SUBSCRIPTION

No 63, Vol I 

*  A Public Discussion of the Freedom of Information Act

Office of the High Representative and the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina organised a public discussion with regard to the Freedom of Information Act in Sarajevo on the 13th of July as the draft was officially promulgated and passed on to the Parliament for further proceedings towards the end of June. Renowned journalists, representatives of state institutions and lawyers were invited to the discussion.
The main line of criticism to the draft Act was voiced by the journalists. Almost unanimous criticism by associations of journalists from Sarajevo as well as individual journalists from both Entities concerns the provision stipulating that public institutions have to provide the piece of information required in 15 days time. To journalists, this is a step backward.

* BH Media on the 5th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Tragedy

For the first time this year a ceremony commemorating the 5th Anniversary of the fall of East Bosnian Town of Srebrenica that featured as a UN safe area, when the Serb armed forces evicted over twenty thousand people and slaughtered between 6 and 8 thousand Bosniaks, mainly men, was held in Srebrenica or rather, in Potocari, a suburb of Srebrenica where a concentration camp was located within a factory complex. A commemoration and a religious service to the killed were held with the support of the international community. 3,000 sufferers from Srebrenica who survived the tragedy attended the ceremony, accompanied by numerous politicians, mostly Bosniaks, as well as Ante Jelavic, the Croat member of the Presidency of BiH. No Serb officials turned up.
International organisations urged attendees of the commemoration, political parties and associations from both entities as well as the media to approach this event in a dignified manner, without unnecessary politicisation and inflammatory media coverage that could instigate interethnic tensions.
Media News has decided to monitor the media coverage of this event. Monitoring covered the peak time headlines of the TVBiH, TV Republic of Srpska, TV OBN and Bosniak TV (the 11th of July) as well as the daily newspapers: Oslobodjenje, Dnevni Avaz, Vecernje Novine, Glas Srpski and Dnevne Nezavisne Novine (the 12th of July).
In general, it can be deduced that all the media monitored, excepting the Dnevne Nezavisne Novine, substantially covered the commemoration to the Srebrenica victims. However, approaches to the event evidently differ, as envisaged. The media from the FBiH consider the fall of Srebrenica a crime of global scope. Reports and commentaries portray the pain of mainly women who lost their most beloved ones. It is insisted that the responsible are sanctioned - the responsible Serb commanders as well as the officers of peacekeeping forces securing the town. Statements by international officials expressing remorse or insistence on the arrest of the persons indicted on the charge of Srebrenica tragedy are highlighted. On the other hand, the monitored media from Republic of Srpska cover what has so far been a taboo in the RS - i.e. Srebrenica - for the first time in five years. It is reported that the commemoration was held in perfect order and the emphasis is placed on the statements by international officials praising professional security arrangements provided by the Serb police on this occasion. Therefore, the event is viewed as a 'highly hazardous gathering' rather than a ceremony commemorating the dead. However, the reports do suggest - if somewhat shyly - that there was a crime committed back in the wartime year 1995 where Bosniaks were the victims and Serbs the perpetrators, despite the fact that this has not been stated in public. Up until this commemoration it was unthinkable for the Serb media to suggest anything of a sort.
What follows is a survey of the coverage by TV headlines and daily press releases concerning the very commemoration day that illustrates the overall political climate in BiH at the moment.

