Media News
¨
Journalism and Democracy¨
Media in Transition
DIGEST
No 69, Vol I Sarajevo, October
12, 2000.
If
you subscribe to Media News,
Issue 69 - You can read about:
¨RTV Transformation
Protesting Sight Unseen
The story of restructuring of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s public broadcasting system is not over yet. “Media News” turned out to be na?ve when, publishing a dossier on several-year-long attempts to establish a self-sustainable and professional public RTV, it announced that the final decision would be made by mid-September (see “News” no. 66 of August 31). According to the latest statement given by OHR spokesman Oleg Milisic, published in “Vecernje novine” on October 11, “…a decision of the High Representative on FTV (federal television) can be expected in the coming days.” However, the biggest problem is not the constant postponement of the decision, but the total breakdown of the communication system in which the decision has found itself.
¨Tax on Graphic Products
Journalists Ignoring Tax on Newspapers?!
The package of tax regulation modifications, adopted recently by the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina upon proposal of the FBiH Government, encompassed a decision to raise tax rates on graphic products. Graphic products include, among others, newspapers, magazines and books. Under the new legal regulations, tax on newspapers and books was raised from 0% to 12%. The zero rate applied until now was a result of a recommendation by the Federation Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports. According to information from the Education Ministry, the new regulations on tax raise are part of a shift in the overall taxation policy initiated by IMF with the view of equalizing tax rates applied in RS and FBiH. The Ministry points out that it has never been a specific intention of either the IMF or the Federation Ministry to insist on the increase of tax rates on graphic products but the raise occurred as the tax rate in the RS had always been 12%. What remains unclear is why the initial change was not aimed at tax reduction through equalization, rather than increase.
¨Media Results of the Belgrade “Velvet Revolution”
Media With Open Doors
The change in authorities in Belgrade and the short-lasting street revolution, with the force of a tempest, in a single night changed the media picture of Serbia from the root. After more than 10 years, in the early morning of October 6, in a city where one could still detect the heavy smell of tear-gas released the night before, with a deafening roar of car sirens sounded by celebrators, people were literally fighting over copies of “Vecernje novosti” and “Politika,” whose pages were dominated by articles such as “The people have won,” “First day of freedom,” “Kostunica recognized by the whole world,” etc. Although prepared by organized strikes and partial suspensions of work, the change in media devoted to Milosevic’s dictatorship was shocking and, along with massive surrender of police forces, it is beyond doubt the most important fact in defining and stabilizing the new authorities’ position and one of the most noticeable signs that the new Serbia is embarking on a path of democracy.
In the night of the showdown, media were “falling” one after another. After conquering the Federal Assembly building, the demonstrators immediately started towards the state television building knowing that the fall of RTS would most clearly mark the fall of the regime. The battle for television was in effect decided by the literal entry of an excavator, which found itself in the hall of the building after first tearing through a wall. Left without protection after the frightened police left them, the astonished editors and journalists of the hated RTS found themselves face to face with the enraged demonstrators. Bearing the brunt of their anger accumulated over 10 years, the television’s editor-in-chief Dragoljub Milanovic, news program editor Milorad Komrakov and several journalists who were most exposed during Milosevic’s 10-year career, were subjected to real uncontrolled lynch by the masses and only by miracle saved by lives. At the same time, all three RTS channels ceased to broadcast, and screens over the next several hours, until the appearance of the message “this is free RTS,” only showed blackness. Right after that, head over heels, through basements, secret passages and windows, the editors of other pro-regime media fled – Politika, Vecernje novosti, Borba, Radio Belgrade, Studio B… For several dramatic hours during the evening of October 5, 2000 in Serbia, media were completely free. In the most literal sense of the word.
After certain technical capacities were established for normal broadcasting on all three RTS channels, former journalists of this media organization who had been fired in different stages of Milosevic’s purges made their move. The first guests in the improvised television studio were the leaders of the victorious coalition – Democratic Opposition of Serbia (DOS) – and, of course, the new President Kostunica himself. Over the next several days programming continued in the same manner, with a lot of mistakes, primarily of a technical, but also editorial nature. The situation was almost the same with the other remaining broadcasters in which airing of movies and music videos was often interrupted by frequent editions of usually professionally edited news programs or interviews with political figures or people from culture and public life who had not had access to television in years.
Instantaneous reorganization was also carried out at the state-run news agency Tanjug which, after many years of propaganda war, has started to practice professional journalism. The news staff of independent Belgrade radio B92 have returned to their premises and their usual radio frequency, which they had been evicted from at the beginning of last year’s NATO bombing. At the same time, the Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) started its long planned television, which broadcasts programming produced by independent production houses. All obstruction of another independent radio station that has been working all these past years – “Radio Indeks” – also ceased. Local TV and radio stations have not been facing any broadcasting problems.
