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Media News Media News is a fifteen-day service which speaks about the media situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the most important media events, media legislation, relations between the media and the state and international community… D I G E S T No 52, Vol I Sarajevo, February, 21th 2000. If
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52
- You can read about: ¨ Closure of EROTEL Technical and Political Prerequisites Created for Federation Television The Independent Media Commission (IMC), supported by SFOR units, on February 17 took action to close the Croat television station in Bosnia-Herzegovina “EROTEL.” The action, which cut off EROTEL’s signal from its Mostar studio, took place at Mikuljaca, several kilometers north of Mostar, which prevented all program transmission from this station. Also, in several locations in the so-called Croat part of Bosnia technical operations were carried out to put EROTEL’s former transmitters in the function of Federal Television (FTV). Responsibility for Peace ¨ Monitoring Her
Majesty, the Press Conference! The
Dominance of Press Conferences and Press Releases in TV Programs Young journalists that study in the Media Plan School of Journalism have been exhausted while covering variety of press conferences. In the same time, another significant problem they encountered while working at the desk is the processing of large number of press releases received. We have tested their observations in a short monitoring project that analyses the position and frequency of press releases and press conferences in Bosnian broadcasting media. The goal is to see how prominent is the role of such news items within prime-time newscasts and why is that so? To what extent are those ‘items’ or ‘sources’ treated as specific forms of news events and why? Are there indices that journalists in Bosnia treat press releases and press conferences as types of journalistic genres rather than mere sources of information? How does such practice influences general quality of news programs in respect to the diversity of items, relevance of sources and topics and other obligations of the Public Service Broadcasters toward the public (for example, obligation to provide interesting information and the so-called ‘watchdog’ function of the media in modern democracies). And finally, are there differences between broadcasters in this respect? ¨ Media Scene in Croatia Following Elections Changing guise In Croatian Television’s primetime news program on March 13, 1993, when there was not too much good news that day, journalist Damir Matkovic announced with a smile: “Slobodna Dalmacija has fallen!” That was the beginning of an item on a failed strike of Slobodna Dalmacija’s journalists seven years ago and it was the initial point of a seven-year history, and also the future in the forthcoming period, of Croatian media. Miroslav Kutle, Croatia’s neues riches, who got this Split daily (together with 175 other companies!) by political decision, is at the beginning of his prison journey. As one of the first victims of the new authorities, he was arrested for pumping out more than 10 million marks from the largest Croatian distributor “Tisak” and jeopardizing the entire Croatian news business. His evil deeds at Slobodna Dalmacija, where he disowned journalists who had become owners of the paper under Ante Markovic’s pre-war privatization laws – and elsewhere, which he did under high HDZ sponsorship, are yet waiting to be tried. Anti-Mesic Propaganda Slobodna Dalmacija itself, from 1993 when most professionals who had brought the paper to top journalism left it, was faithful in serving wartime, primarily anti-Bosniak propaganda, and after that certain political circles and intelligence services. It remained “faithful” to itself even in the first month of new Croatian democracy when using shaky evidence it viciously attacked today’s Croatian President Stipe Mesic as a collaborator with the Yugoslav secret service UDBA. Editor-in-Chief Josip Jovic wrote a sketch about the then presidential candidate, UDBA’s man Mesic. He admitted his sources were certain “state services.” Slobodna even announced that Mesic’s spokeswoman would soon be arrested and it published police data on her – height, hair color, etc. For defaming Mesic’s wife they disgustingly resorted to counting her blood cells by writing that she was a Serb, which Mesic has never hidden, and that, on top of that, she does not have a Croatian I.D. card. It is hard to believe that the anti-Mesic harangue was initiated by the ruling SDP and HSLS which had an interest in removing Mesic politically in the presidential race, but what raises doubt in the future of Croatian journalism is the fact that these two parties have not clearly defined their stand towards these attacks on Mesic. Will state-owned media, which is exactly what Slobodna Dalmacija is today – after Kutle was disowned – in the future continue to be used for “exposing” political