National (Public) Television Stations: Two Different Perspectives

TVBiH Headlines commence with the TVBiH reports covering the commemoration in Srebrenica. Following the introductory information concerning the number of attendees - i.e., 3,000 Bosniaks, FBiH political officials present, international representatives and the fact that attendees reached the destination point in 69 coaches instead of initially planned 49, the stress is placed upon the religious service held by Reis Mustafa ef. Ceric in the memory of the victims. "We are not here to judge, but neither are we here to absolve from blame. We have not come here to retaliate - but neither have we come here to forgive.", said Reis Ceric, whose speech was broadcast in two audio-excerpts.
After this report covering the ceremonial aspect of the commemoration, various statements follow, firstly by women in tears who still search for their most beloved and then those by Alija Izetbegovic and foreign diplomats. Izetbegovic expresses his hope that this year's visit to Srebrenica may mean a step forward towards elucidation of this tragedy whereas Ambassadors Wolfgang Petritsch and Thomas Miller deplore the conduct of international community back in 1995 and assure that there will be no future recurrence of similar events.
The report from Srebrenica is followed by a series of press agency releases on reactions abroad, deploring Srebrenica events, and two reports by the SENSE Agency from the Hague where the Hague Tribunal prosecutors express their determination to bring to trial those responsible for the slaughter in this East Bosnian town. These reports contain archive scenes filmed as the Serb forces were entering the town of Srebrenica, and the 'hunt' for Bosniaks in the surrounding woods upon the fall of the town.
In the end of this set of reports, two commentaries from the Republic of Srpska - i.e. by the Serb People's Alliance (SNS) and the Party of Serb Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) - are presented, denouncing all recent ceremonial events in conjunction with the tragedy of Srebrenica as 'politicised and politically unbalanced'.
The entire series of reports on Srebrenica consumes 13 minutes.
Introductory minutes of the TVRS Headlines are also dedicated to the commemoration in Srebrenica. However, unlike the TVBiH that stresses the crime committed and tragedy of the people of Srebrenica, the TVRS builds on the fact that the ceremony was held in the best of order and without any incidents, and done so primarily due to the RS police. The very report features the religious service, providing a brief list of officials in attendance and containing some organisational details on the security arrangements, the number of attendees, etc. The only statement broadcast is the one by High Representative Petritsch, thanking the police and the Government of RS for good organisational arrangements. What follows is a telephone report by the Head of the Crime Investigation Department of RS Ministry of Interior who point out that the event took place in an orderly manner thanks to the professional conduct on the part of the RS police. Following the report on the views of SNS and SNSD, depicting the ceremony as an 'unnecessary politicisation', the reportage on Srebrenica ends with the press releases by Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, and international organisations based in Sarajevo as well as the US Embassy in Sarajevo, all of them demanding that the perpetrators of crimes in Srebrenica be punished.

The OBN and Bosniak TV: Prone to Commenting

Unlike the TVBiH and TVRS, the OBN assumed a rather biased political position towards the commemoration in Srebrenica in its headlines. Following the report on the religious service in Potocari, the reporter strays into a commentary and marvels at the fact that politicians failed to deliver any speeches on this occasion. The reporter than proceeds to explain to the spectators that this was due to the high degree of hazard involved in the organisation of this event but then again wonders "why such a degree of hazard when all the local and international agencies endorsed the commemoration" when the overall security is ensured by 20,000 NATO troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina anyhow. Whether this was due to the lack of relevant information on the reporter's part or intentional disregard of facts with the purpose of creating an opportunity for a commentary, but international officials were reiterating for days that the ceremony would be reduced only to religious service and commemoration of the victims, without any speeches by political officials in order to avoid any politicisation or rise of tensions. Therefore, more specifically, Izetbegovic was not allowed to address the rally not because of the hazard involved but for pragmatic reasons, that is - to avoid any reproach on the part of the RS authorities and open the door to at least a bit more constructive attitude of that entity towards the tragedy of Srebrenica.
Unlike other TV stations, the OBN also filmed and broadcast certain incidents taking place during the passage through Bratunac: the camera focuses on a group of Serbs who lift three fingers up and whistle as the buses with Bosniaks pass by. The reporter points out that the group is mainly composed of under-age persons, adding that the elders, while leaving the rallying point, commented: "Why on earth have we ever fallen for that appeal to rally on the street?" What follows is a very good reportage - near to a documentary - that presents a chronological narrative of the events at the time of the fall, up until the present day, and a story on the fate of the victims as well as their slayers.
The reportage at the beginning of the Bosniak TV headlines commences with the images and sounds of Srebrenica women in tears, followed by the statement of Fadila Memisevic of the Association of Endangered Peoples who reproaches the international community for limiting the number of attendees at the commemoration, "thus diminishing the scope of the tragedy". This statement is effectively formulated as a commentary as it precedes the report on the very event while diverting the spectator's attention to an issue not directly covered by the report. Then follows a professionally done report accentuating the service of religious burial conducted by Reis Ceric and, finally, statements by Srebrenica survivors free of any political connotations and by Amor Masovic of the Commission for Missing Persons.
Reminiscences of the events of 1995 follow, as indicated by the anchor earlier on. Classical music and archive scenes filmed in Srebrenica accompany a commentary: "To forgive - whom? The war criminals? And those that are not criminals have nothing to be forgiven for." The series of reports is concluded with the images of excavated human sculls and a commentary: "And what to say in conclusion? This is how a UN safe area ended up."

