22. 09. 2011

NUNS and NDNV: Too broad a competence of national councils in minorities’ media

Belgrade, Novi Sad, September 22, 2011. (Blic) - Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia (NUNS) and Independent Journalists' Association of Vojvodina (NDNV) urge decision makers in the process of adoption of Media Strategy to pay a special attention to the role of national minorities' councils in the media in order to limit the arbitrariness in the media outlets founded by them.

"What proves the fact that national councils take their role of the media founders in a non-democratic way is the latest example of changing the director of RTV Panon. Without discussing personnel solutions, NDNV warns that "arguments" used in order to do this change are equally unfounded, even grotesque, as it was in the case of June dismissal of editor-in-chief of Magyar Szo, it is announced in the joint statement.

NUNS and NDNV indicates that the latest changes prove arbitrariness of the Hungarian National Council (MNT) and clear political influence on the media founded or co-founded by the Council, as it was the case with RTV Panon.

"This case proves unsustainability of the concept of the councils as media founders with uncontrolled rights and without any responsibility", it is said in the statement.

Two journalists' organizations are additionally concerned over the fact that MNT does not hide its intention to entirely monopolize the public information in Hungarian language in Vojvodina, as it was proved in the Draft Media Strategy of Vojvodina Hungarians 2011-2016.  

"In this document, MNT announced the ambition to undertake co-founding rights in the Radio Subotica, Novi Sad TV Mozaik as well as the Radio Regije from Backa Topola. "There are no indications that the councils would give up the concept of political patronage over these media from which all incapable people would be eliminated", it was added in the text.

In spite of the requests of journalists' and media associations, the Proposal of the Media Strategy, stipulates the possibility of founding the minorities' media by national councils without any limitations.

"The said dismissal of Rudolf Mihok (RTV Panon) indicates that such solution would entirely jeopardize independent, professional and unbiased journalism", NUNS and NDNV concluded.