opponents? When Slobodna Dalmacija fell apart in 1993, a weekly called Feral Tribune appeared. It, together with some other papers – primarily the Rijeka-based daily Novi list and the weekly Nacional – and certain circles in culture, have done more for the final defeat of Tudjman’s authorities than the entire Croatian opposition which has triumphantly risen to power. After all, new Croatian Prime Minister Ivica Racan has for months been refusing to give an interview to the “subversive” and always critical Feral, but to the new journalistic “democratic” elite who have found their meal ticket in Europapres holding editions (Jutarnji list, Globus), he personally gave an Edo Martic graphic “3.1.2000,” intended for one hundred people “most deserving for Croatian democracy.” Of course, no one from Feral was among the guests and winners, but Damir Matkovic, the character from the beginning of this story, was there. Matkovic is today president of “Forum 21,” an association of electronic media journalists who advocate for transformation of Croatian television from a state, or party television, into a public station. A number of HTV, that is to say, HDZ propagandists a little more than a year ago, when the wave of potential changes started to be felt in the air, suddenly remembered professionalism, their democratic task, and strongly launched this campaign. They resembled those former members of the Croatian Communist Party who, with HDZ membership cards in their hands, claimed that they had been undermining, successfully, the old Party. “Forum 21” has asserted itself as a mouthpiece of democratic changes, and Damir Matkovic is already figuring as the new director of HTV. The fact that he received recognition for being a proven democrat from the hands of Prime Minister Racan will not hurt him. On the contrary. Authorities do change, but that still does not mean that Croatian Television will change. Changes at HTV Awaited Not even cosmetic personnel changes are taking place at HTV. Director General Ivica Vrkic has offered his resignation, but no one is touching him yet. Obrad Kosovac, HTV editor-in-chief, has publicly thrown the gauntlet in Racan’s face by telling him that he will not give him his resignation because it was not Racan who appointed him in the first place – but Tudjman. This was a rare, nostalgic mentioning of Tudjman in the Croatian public after the change of authorities. Kosovac used to be a member of the HDZ main board. His female colleague and an HTV editor, Hloverka Novak-Srzic, was also a member. Some years ago, she had given her own immeasurable contribution in the “leaden” Croatian years by spreading nationalistic hysteria. Unlike the consistent Kosovac, Hloverka Novak-Srzic is today washing her hands, probably sad that the new Croatian president is not Drazen Budisa. He, namely, has said recently that he greatly admires Hloverka Novak-Srzic. Those in power admire obedient journalists. This love is mutual – TV journalist Ivan Loncar has entered the parliament nominated by the opposition foursome, TV journalist Tihomir Ladisic was a spokesman for SDP and HSLS. They had been removed from the screen by the HDZ for being disobedient. Today they will probably return to HTV, but the question remains whether people will believe that they are still “disobedient.” HTV was the most powerful tool for keeping the HDZ in power. It, among others, used Goebbels’ methods in maintaining Tudjman’s empire. It was not a problem for it to record applause over whistling aimed at Tudjman , which is one of the most benign forms of manipulation. With Tudjman’s departure, illusions were lost that the situation could continue as it was. The last campaign was carried out more or less correctly, all together and everyone on their own, in an effort to catch the democratic train. The new Croatian authorities are faced with huge hope of the population that better days are coming. The world’s openness to Croatia promises this to some extent. However, promises of a Croatian renaissance cannot be carried out so easily and so fast. Today’s favorites of Croatia’s voters may already tomorrow be subjected to their rage. HTV with its huge experiences in manipulating facts may appear in the role of a political anesthetic. Perhaps because of that, HTV’s transformation from a state into a public television will go a little slower than pre-election promises. The new authorities are faced with a huge task, which they did not really mention in their pre-election appearances, to unwind the ball of allocation of radio and television concessions on the basis of political correctness. The End of the Zagreb Vjesnik? A sad story of propagandistic pro-HDZ journalism is called Vjesnik. Its editor-in-chief until recently, Nenad Ivankovic, an unofficial mouthpiece of the HDZ and secret services in charge of defaming political opponents, human rights fighters and independent media, has resigned. This newspaper is owned by the Croatian government. The new government, judging by a