Human Fates in the Focus

The Oslobodjenje dedicates the first five pages to the commemoration of Srebrenica tragedy. A colour-photo of two women in tears and a text - effectively a summary of all articles concerning Srebrenica published in this issue - are placed below the following headline: "May the Sorrow be a Hope, May the Punishment be Justice" - a quotation abstracted from Reis Ceric's speech. Further inside there is an article with the same headline, combining a report on the event itself and a summary of statements by attendees. Another article titled "Images of Horror Evoked" gives a description of a journey from Kladanj to Srebrenica and reminiscences of travelers, Bosniaks, some of whom recalled the words of General Mladic: "Slay everything from the age of nine to one hundred". The Oslobodjenje is the only media that brings about the information that a person stoned a coach with Bosniaks in Bratunac but was detained shortly after thanks to the prompt response by the police forces.
The Vecernje Novine daily does not bring about any information concerning the gathering in Srebrenica on the cover page but only a page-wide headline: "Why?" As much as this headline may be evocative of the crime in Srebrenica, it actually refers to a recent traffic accident near Kakanj when 44 people got killed in a coach. On page 3, there is a report from Srebrenica, following the events chronologically, starting off with the departure of coaches from Kladanj up to the religious service in Srebrenica itself. The report is of informative nature, free of any political undertone. A box in the text briefly summarises press statements by Bosnian politicians in attendance and a press agency release containing the condolence expressed by Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, to the families of victims.
The Dnevni Avaz daily brings about a large headline on the cover-page, conveying the following message: "We Are Here to Make It Clear that We Shall Not Give up on Justice". A touching photo of a woman passing out at the crime scene in Srebrenica is placed below the headline. Pages 2 and 3 are dedicated solely to Srebrenica. There is a report from Potocari, predominantly characterised by the statements of survivors from Srebrenica, particularly mothers who lost their sons. The informative dimension is reflected in so-called boxes, reporting on minor incidents and press statements of officials attending the commemoration. The Avaz brings about the speech of Reis Mustafa ef. Ceric at Potocari in its entirety but also two pieces of information unreported by other media. The one disclosing the fact that Alija Izetbegovic, the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, traveled to Srebrenica in a UN helicopter and not in a convoy with Bosniak sufferers and other politicians is particularly interesting. The other refers to a group of Serbs who, standing on the surrounding hilltops, whistled and cursed the Bosniaks during the funeral service. This last piece of news contradicts Srebrenica reports of other media, describing the course of funeral service as dignified and unmarked with any incidents.
"A Commentary of the Day" in the Dnevni Avaz is also dedicated to Srebrenica. It focuses on the attitude of Serb politicians towards this tragedy. "Not a single Serb has ever publicly expressed any shame in relation to the crimes committed in Srebrenica in the name of Serbhood as a totality. On the RS political horizon, there is not even a hint of an alternative to the views of Karadzic's SDS, Poplasen's radicals on the far right or Dodik's SNSD on the 'left' in this respect - all of them resemble one another as one egg resembles the other.", writes the Avaz.

The Press in the RS: "No incidents"

