Several dozen citizens, a group calling itself the “People’s Headquarters”, gathered in front of the N1 TV building, where they are holding speeches and disrupting the work of journalists. The police have been informed.

The group dispersed after holding speeches on a sound system for three hours.

N1 believes that a potential intrusion of the „People’s Headquarters“ into its premises would likely turn violent.

On May 30, dozens of citizens of the same group entered the private property in front of the entrance to Television N1 and stayed there for several hours. The police did not react at the time, although they received calls from employees.

The Croatian Journalists’ Association appeals to all journalists and media reporting on the return of Croatian citizens from Zambia and their children to refrain from any sensationalist reporting and instead report in accordance with the principles of journalistic profession.

Similarly, we urge not to publish detailed routes of their return as they should be spared any discomfort from various quarters who could learn all the details of their return through the media. Let’s respect the privacy of individuals and their families, as well as the fact that after months of shameful lynching without a shred of evidence, to which they were subjected by some sections of the public, politicians, and obscure media, they must start a normal life again with their families. CJA explicitly appeals to everyone to be particularly careful in their treatment of children.

The Croatian Journalists’ Association thanks all journalists and media who have professionally reported on this distressing case in recent months and have raised awareness of the severity of the situation faced by our fellow citizens among the majority of the public, unlike some of our colleagues who have eagerly joined in the persecution of our fellow citizens.

For the Executive Board,

Hrvoje Zovko, President of the Croatian Journalists’ Association

Around 30 people broke into the courtyard of Serbian television channel N1 to express their discontent with the media coverage of the channel, on 30 May 2023. The European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) joined its affiliate the Independent Journalists Association of Serbia (NUNS) in denouncing the failure of the authorities to promptly react and calling for the safety of N1 media workers to be guaranteed.

The smear campaign against N1 television has been intensified by public officials in recent weeks and culminated with a protest of about 30 people for around three hours in the courtyard of the building where the newsroom is located.

The protesters introduced themselves as the “People’s Headquarters” and held speeches with sound systems and banners. While the group didn’t enter the newsroom, journalists were threatened, disrupted in their work, and employees were not feeling safe leaving the premises. N1 reported on its website: “They called N1 staff to come out of the building and said that the station is not telling the truth. According to them, the wrath of the people would catch up with N1 TV.”

According to N1, several plainclothes policemen were present in front of the building but didn’t react because they had not been ordered to identify the demonstrators or remove them from private property. N1’s editor-in-chief reported the incident to the police.

NUNS denounced the lack of response from the police and the prosecutor’s office: “N1 television is under massive attack, both from representatives of the authorities and from extreme right-wing groups (…). N1 television and its journalists are said to be the cause of tragic events, newsrooms and journalists are regularly threatened, and events such as this rally, if allowed, only increase the tension and the level of threats against journalists.”

In the days leading up to the protest against N1, MP of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) twice blamed media of the United Media (UM) group – especially N1 and Nova S – for the school shooting that happened in Belgrade earlier this month. He suggested that journalists were creating “a sick environment conducive to such tragedies”.

EFJ President Maja Sever sent her support to N1 journalists and urged government representatives and political leaders to stop harassing, insulting and attacking media outlets: “We are concerned about the negative climate prevailing in Serbia, fuelled by invective, hate speech and denigration, which is endangering some journalists and media workers.” The EFJ further calls on the Standing Working Group for the Safety of Journalists to assess the situation and take additional institutional measures to guarantee the safety of N1 workers.

This statement by EFJ is part of the Media Freedom Rapid Response (MFRR), a Europe-wide mechanism which tracks, monitors and responds to violations of press and media freedom in EU Member States and Candidate Countries.

The European Commission has published the first report on the media industry – European Media Industry Outlook on the development of the industry in the audiovisual sector, media sector, and video games across the European Union. The Media Industry Report provides market data and identifies challenges and key technological trends common to media industries, announced by the Ministry of Culture and Media.

The Media Industry Report was announced in the Action Plan for Media and Audiovisual Activities in December 2020, with the aim of researching media trends and analyzing their potential impact on media markets in the European Union, presented by European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton at the European Film Forum in Cannes.

The Media Industry Report provides market data and identifies challenges and key technological trends common to media industries. It highlights the structural impact of the current shift in media consumption in favor of digital entities. According to the report, growth is mainly driven by segments such as video-on-demand (VoD), mobile gaming, or interactive content. The results reveal new data on audience preferences and consumption, demand and supply trends, and inform about the potential impact of these trends on the European media market and business models. The analysis relies on market reviews, sector studies, consumer surveys, and questionnaires on the competitiveness of industries within the Union.

Additionally, the report highlights the importance of strategic assets such as intellectual property (IP) rights for media companies and how retaining, acquiring, and exploiting these rights can help increase revenue and investment. It emphasizes that timely integration of innovative technologies and techniques (e.g., AI virtual production) is the foundation for adaptation, opening up new markets, and achieving greater competitiveness. Furthermore, audience-focused strategies should serve as the basis for building successful business models.

You can find the European Media Industry Outlook report at the following link: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/library/european-media-industry-outlook

Source: Ministry of Culture and Media

Olha Priadko and her son, Yaroslav Tkachenko, joined the “Journalists in Residence – Kosovo” program on the evening of the 31st of May.

Priadko was received at the airport by AJK Chairman of the Board Xhemajl Rexha and ECPMF Legal Officer Flutura Kusari.

The “Journalists in Residence – Kosovo” initiative helps journalists from Ukraine and Afghanistan.

Journalists in Residence – Kosovo, which was initiated by the European Center for Press, and Media Freedom ECPMF, and is being implemented by AJK, is financially supported by the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, and the Hannah Arendt Initiative.

Berat Buzhala, Bekim Kabashi, and Lavdim Hamidi have become targets of manipulated images, which are being exposed on social networks this afternoon.

Buzhala’s manipulated image has been created in a way that supposedly appears as if the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, reposted a tweet by Buzhala, stating that he is one of the best Kosovar journalists. Meanwhile, Serbian flags with the inscriptions “Vucic’s greyhound” and “Bravo brother” (implying that this is how the Serbian President addresses the two journalists) have been placed on the heads of Kabashi and Hamidi.

Such a campaign is highly dangerous and exposes journalists and their families to online attacks.

Association of Journalists of Kosovo calls for an end to such denigrating campaigns so that the media can exercise their profession without hindrance.