. We used the opportunity to talk with Vanhoutte about the reform process in Macedonia, focusing primarily on media reform.

You have been out of Macedonia for some time. Being aware of the situation in the media during your stay and involvement in the media reforms, can you see an improvement? If yes, in what sectors: MRTV, print, legislature…?

When I left a few years ago, the situation of media was very bad, mainly because it was completely controlled by the Government. Today, we see there is improvement. The overall atmosphere, including in the media, is much more relaxed. The new Media Law certainly can contribute to additional progress. However, there still is a lot of work to do. The new law is still too much written from the perspective, that if you don’t obey, you need to be fined or punished. Such restrictive approach is not good. Instead we have to invest much more energy in empowering media, including media owners and journalists, to do what is right. Fines and punishments should be replaced by mediation. If there is a problem, one needs to talk and to agree on compromise solutions. I believe this is feasible and should be part of a truly professional media environment.

The situation of the print media remains problematic, as is the case all over the world, because of the transition to electronic media. However, there are probably too many print media in Macedonia to be viable. Subsidizing print media therefore is not a good idea, but one has to accept that we will need less, but profitable print media in the near future.

The situation of MRTV remains also complicated. MRTV urgently needs a solid reform plan, including the complete modernization of the broadcaster, with younger employees and probably less, with up to date equipment and a clear vision about its role in today’s society. The political control established by law can be an advantage, but in reality is often counterproductive – politics first instead of media first.

MRTV needs a new plan, a financial plan

Does the new proposed Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services can guarantee, be a solid base for the reforms at the public broadcaster? If not, what else should be done to eliminate potential obstacles for successful PBS reforms?

The new Law on Audio and Audiovisual Media Services certainly provides a good starting point for reforms of the public broadcaster. However, two key issues remain: the funding of the broadcaster and the appointment of members for the program council. For funding to be effective, it is necessary to first agree on a solid strategic plan as well as a financial plan on how to modernize and reform the public broadcaster. Funding needs to be based on this financial plan. The selection procedure for members of the program council contains some good elements, as is the case for the regulatory media agency. The weak point remains however the selection process by the Assembly. This process is not really effective, unless parliament establishes first a professional and independent selection process prior to a final (political) decision about the members of the Council. Only if one can chose between several equally competent candidates, there will be a guarantee for a less politicized Council. The best option would be to establish a highly professional independent select body, doing the selections for the whole civil service, including people to be appointed by parliament. And as a rule, appointments by parliament should be restricted to the absolute minimum.

Do you have examples on successful public broadcasters’ reforms in multicultural society as ours?

It is difficult to find comparable examples of successful reforms of public broadcasters, given the specific context of individual countries. It might however be interesting to study the Belgian way the public broadcasters are organized, funded and controlled by parliament, while at the same time their independence is guaranteed. Politicians are never allowed to interfere in any way in the work of the broadcaster, but have to ensure that, based on a well defined long term vision, the public broadcasters remain the front-runners of public communication.

Do you think that significant progress can be achieved, and in what time frame?

Further significant progress can be achieved in a few years, on condition that the Government and in particular the relevant Minister, remain engaged in supporting a free and professional media environment. The way the current Minister for Media conducts an open dialogue with media is an excellent opportunity for change. On the side of the journalists, it is however important to consider the introduction of a system of accreditation for journalists as it does exist elsewhere in Europe. Such system, including press cards, should be entirely managed by the media themselves. It would serve as a good protection for journalists as they can identify themselves when needed but should also be considered a guarantee that journalists with a press card are true professionals, even in relation to the editors. In case a journalist is not respecting the basic standards of professional journalism, the press card could be revoked either temporarily or permanent. A professional body, such as the ethics council could decide on such measures when needed. The introduction of an accreditation system would allow journalists of internet portals to be recognized as professionals as well.

