EXTRACT FROM THE NOVEMBER 2008 REPORTS

MediainCrisisSituations:TheCaseofSerbia

ByNebojsaRistic,President of the AEJ'sSerbianSection

ReportfortheAssociationofEuropeanJournalists–anobservermemberoftheCouncilofEuropeSteeringCommitteeontheMedia

Linz,November2008

Iwill first dividethisbriefoverviewofthehistoryofthestruggleformediapluralismandmediafreedominSerbiaintotwodistinctperiods – beforeandaftertheRevolutionofOctober2000 – and then takestockofthetroublingsituationfacingSerbia’sindependentmediain2008.I conclude with a postscript that details three recent cases.

Before 2000

Theworldisfamiliarwiththeharshrealityoflife,includingtheconditionsofworkforjournalists,whichprevailedformanyyearsinthecountriesbehindtheIronCurtain.InSerbia,aselsewhere,itisastoryofthesystematicsuppressionofmediafreedomandfreedomofexpression.Butitisatthesametimeastoryofanunceasingstruggleonthepartofmanyjournalistsandeditorstoachievethosefreedoms.Thatnarrativedeservestotakeupasignificantpartinthe“worldbookofjournalism”,ifsuchavolumeweretoexist.

InSerbia,theextremedistortionoftheenvironmentforjournalistscontinuedthroughoutthedecadeofthe1990s,whilethenationexperiencedwar,ravaginginflationandeventuallythedisintegrationofthestateofYugoslaviaandthere-makingofthepoliticalsystemwithinSerbiaitself.Thestruggleformediafreedomandindependenceduringthattransitionalperiodoftenappearsinretrospecttohavebeenclumsy,butitisalsomarkedbyhonesteffortstobreakfreeoftheoldconstraintsanddistortions,thanksinparticulartothedeterminationofanumberofactorsinthestorywhoplayedadramaticpart.Thatformativeperiodoftrialanderror,ofadvancesandretreats,leftadefinitelegacyintheformoftherelationshipsthateventuallyemergedamongthevariousforcesinthemediaworld,thepoliticalstructures,andthebusinessandinterest groupsinthecountry.

Thesecondperiod,afterOctober2000whentheMilosovicgovernmentfell,sawrapidandpositivechangesinthemedialandscape.ThestrictPublicInformationLaw,enactedin1998totightenthestate’scontrolduringthewarwithNATO,wassuspended.Banishedjournalistsandmediastartedtocomebacktotheirofficesandjobs,andalsotorecovertheequipmentandpremisesthatwereconfiscatedduringtheharshcrackdownontheindependentmediain1998,1999and2000.Thatprocesswasbynomeanssimple,straightforwardorfair.ButmediaprofessionalsworkedconstructivelywithexpertsfromNGOsandotherstoprepareanewsetofmedialawswhichweremodeledonmodernandwell-triedsystemsinotherpartsofEurope.

After 2000

Therewerealsoseriousfailuresanddisappointmentsintheattempttosetuparobustsystemofindependentmedia.Forexample,duringparliamentaryprocedures,someaspectsofproposedmedialegislationweredeliberatelychangedtoservetheinterestsofcertainmediagroups,orthe financial,politicalandsecuritycentresofpower.Thosedistortionsandbadjudgmentshavealltooobviouslyledtotheproblemsseentoday,notonlyintheunstablepatternofmediaownershipbutalsointheshockingincreaseinthenumberofviolentincidentsinwhichjournalistshavebeentargeted.

ThesuccessionofviolentanddisturbingincidentsintherecentpastcastdoubtontheeffectivenessofthedemocraticchangeswhichmanyhaveworkedhardtobringaboutinSerbia.Wehavewitnessedmanycriminalassaultsonjournalistsaswellasintimidationandotherformsofunacceptablepressureonjournalists,theirplacesofwork,andevensometimesontheirfamilies.ThemostdramaticexampleisthemurderofMilanPantic,ajournalistfromJagodinainCentralSerbia,100km fromBelgradeandacorrespondentforanationaldailynewspaper.HewaskilledinfrontofthebuildingwherehelivedwithhisfamilyinJune2001.Thecaseisstillnotsolved.Fromthecircumstances,itisclearthathismurderwasmeanttobeawarningtoanyoneworkingininvestigativejournalism.Inevitably,inaBalkancountryin“transition”,suchjournalismsometimesinvolvesexposingunpleasanttruthsabouttheactivitiesoffiguresinpowerorauthority.

InSerbiathesituationofthewould-beindependentmediahasbecomequitedesperate.Aclimatehasbeenallowedtodevelopinwhichjournalistsareregularlysubjecttoharassment.Andthatatmosphereofhostilityhascometoaffectmanypeoplewhoworkintheeditorialofficesofnewsorganisationsaswellasanumberofprominentpublicfigures.Serbia’snumeroustabloidnewspapers,inparticular,havecometobeusedasplatformsforlaunchingsmearcampaigns,attackjournalismandevendefamation.Yettheresponseofthejudicialandotherproperauthoritieshasoftenbeenlate,tepidorevasive.

The present day

Intheearlypartof2008theincidentsofviolenceandintimidationgrewmarkedlyworse.Laterthesituationappearedtocalmdowntosomeextent.PoliticaltensionsrosefirstoverthepresidentialelectionsinJanuary,andagaininFebruarywiththeEuropeanUnion’sdecisiontoaccepttheindependenceofKosovo.Duringriotsafteraprotestrallyagainstthatdecision,someEmbassiesinBelgradewereattacked,withseriouslooting.Anumberofjournalistsbecametargetsofviolentattack.JournalistsfromtheNetherlandsandtheCzechRepublicwereassaulted,andsimilarscenesoccurredduringlaterprotestsfollowingthearrestofRadovanKaradzic.PresscolleaguesfromUkraineandSpainwereattackedatarallywhichhad turnedviolent.Ironically,thejournalistscamefromcountrieswhichhadnotinfactgivendiplomaticrecognitiontothegovernmentofKosovo.SerbianjournalistsandcameramenfromB92radiostation,fromtheBetanewsagencyandsomeotherswerealsoattackedseriouslyinJuly.

Oneofthosecasesresultedinacameramansufferingabrokenleg.Onthatoccasionthepoliceandpublicprosecutorreactedpromptlyandtheattackerswerefoundandconvicted.But,inSeptember,duringcontinuousprotestsbygroupsofright-wing,ultra-orthodox,nationalisticandevenpro-Naziorganisations,someofthedemonstratorswereabletoenterthepremisesoftheBetaagencytoissuewhattheycalleda“warning”.

AllthoseincidentsoccurredinBelgrade.ButassaultsonjournalistsoutsideBelgradehavealsobeencommonandoftensevere.Manyofthemrevolvedaroundmurkycasesofprivatisations,businessmergersortakeovers,orsuspicionsregardingpublictendersandlucrativeprocurementcontractsforlocalgovernmentbodiesandpublicenterprises.Mediaworkersseekingtoinquireandreportonsuchmatters,farawayfromthecapital,haveoftenfoundthemselvesdangerouslyexposedto intimidation,harassmentorviolence.ThesameappliestoanumberofNGOs,foreignembassiesandconscientiouspoliticians.

In2008twoparticularexamplesofsuspectedabuseofpowerbylocaltycoonsorpowerbrokersareworthmentioning.InZrenjanin,Vojvodina,awomanreporterfromtheBetanewsagencyreportedlyfacedthreatstoherownlifeaswellastoherdaughteraftershehadreportedallegationsofillegalbuildinginthemunicipality.AndinNoviPazar,aregionalsoknownasSandzak,aregionalTVjournalistandcameramanwereattackedwhiletheyweremakingareportaboutotherallegationsofabusesofplanninglaws.

