06. 07. 2005

UNDERHANDED DEALINGS WITH TABLOIDS

BELGRADE, July 6, 2005 – The crew of the B92 television show Insider has come upon the audio record from the meeting of General Nebojsa Pavkovic and editor of the daily Nacional Predrag Popovic held in 2002. The recording, made before the presidential elections, confirmed that the former Chief of General Staff of Yugoslav Army and candidate for president Pavkovic and Nacional editor Popovic had discussed the letters of Ljiljana Buha, wife of Ljubisa Buha, formerly published in the dailies Nacional and Identitet. In his book “Assassination of Zoran”, weekly Vreme journalist Milos Vasic wrote that the letters of Ljiljana Buha were also the topic of the meeting held between Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and Nacional editor. Vasic wrote Popovic had admitted to publishing the letters for money. Deputy Editor-in-chief of daily Kurir Dragan J. Vucicevic however said that the money was never discussed at the meeting. Weekly Vreme journalist Teofil Pancic believes that one of the main problems of the Serbian tabloids is the editorial policy, that is, the purpose of these papers, and what they have been used for. Pancic said that tabloids like Identitet and Nacional, which were banned and shut down during the emergency state in the country, were the mouthpiece of the mafia. “I’m not saying that all working for these papers knew that they’ve been working for the mafia, but I think it was obvious that the dominant people in them were inclining to that side. As soon as the emergency state was over, these papers emerged again, maybe under new name, but certainly in more mutant profile, and continued to prosper and boom”, said Pancic. During the police activity “Saber”, dailies Nacional and Identity were shut down by the decision of the Serbian Government. Dusan Spasojevic and Milorad Ulemek were identified then as the owners of these papers. The case of B92 correspondent from Bor being attacked by the local politicians solely because he was doing his job is a good illustration of the state of journalism in Serbia. B92’s program Insider has also pointed to the consequences which political influence and criminal circles have on local journalism in their investigation of the involvement of certain media in events before and after the murder of the Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. The possibility to prevent or diminish political influence on the media is very small considering the inactivity of prosecution, delayed implementation of the legislation and inconsiderable power of the journalists’ associations. That is why it was possible for Spasojevic and Ulemek to own today closed papers Nacional and Identitet. Speaking for B92’s radio program Kaziprst, Belgrade Media Center Program Director Nebojsa Spaic however said that the fact that Ulemek and Spasojevic owned the Belgrade dailies was not the problem of journalism: “That has nothing to do with journalism. The problem lies in the papers that have been, and still are, violating the professional standards and ethical codes of journalism. However, there is one more thing here that shows why all this is not that simple. I am deeply convinced that the freedom of the press as one side of the coin is far more important than the professional ethics as the other side”, said Spaic. Independent Association of Serbian Journalists (IJAS) said that the bloom of the tabloids in Serbia could not be prevented. Journalism codes of the Association were applicable only to its members, which is roughly half the number of journalists working in the Serbian media today. President of the Association Nebojsa Bugarinovic said that there is nothing left but the moral and public criticism of these papers, giving the example of the G17 Plus urging the Court of Honor to react against the negative reporting of the daily Kurir on this political party.