What is your feeling about overall reform process in Macedonia, regarding PRIBE Report 1 and 2 and all questions have been raised during Przino process and your mediation…

There has been progress concerning the reform process. However, in some key areas, this still is insufficient. The judicial reform remains highly problematic. I believe there is a need to first of all replace certain members of the Judicial Council and to start a thorough review process of the whole system, including an evaluation of all judges. And in the end, we all have to accept that people will be fired, if they are not acting as true professionals. That is the only way to move forward. Let’s however not forget that, regardless the importance of the reform priorities, the real priorities of the citizens today are elsewhere. It is about the right on well-being and welfare, a prosperous economy, a clean environment, a professional education system and a healthcare system which is accessible to all.

You are back in Skopje – doing what?

I was back in Skopje in recent weeks to support a workshop on the implementation of the urgent reform priorities by the Government, an initiative by the International Republican Institute (IRI), which proved to be very useful. In addition, together with some of my contacts in Macedonia, we have been looking into ways to further stabilize the situation, also at a more regional level. A lot of work remains to be done, with a focus on economic development, healthcare and education, which are the real urgent priorities for all the citizens.

It is important to publicly condemn each case of hate speech

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JAHORINA, 04.04.2018. – Editorial decisions and clear distancing from hate speech are important for prevention and responsible treatment of hate speech in electronic media content, especially in live programs. Although it is not always possible to impose a sanction on people spreading hate speech, such a speech should always come to public condemnation – highlighted participants from the inter-professional seminar on hate speech in the content of electronic media, held in Jahorina.

The participants in the conference – representatives of the judiciary, the Communications Regulatory Agency, lawyers, editors and journalists – pointed out that the application of the standards of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in the processing of cases of hate speech in judicial institutions is important,

“The ECHR is conducted with three segments when deciding what is hate speech, and that is the purpose, content and context of speech,” said Emir Povlakić from The Regulatory Agency for Communications. Prosecutor of the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office Sanin Bogunić presented an international and national legal framework that treats hate speech.

„The European Convention on Human Rights protects not only content but also the means of communicating information,” Bogunić emphasized, adding that the ECHR, through its work, issued a series of judgments representing the corpus of the principles of freedom of the press and its role as a watch guard in democratic societies how the international legal framework recognizes those forms of expression subject to constraints.

Maria Donde,an international expert and representative of the electronic media regulator from Great Britain (Ofcom) spoke about the practice of preventing and sanctioning hate speech in electronic media in this country. “Ofcom receives up to 30,000 complaints on reporting and broadcasting annually. We monitor only when we estimate there is an objective need, “said Donde.

Participants pointet out that the editors decision is crucial in situations of direct reporting of listeners / viewers in the program

Učesnici su istakli i da je odluka urednika ključna u situacijama direktnog javljanja slušalaca/gledalaca u program,when one can not predict what will be said in a direct transmission. “Not every hate speech should end up in the courtroom,

sudnici,but every hate speech should be publicly condemned”, said the jurist and media expert Mehmed Halilović.

The publication “Media Regulatory Authorities and Hate Speech“, which was created based on the exchange of experience of the regulators of the countries of the region (Albania, BiH, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia and Serbia) was presented today in Jahorina.

The publication also contains data on significant cases dealt with by regulators in the region and the role of national regulatory agencies in this regard, as well as recommendations that point to possible directions for regulatory action.

„Besides imposing sanctions against service providers, there are other aspects of the work of regulators that contribute to an effective framework for preventing hate speech. They include transparency, professionalism, accountability, inclusiveness, media literacy and the continuation of cooperation with all relevant actors who fight against hate speech from different perspectives“, said the representative of the regulatory body, Azra Maslo.

The aim of the round table “Hate speech in the content of electronic media” is to improve the understanding of emerging forms of hate speech in the media and public discourse, the legal and regulatory framework, and the prevention and sanctioning of hate speech in electronic media in accordance with international standards and national legislation. One of the goals is also to improve the role of media professionals in the prevention of hate speech in electronic media, in the context of respecting ethical standards and professional standards.

The two-day seminar was organized by the BH Journalists Association, the Regulatory Agency for Communications and the Council of Europe within the JUFREX project of  Council of Europe – Reinforcing Judical Expertise on Freedom of Expression and the Media in South – East Europe, financially supported by the European Union.