statement given by Deputy Prime Minister Goran Granic, no longer needs the paper. It had touched the very bottom of circulation anyway – it was selling five thousand copies on newsstands. The remainder of the 20,000-strong circulation was being bought by state institutions. A newspaper with a great tradition, which has always been side by side with the authorities but nevertheless in its golden years had a circulation of more than 100,000 with a respectable foreign policy section, is in the danger of being rejected as HDZ media garbage. Last Tuesday Igor Mandic was appointed new editor-in-chief of Vjesnik. The arrival of the prominent literary critic in this position is an attempt to save the paper. Not long ago Mandic had been viciously fired upon from media howitzers for making a visit to Belgrade. “I will abolish all language of hatred,” Mandic promised. Vecernji list is another story, with a much higher circulation and more profitable. This daily has a phantom owner from the Virgin Islands where money from Croatia has been pouring off and being laundered. The new authorities have promised to solve the mystery of the paper’s ownership. This will be – if it ever sees the light of day – a typical story from Croatia about muddy financial-political-media actions and transactions. The truth that not everything which is laundered is clean is proving to be true in Croatia – especially if it refers to money and brains. (Goran Vezic – STINA/SAFAX) ¨ Internet Control – Yes or No? (3) Media News is publishing articles featuring opinions of
journalists, scientific and other public workers, as well as Internet surf
fans, on the topic – does the Internet need special regulation. We were
inspired by the Conference on the Internet, held early December last year
in Paris, in which one of the most important conclusions was that Internet
control must not be allowed because it would be a kind of censorship which
would particularly suit totalitarian regimes in the world. On the other
hand, the gathering called for banning content that instigates people to
commit so-called generally accepted criminal acts, such as pimping,
violence, theft… ¨ Responsibility for Peace Media, Truth and Reconciliation (2) Sarajevo hosted a roundtable on February 4 on the topic “Truth and Reconciliation,” which was attended by prominent public figures from across Bosnia-Herzegovina, neighboring Croatia and FR Yugoslavia, as well as representatives of international organizations and diplomatic missions. Monitoring. “Objective and Professional Media – Bearers of Positive Processes” (Srdjan
Dizdarevic, Helsinki Human Rights Committee in BiH, Sarajevo) Bosnia-Herzegovina is a country without democratic tradition and political culture, without identification of public opinion with fundamental values that make up the values of civilized countries. In that sense the role of media in what has been negative so far has been huge. The vast majority of the population identify themselves with media, in particular with broadcasters, accepting what they hear from them as the truth. According to some assessments, 85 percent of viewers
of primetime news programs on TV believe what is said in the program.
Hence, in the same way that media have used inflammatory language and led
to the bloody conflict, they can act in the opposite direction and
stimulate truth, reconciliation, rehabilitation, tolerance and
reconstruction of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Positive process will have a bigger
chance to be carried by media which are objective and professional than by
those who are in the service of political tendencies. ¨
News IMC Bans Paid Political Marketing The Independent Media Commission (IMC) on February 10 passed a new restrictive decision banning all paid political advertisements on broadcasters in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The decision was made at the request of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC) and High Representative. The draft Permanent Election Law stipulates that political marketing shall be allowed in private media and shall be banned in public media. This provision provoked fiery protests from managers of public media who alleged they were discriminated by this solution. Competition for Journalism School in March Media Plan Institute in the second half of March will announce a competition to enroll students of the third class in its Sarajevo-based School of Journalism, generation 2000/2001. Candidates from Bosnia-Herzegovina and other countries of southeast Europe may apply. For additional information, please call 387 (71) 206 542, 213 078 and 213 251. Listen with your ears! Look with your eyes! Think with your head!
Council:Media Plan Institute Prof. Dr. Muhamed Nuhic, Hamza Baksic (Sarajevo); Perica Vucinis (Banja Luka); M.S. Lenart Setinc (Ljubljana); Prof. Dr. Mario Plenkovic (Zagreb); M.S. Loius de la Ronciere (Paris); M.S. Aleksandar Todorovic (Montreaux); Prof. Dr. Slavo Kukic (Mostar), Prof.Dr. Miroljub Radojkovic (Beograd). |