Editorial polices were changed from the root by traditional pro-regime papers – “Politika,” “Vecernje novosti,” “Politika ekspres,” the Novi Sad-based “Dnevnik,” and the famed “red Borba”. Hence, papers that have been independent for a couple of years now, “Blic,” “Glas javnosti” and “Danas”, seem to have gotten future serious competition. At this moment exactly seven daily newspapers are published in Serbia, with more or less the same content and with completely identical political orientation.
The Serbian Assembly, which is facing disbanding, abolished in emergency procedure on October 9 the notorious Serbian Law on Information.
Of course, neither can one say that this media situation in Serbia is good, nor that this manner of “liberating” media is complete. Moreover, besides omissions and the now understandable partiality of the most important media, in almost all formerly state-run media the ownership status and editorial hierarchy and subordination are completely unresolved. At this moment Politika is edited by the former “striking committee,” which calls itself “journalists of Politika,” Vecernje novosti is edited by an “editorial collegium,” while on RTS decision-making rights were assumed by a coordinating team made up of several former editors of this television house. It is to be expected that editorial teams will consolidate in the coming days, and that even different editorial positions will be found in such an abundant supply of press, radio and television, but in many media organizations a much bigger task will be to define ownership relations. This issue is all the greater if we take into account that the most important media are formally owned by the Federal and Republic assemblies which at this moment either do not exist or exist only formally.
In other words, the most dramatic task concerning media and the field of information has been completed. Still due is another one, no less important, which calls for time, hard work and a cool and wise head. (Vladan Radosavljevic, Media Center Beograd)
¨Pre-Elections Period in Albanian Broadcasting Arena
First Televised Debates in Albania
It was for the first time in an election campaign that a broad spectrum of the media offered voters a wide range of information. Prior to the elections held on 01 October, some 21 televised debates between candidates took place throughout the country, with more than half of those broadcast by the public broadcaster and the rest by private local broadcasters.
Televised debates were just a part of the election campaign’s coverage on the electronic media. A major part of that was filling airtime in the news bulletins. The Association for Democratic Culture, A.D.C. launched a survey taping the three main news bulletin of the major private TV station and of the public TV. This was done for four weeks ahead of the election. Within a news bulletin, the coverage of the election campaign was filling as an average 50-60% of their time.
¨News
IMC Abolishing Bosniak Television
(SAFAX-Sarajevo) Bosniak Radio-Television Internacional’s application for a long-term license was denied by the Independent Media Commission (IMC) even after it appealed against the initial decision brought on August 18. The IMC officially requested assistance from the Sarajevo Canton Ministry of Interior in implementing the decision.
BRT Int., in a session of its Steering Board, decided to continue broadcasting despite everything, stating that its abolishment would directly jeopardize the existence of its 60 employees. In a press conference held on this occasion, Dzemaludin Latic, Bosniak Television Steering Board President, said: “If the IMC continues to behave in this manner, I will call on the billion Muslims and the democratic West to condemn this kind of behavior.” Latic also expressed his belief that political motivations are behind the decision, because the Muslim character of this media organization bothers the IMC. The IMC vehemently denied this. The Association of Journalists of Bosnia-Herzegovina also issued a protest out of solidarity with colleagues from BRT Int.
“Dnevni Avaz” Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
(“Dnevni avaz” – Sarajevo) The Sarajevo newspaper “Dnevni avaz” marked its fifth anniversary of work on October 1.
Service on Minorities
(SAFAX – Sarajevo, Split) The news agencies STINA from Split and SAFAX from Sarajevo on October 11 commenced publishing a weekly service on minority rights and inter-ethnic tolerance. The project is aimed at informing media in Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, as well as organizations for protection of human rights in both countries, through a series of articles and interviews, about the burning issue of minority rights, which have so far been simplified and often on the margins of social developments.
At the same time, in 15-day intervals, local radio stations in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia will receive radio broadcasts on the topic of minority rights, which will be produced by the two partner agencies. This project effectively crowns a fruitful mutual cooperation cherished by these two news agencies within the regional communications network ‘Media Initiatives’.
The service is available on the Internet site www.mediaplan.ba
Filipovic Released
(BETA – Belgrade) The Belgrade Supreme Military Court overturned on October 10 a first-instance verdict on Kraljevo journalist Miroslav Filipovic and ordered his immediate release. Filipovic was in prison from May of this year.