Serbian journalists attacked by police in Kosovo

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BRUSSELS, 04.04.2018. – The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its Serbian affiliate, the Journalists’ Union of Serbia(SINOS), the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) and the Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia(NUNS) in condemning the attacks on Serbian cameraman Vladimir Milic as well as journalists Dragana Zecevic and Radmila Komazec on 26 March 2018 in Kosovska Mitrovica, Kosovo.

They were covering a meeting of the local community about the Kosovo dialogue in the Mitrovica Community Centre. The level of violence was very high as shown in this reportage. Milic, who works for the public television Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), was reportedly attacked by Kosovar policemen who used teargas and destroyed his camera. Zecevic and Komazec, working for the Serbian daily tabloid newspaper„Vecernje novosti“ and Serbian news organisation „Jedinstvo“, were reportedly verbally attacked and pushed to the ground with rifles by representatives of the Regional Operational Support Unit (ROSU), the special police force in Kosovo.

SINOS, UNS, NUNS and the EFJ call on the Kosovo authorities to launch an investigation into this act of violence against the journalists.

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Harlem Désir said in a statement: “I am deeply concerned about the attacks against these journalists. Media workers need to be allowed to do their job freely without any fear for their safety.”

Yesterday was International Fact-Checking Day

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SKOPJE, 03.04.2018 – The International Fact-Checking Network, in partnership with fact-checking organizations around the world, yesterday marked the International Fact-Checking Day.

“We believe that fact-checking shouldn’t be something only professional fact-checkers do. An accurate information ecosystem requires everyone to do their part”, said the International Fact-Checking Network.

Also part of this network, is the Foundation for Internet and Society “Metamorphosis“, who are actively involved in two of its projects: Truthmeter.mk, who are focused on statements and promises made by state and local officials, as well as political actors. The second project is “Media Fact Checking Service” who mainly deal with determining facts in media content.

Urgently determine whether Sead Sadikovic was a target

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BIJELO POLJE, 02.04.2018. – Trade Union of Media of Montenegro (SMCG) expresses its great concern regarding the activation of the explosive device in front of Sead Sadikovic’s home in Bijelo Polje.

We call upon relevant authorities to urgently determine whether Sadiković was a target and if he was, why. Last night was only a continuation of a series of street explosions and murders in our cities which happened the past days and raised citizens’ concerns. This case showed that besides citizens in the coast and Podgorica, citizens of northern Montenegro became targets of criminals.

Montenegrin journalists and media workers have been a vulnerable category for a long time and the state has not done enough to prevent attacks or resolve some of the most serious cases of attacks on journalists and media assets. SMCG has repeatedly warned that some of these cases will become time-barred if there timely reaction lacks. Therefore it is important to quickly and efficiently investigate last night’s explosion in Bijelo Polje in order to prevent this incident to become “forgotten”.

Hoping that our colleague Sadiković was not the target of the last night’s attack, although we fear that he was, once again we request from the authorities to inform public as soon as possible about all circumstances of the explosion.

Main Board

We require equal treatment of attacks against journalists and politicians

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SKOPJE, 02.04.2018 – The representative of the Association of Journalists of Macedonia, Deniz Sulejman, participated in a discussion for the results of the research on the efficiency of the mechanism of the European Union benchmarks in Macedonia.

Commenting on the media related part of the survey, Sulejman said that violence against journalists is not treated equally as attacks on politicians. “Last year, on April 27th in the Macedonian Parliament, among others, journalists were attacked as well. Unfortunately, none of the attackers of journalists has been punished,” he said.

He also complained about the selective attitude of the Public Prosecutor’s Office regarding the threats and attacks on journalists.

In the research, among other things, the insufficient financial independence of the Macedonian Radio Television was mentioned as well. Regarding this issue, Sulejman added that it is impossible to implement real and meaningfull reforms in MRT by reducing its’ funding, especially considering that MRT’s obligations will increase by opening two new television channels and one radio channel.

The survey was conducted by the European Policy Institute (EPI), within the framework of the BENCHER project.

