Today is International Labor Day, a day to remember the demonstrations of the labor movement held in Chicago in 1886. That is, a day that should be a reminder to everyone that the fight for better working conditions is never-ending.

On this occasion, we would like to emphasize that the position of journalists and media workers in Serbia is far from enviable. The work is uncertain, the fees are low, while the pressure comes from all sides, in all forms, often as threats, but also physical attacks. Institutions bear the greatest responsibility for such a situation in Serbia, and that is why we call on them to create a better environment for the work of journalists.

Our research shows that the social and economic position of journalists and other media workers in Serbia is still unfavorable. A big problem is the insecurity in which many journalists work, without guaranteed working rights, with insecure contracts under which they are hired.

In the most difficult position are those journalists who work outside the employment relationship, in temporary and casual jobs, under a work contract and have no protection whatsoever.

The bad financial situation has influenced some journalists to work in several media in order to provide basic means of living or to do other jobs outside of journalism. Young journalists face the same problems.

Bad conditions are influenced by the overall state of media freedom, as well as various pressures, which ultimately have direct consequences for the mental health of journalists.

Journalists are almost daily targets of political officials. Instead of answering the journalist’s questions, they verbally, often with street vocabulary, deal with the journalists. In this way, journalists are made legitimate targets in the public eye, and many face various threats, which endangers their safety. Threats and attacks against journalists are rarely punished, and if sanctions are imposed, they are minimal.

The Coalition for Media Freedom therefore calls on the institutions in Serbia, as the most responsible for the current situation, to create better conditions for the work of journalists, and citizens to be allies of journalists in the fight for a better position, because journalists are always on the ground to support the struggle of citizens to achieve their rights, among which are better labor rights.

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo, in cooperation with forumZFD – Program in Kosovo, organized a study visit to Skopje from April 26th to 28th.

During the study visit to North Macedonia, journalism students and journalists who were part of the Academy visited the premises of the Association of Macedonian Journalists. There they met with Milan Spirovski – Researcher, and Biljana Nasteska – Kalanoska – Communication Officer. Participants of the academy engaged in discussions to understand the role of media and journalists in North Macedonia, including the challenges, opportunities, and the role of the AJM.

Among other things, media ethics were discussed, including legal frameworks and regulations governing journalism in North Macedonia. The journalists also discussed the socio-political context of North Macedonia and its impact on journalism practice.

Further, the visit continued with the meeting at the Council for Media Ethics in Macedonia (CMEM). There we were welcomed by Biljana Georgievska – Executive Director, Kristijan Nushkov – Project Coordinator, and Fatos Grubi – Project Assistant. During this meeting, participants discussed the Council’s work, the standards and ethical guidelines established by CMEM for media professionals in North Macedonia. They also discussed CMEM’s role in promoting responsible journalism through the adherence to ethical standards and codes of conduct.

The final meeting of the study visit took place at Pikasa Analytics, where journalists had the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Pikasa’s work from Meriton Nagavci, a data analyst. During the visit, participants discussed the latest trends in online media and their impact on various topics, including those related to dealing with the past.

The Academy on Dealing with the Past Journalism and Conflict Sensitive Reporting began in March of this year in collaboration with the forumZFD- Program in Kosovo. A series of trainings were organized on reporting about dealing with the past, conflict-sensitive reporting, dealing with fake news in the context of historical events, and the role of media in the reconciliation process. The aim of these trainings was to equip participants with the skills and knowledge necessary to effectively report on conflict-sensitive journalism and sensitively handle past events.

On 30th April 2024, during a meeting of the Tirana City Council, Mayor Erion Veliaj made a series of inflammatory remarks directed at analysts from opposition television channels. In response to accusations against him, Veliaj referred to the analysts as “scoundrels” and “scum,” alleging that their attacks were motivated not by public concern but by personal interests, specifically the denial of building permits by the Tirana Municipality. On the same day in the morning, Mayor Veliaj’s communications office released a notice to the media, clarifying a WhatsApp post by Veliaj. The post included a quote from Roosevelt: “Judge me by the enemies I have made,” and featured a photo collage of journalists, television analysts, media administrators, and chief editors, whom Veliaj now considers enemies.