The cover-page of the Glas Srpski is marked by the press agency report on the meeting of the Council of Ministers with Laszlo Szuryan, an envoy of the Council of Europe. Srebrenica is touched upon by a headline "The Gathering Adjourned without Any Incidents", pointing to a report by the Glas Srpski reporter brought about on page 3. This report stresses in the very introduction that the commemoration was not marked by any incidents "although the number of Bosniaks present was six times bigger than the number initially agreed upon by the police forces of RS and FBiH". Following a brief sketch of the commemoration, without reference to the words of either Reis Ceric or other attendees, it is reminded that the Serbs will hold a commemoration to the victims who were killed by the troops commanded by Naser Oric, the Commander of Bosniak troops from Srebrenica, on St. Peter's Day, i.e. the following day.
A text composed of reports by the SRNA and BETA press agencies follows bellow. It brings about the statement by Dragan Jeftic, the Mayor of Srebrenica, who claims that the Bosniak media had been urging the Bosniaks to attend the commemoration in large numbers "but not a half of the number planned turned up". The statement is thus in clear contradiction with the information reported in the preceding article, pointing out that the number of attendees was rigorously limited while "six times more people" turned up. This 'mix' of agency releases is concluded with the press statement of Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, pointing out that "the architects of the crime in Srebrenica are still free".
The Dnevne Nezavisne Novine attend to the commemoration of Srebrenica tragedy in the least degree. The cover-page is predominated by the meeting of Presidents Mesic, Kucan and Havel in Dubrovnik. Other items placed on the cover-page introduce the report on the session of the BiH House of Peoples in Sarajevo and a photo of Claudia Schiffer, announcing her visit to Bangladesh. A brief report, titled "A Highly Hazardous Gathering Without Any Incident" and placed on page 3, covers the commemoration in Srebrenica. Srebrenica is also referred to in the report on the press conference held by the Party of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) where Slavko Mitrovic, the Party's Secretary-General, stated that the matter of responsibility for this tragedy would have to be elucidated for the sake of truth and reconciliation. He also added that sufferings of all peoples in the BH war were immense and hence they were not to be politicised any further.

* The Ethics of Journalism

Journalists from different age groups, veterans as well as beginners, gathered at the Summer Media School in Neum on the 21st and the 22nd of June in order to discuss ethical dilemmas of journalism. Media News have asked Darija Tankosic, a student of 1999/2000 generation, to comment on this debate and summarise the views presented. Darija Tankosic holds a BA degree in Journalism of the Politics Department and she was appointed a correspondent of Vecernje Novine from Belgrade upon her graduation from the School of Journalism in Sarajevo.
 

Patriotism and Ethics of Journalism

The eternal journalist's dilemma - whether to be fast, interesting and exclusive and thus face diverse risks and temptations or to remain in accord with ethical principles and one's own self, risking the failure to respond to the challenges of journalism - has always presented a perilous walk along the sharp blade of a knife.

* Opinions

“Media News” in its last issue, prompted by the Croatian Government’s proposal to ban commentary in Croatian Television (HRT) news programming, in an article entitled “A Compromised Genre in Journalism,” wrote about the misuse of commentary in the countries of the Balkan conflicts and gave an overview of the use of commentary in public televisions in Southeast Europe. Assessing that this issue provokes different reactions in professional circles, we asked a number of prominent journalists in Bosnia-Herzegovina to give their opinions.
The first to respond was Hamza Baksic, Radio Free Europe’s Sarajevo Bureau editor and “Oslobodjenje” columnist, who also spent a significant part of his professional career working on television.

* News

Rajko Vasic, the RS Minister of Information, resigned on the 18th of July. Vasic explained that his decision had been motivated by the inability to exercise lawful powers of his Ministry.
However, unofficial findings suggest that Vasic's resignation is a result of the pressure by international community to abolish the Ministry as such institution is not commonly found in Western democratic countries

On the 11th of July, a German radio & TV station Deutsche Welle (RTV DW) presented "Eurojournal", a TV programme intended for BH spectators, in Sarajevo.
A thirty minutes long programme will be broadcast as of the beginning of June over the Eutelsat HOTBRID 5 satellite and within regular broadcast schemes of several BH TV stations whereas its production will be done in Köln - Germany.

Zeljko Kopanja, Svetlana Slapsak and Hamida Berisa-Latifi are among this year's laureates of "Hellman-Hammett Award for Bravery in the Face of Political Persecution", awarded by the US nongovernmental organisation "Human Rights Watch" (HRW), reports ONASA.

The first privatised magazine in Tuzla Canton is the Front Slobode. The magazine was bought off by six of its journalists and members of the administrative staff.

Ivan Markovic, the Telecommunications Minister of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, issued the Order to Radio and TV stations in FRY to continue the application of technical measures protecting their programmes from any interference from abroad, reported the Federal Telecommunications Ministry on the 16th of July.
 

If somebody interfere with your professional, journalistic work call SOS – open line for journalists - 078 213 442 Media Plan Banja Luka

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).