Public Broadcasting Services in the Pre-election campaign 2016: BHRT reported equally, FTV & RTRS were partial

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SARAJEVO, 29.03.2018. – Public services did not offer citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina sufficient fair, uniform and professionally created information in the central newscasts broadcast during the pre-election campaign in 2016. Equal presenting of political leaders and candidates in the elections was recorded in the BHRT’s news, while RTRS and FTV showed favoring of certain candidates and leaders.

These are the key results of the central news of three Public Broadcasting Services in the pre-election campaign for the Local elections 2016, which was presented in the premises of the parliamentary assembly in BiH.

„We analyzed the party leaders and candidates in the local elections by analyzing the minutes and seconds of their appearance  in the central news programs of three public broadcasters, in the period from September 18 to October 9, 2016“, said the general secretary of the BH Journalists Association, Borka Rudić  who presented the key findings.

„The research has mathematically shown that there is a political impact on public services and it is necessary to speak publicly in order for public broadcasters to better prepare themselves for the elections, and to better and more comprehensively perform the tasks ahead of them “, said the jurist and media expert Mehmed Halilović commenting the findings of the research , and added how important it is to correct mistakes so that the PBS’s would not lose public confidence even more.

„The time for legal changes before elections is leaking. Unless there is a change before the upcoming elections, BiH politicians will show that their goal is not to have fair and fair elections. However, we hope that the decision-makers will deny this“, said the director of the Coalition for Free and Fair Elctions – Pod lupom, Dario Jovanović.

The subject of this research is media coverage in the central news programs of three public broadcasters in Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHT, FTV and RTRS. In the narrower sense, the subject of research is the statements of political subjects at BiH public services, with the aim of determining how much media attention has been devoted to informing about local elections.

During the monitored period, in reporting the three public services in BiH, RTRS focused mostly on Milorad Dodik – 32min and 46s. When it comes to the leaders of the other two major political parties in BiH, RTRS did not reported about Bakir Izetbegovic at all, while there were 31 seconds dedicated to reporting on Dragan Covic. At FTV, during the same period, the appearance of Milorad Dodik last 7min and 15s, followed by Bakir Izetbegović in the duration of 5min and 12s, while Dragan Čović was present in 1min 58s of the program. The BHT program recorded the highest level of equality of the three politicians: Bakir Izetbegović appeared for 1min 55s; Dragan Čović for 1min 40s; and Milorad Dodik for 1min 52s.

The most important piece of information about the professional attitude of public services is the attitude the media takes in reporting about candidates or politicians. In total 81 times, the public service took a positive view of the candidate, which is certainly proof of political pressures on the media. The same can be said of 38 negative reporting, which is also a problem. Only 35 times, the media has taken its rightful position, which is to be fair, balanced and objective in its work – the audience is the one who needs to make a stand on a particular candidate, and the public media should play the role of a neutral opinion arena, especially during the election campaign.

Monitoring showed that public services primarily gave space to party officials and current government institutions, and that they primarily acted as functionaries of their parties, rather than as political candidates in the elections. Evidence for this is the fact that all three public services 23 times gave space to party candidates, and a total of 131 times to party presidents or other public officials in BiH. Regarding the total dedicated time in the program, none of the three public services reported on candidates in the local elections in a balanced way in relation to their reporting on the presidents of the three most influential parties in BiH.

The conclusion is that there is a significant difference in the professionalism of BHT as a public service in BiH in relation to entity public services. The program of BHT has the highest level of uniformity in the presence of three politicians: Milorad Dodik, Bakir Izetbegović and Dragan Čović.

The additional monitoring of media in the pre-election campaign for the 2016 Local Elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina was organized with the intention to determine, by monitoring the way in which media reports on candidates in three public services, whether and how much they contribute to making citizens informed, and how much public services provide citizens with information that would enable them to base their choice of political candidates on the arguments and goals they have been presented through the media.

The analysis was realized within the framework of the project Monitoring media in the election process, which is being implemented by Consortium of BH Journalists Association and BORAM for the Coalition for Free and Fair Elections “Pod Lupom” within the BASE project.