13. 05. 2013

MINISTER TO RATIFY MEDIA LAW

Belgrade, May 13, 2013 (Politika) - Even after several-weeks-long discussion on the set of media laws, t is still uncertain when the law on public information is going to be adopted, it was concluded yesterday at the conference marking the World Press Freedom Day in Belgrade Media Center attended by representatives of journalists' and media associations.

UNS President Ljiljana Smajlovic noted that this journalists' organization would strongly oppose the new legislation on information, if it did not include the provision stipulating allocation of 2 percent of local self-governments' budget to local media.

ASMEDI President Zoran Sekulic warned that Serbia should have adopted these laws back in March this year. Unfortunately, the process of adoption has come to a deadend.

Dejan Miladinovic, the first man of Local Press association, said that the situation in local media was still difficult and they were solely but surely coming down to a semi-amateur level, as they did not have money for good editors and journalists.

Dinko Gruhonjic, NDNV President, called on stable financing of the provincial public service broadcaster and said that the concept of budget financing was nothing else but a return to the times of state television stations.