04. 08. 2005

VIOLENCE OVER BROADCAST FIELD

BELGRADE, August 4, 2005 – The Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM), the Association of Independent Serbian Journalists (IJAS) and the Media Division of the Nezavisnost Trade Union protested against the new violence of the authorities over the broadcast sector in Serbia. The three organisations protested strongly against the proposed amendments to the Broadcast Act. The amendments would delay transformation of RTS into a public service broadcaster and introduction of subscription nine months earlier. The government-proposed amendments would also delay the privatisation of the local media and introduction of the principle under which members of the Broadcast Council could be elected several times in a row. The organisations also protested over the amendment which revoked the power of veto of the Council member from Vojvodina. The proposed changes to the Act which would postpone the privatisation of local media to the end of 2008 would leave the possibility of the local government to use these media outlets as their mouthpiece, said the IJAS president Nebojsa Bugarinovic. “This demonstrates clear political intention to keep the media under control until after the 2008 municipal elections. This sends a bad message to the public”, said Bugarinovic. “One of the disputed amendments delays the transformation of RTS into a public service until April 2008. The government proposed this amendment not because it was not ready to carry out such complex work, but because of its inclination to control the electronic media”, said Dragan Milanovic from the Nezavisnost Union. “They obviously want to create confusion, in which they would have the absolute authority over RTS on local and national level, by passing disputed legal solutions and interpreting previous clauses of the Act as they see fit”, said Milanovic. At the same time, the amendments to the Act envisage introduction of RTS subscription and divisional balance and transformation of this media into a public service until the end of March 2006. Chairman of ANEM Managing Board Slobodan Stojsic said that the journalists’ associations and professional organisations supported the introduction of TV subscription in general, but not as long as RTS was just one of the media outlets whose management was directly appointed by the government. “The subscription is just an imposition because the citizens are already paying it through the budget set for financing this television. Now they are asked to pay again”, said Stojsic. ANEM, IJAS and Nezavisnost Union see the solution in enacting the valid provisions of the Act. The three organisations expect the government would not adopt the proposed amendments.