09. 05. 2006

PRESS COUNCIL ON MEDIA

BELGRADE, May 9, 2006 – The reporters of the Media Center’s Press Council presented the results of thirteen monthly reports from March last year till April this year, where they said the print media disrespected the elementary codes of journalism excessively. One year long work of the Press Council verified the decline in professionalism in elementary principles of journalism, with Danas, Politika and Blic resisting this trend. One of the key downsides of the press, tabloids before all, is a strong inclination to sensationalism. The leading dailies in Serbian media that follow this trend are Kurir, Nacional and Press. Sensationalism, groundless accusations and claims, libel, rumors and gossip were reported in over 400 cases, whereas 350 cases showed the violation of fundamental human and civil rights. Member of the council Gordana Susa said that, between the information as fundamental human right and information as merchandise, was a space that needed to be filled with media legislation. Susa also said the media was full of vulgar and offensive texts, disrespectful of basic human rights and mostly coming from the important institutions such as the Serbian Parliament. The reporter of the Council Dragan Janjic said the situation in journalism is far from good. The media is mainly like that because it just mirrored the Serbian political elite, Janjic said.