The remarks were made on the same day Mayor Veliaj appeared before the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution concerning investigations into the Tirana incinerator.

Mayor Erion Veliaj’s inflammatory remarks against media analysts at the Tirana City Council meeting on April 30, 2024, pose significant implications for media freedom and public trust. Veliaj, who is known for avoiding press conferences, delivering pre-packaged materials to the media, and previously engaging in anti-media rhetoric and verbal attacks, has intensified concerns by labeling journalists and analysts as enemies. The incident also raises legal and ethical concerns about the potential misuse of public office to intimidate critics or provide favors to those who support him. 

Sources:

https://shqiptarja.com/lajm/veliaj-dje-ne-emisione-ishte-mbledhur-gjithe-llumi-bashke-me-analiste-qe-e-kane-hallin-e-perfitimit-te-tyre-jo-te-qytetareve

https://www.syri.net/politike/684905/armiqte-dhe-miqte-e-erion-veliajt/

https://www.gazetatema.net/politika/me-gjykoni-nga-reputacioni-i-armiqve-qe-kam-bere-veliaj-ironizon-banake-i437917

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo has received with concern the threats that have been made against the sports journalist/editor at Channel 10, Lorik Gashi.

Gashi has shared the communication that Muhedin Ferati, the president of the club Phoenix, had with him on social networks, where he repeatedly insults and threatens him.

“I will f*** your family members. Post the news, I will f*** your family members. I will say one more word to you, if you won’t remove that fake post, then there will be consequences”, it is written in part of the message.

AJK strongly condemns the insulting and threatening language used by the manager of this club. We urge the FFK to act on this case, as well as Kosovo Police to prioritize this case.

Such threats seriously endanger the work of journalists, of all sectors, including sports reporters.

Gashi reported on the delay in salaries for the football players at the club managed by Ferati.

Tomorrow marks the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Radio Television of Serbia building and killing of 16  workers of media public service.

On the night between April 22 and 23, 1999, during a news broadcast, at 2:06 AM, a bomb from a NATO bomber hit part of a building in the center of Belgrade.

People who were at their workplace at the time lost their lives: Jelica Munitlak, Ksenija Banković, Darko Stoimenovski, Nebojša Stojanović, Dragorad Dragojević, Dragan Tasić, Aleksandar Deletić, Slaviša Stevanović, Siniša Medić, Ivan Stukalo, Dejan Marković, Milan Joksimović, Branislav Jovanović, Slobodan Jontić, Milovan Janković and Tomislav Mitrović.

Although NATO put the RTS building on the list of legitimate targets and announced the bombing, the employees of the state television were not evacuated but were deliberately sacrificed, and their deaths were misused for the propaganda purposes of the then regime.

Dragoljub Milanović, the former director of RTS, was the only one convicted of this crime, although neither the state nor the military leadership did nothing to protect RTS employees. 25 years have passed since the crime, and their responsibility is not mentioned. The chain of responsibility for the death of the workers was not determined, and their death was treated as a consequence of the responsible person’s failure to comply with the regulations on protective measures.

There is no doubt that RTS was used as a means of war propaganda, but that cannot be the reason for the bombing and there is no reasonable justification for an armed attack by the NATO. We remind that before this terrible war crime in Belgrade’s Aberdareva Street, during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992 – 1995), the armed forces led by Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić in Sarajevo demolished, among other things, the building of the newspaper Oslobođenje and severely damaged the building of RTV dom, and in those bombings there were human casualties. The similar crime happened three years ago when the Israeli military forces bombed a building in Gaza that housed several media outlets, including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, under the pretext that there were members of Hamas hiding in the building. Therefore, we are witnessing the same attacks on the media under similar charges and without prosecuting the perpetrators, and we fear that this can happen again.

Since many of those who ruled Serbia in the nineties of the last century are in power today, on this occasion we remind them of the consequences of the media darkness from that time. One of the consequences is the death of RTS workers, the other is many innocent people who suffered and  died because of propaganda that has been shamelessly abused in RTS reporting in the 1990s.

Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (IJAS)

 22.04.2024