16. 11. 2012

CONTROLLED CHAOS

Belgrade, November 16, 2012. (Dnevnik) - President of NUNS Vukasin Obradovic assesses the Serbian media scene as controlled chaos, emphasizing that economically weak media are created in order to be easily controlled.

- The question is not whether tycoons can own the media, but why it is all non-transparent. The central problem is that the state is the key player - Obradovic said during his appearance as a guest on the B92 TV show "Hocu da znam" ("I want to know").

Obradovic and journalist Slavisa Lekic agree that there would be no problem if Miroslav Miskovic had a stake in daily Press and Miroslav Bogicevic was the owner of Politika in case it was completely transparent and if there was a clear legal regulation and rules.

- Bogićević has bought Politika and the media has been pushing the story that returning the state ownership would save the daily, while the point is that the state cannot be in the media - Obradovic said.

He said that the media are economically weak, journalists work for miserable wages, and thus possibility for easy control is created:

- It is chaos, but controlled chaos, as the state and two or three state or para-state agencies lead  the whole story - he said.