Theywereattackedonsiteastheyrecordedinterviews.Inbothcases,policehaveidentifiedtheresponsiblepersonsandjudicialproceduresarebeingfollowed.Itisalsogreatlytobewelcomedthatthegovernmenthasdirectedthecourtstotreatattacksonjournalistsasseriouslyasattacksonofficialpersons.

However,thisshortaccountpromptsmetoputthefollowingquestions:

  1. Isthereanysureandreliablewaytoprotectjournalistsfromphysicalharmarisingfromtheworktheydo?
  2. Howisitpossibletodistinguishinlawandpracticebetweenthosewhousejournalismforresponsible,professionalpurposesandthosewhoseektouseitasapartisanplatformtopublicisesomeprivateorevenvindictivecampaignforpoliticaloreconomicpurposes?
  3. CantheEU,theCouncilofEuropeortheOESCEfindnewandmoreeffectivewaystocounterandpreventattacksonjournalists?
  4. Ascolleaguesandprofessionals,withintheAEJandbeyond,whatmorecanwedotoplayaresponsibleandeffectivepartinrectifyingthealarminganddangerousthreatstomediafreedomandindependencethatexistandarenowgrowing?

Newsafeguardsareneededanda state of muchhigherpublicawarenessisnecessary withinoursocietiesandgovernmentstoallowthemediatofulfilitsproperpurposeofholdingpowertoaccountandbolsteringthedemocraticwayofgovernment.

Postscript– three cases

CaseinNoviPazar,18June2008

JournalistIvanaMilic(f)andcameramanEdisKlimenti(m)werereportredlythreatenedverballybybrothersFaroukh(35)andHaroun(31)Lwhileconductinganinterviewaboutallegedviolationsofthebuildinglaws.Accordingtothejournalist’sstatement,thedefendantstoldthemtheywould"cuttheirthroatsandbreaktheirequipmentiftheirreportgoesonairanywhere." Policeidentifiedandarrestedthedefendantsonthesameday,andtheywereincustodyforeightdays.On27 JunethePublicProsecutorlaidchargesagainstthem.Thetrialisawaited.

CaseinBelgrade-July,10 September,1 October2008

Allegedmembersofanultra-orthodox,right-wingnationalisticorganisation“Obraz”(“Cheek”)and“Pokret1389”(“Movement1389”–theyearoftheBattleonKosovo-field)enteredthepremisesoftheBetanewsagencyseveraltimes,demandingtoknow“whyBetadoesnotreporttheirprotests?”Theydemandedthattheirstatementsshouldbepublished.BetanewsagencyeditorialstaffprotestedtotheMinistryofInteriorAffairs,askingtheMinistrytotakestepstoconstrainfollowersofRadovanKaradzicfromthreateningbehaviourandtrespass.

CaseinZrenjanin–22 September2008

AnanonymousmanthreatenedLjiljanaStupar,aBetareporterfromZrenjanin,aboutthecontentsofherreporting.Shetoldthepolicethatanunknownmalehadthreatenedherduringatelephonecall,sayingthathe“hadaphotographofherdaughter”andthatsheshouldnot“stickhernosewhereitdidnotbelong”.Healsoallegedlyinformedherthathehadbeenpaidtofrightenher.LjiljanaStuparnotifiedthepoliceofthetelephonecodefromwhichtheincomingcallhadbeenreceived.Shesaidshehadalsoreceivedthreatslastyear,overarticlesshewroteinthelocalpressaboutcontroversialprivatizations.

On26 September,policeidentifiedLjubišaKfromZrenjaninasthepersonwhohadmadeathreateningtelephonecalltoLjiljanaStupar.Thejournalisthadrecordedpartofthetelephoneconversationandgivenittothepolice.

Criminalproceedingsarescheduledtotakeplaceagainsttheaccusedonchargesofjeopardisinganindividual’ssafety.