ANEM WEEKLY MEDIA UPDATE

NOVEMBER 24 - NOVEMBER 30, 2001

• POLICE QUESTION “REPORTER” AND “BLIC” EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

BELGRADE, November 24, 2001 -- The editor of popular weekly Reporter, under questioning of Belgrade police, has refused to reveal the sources for recent revelations regarding an alleged secret Hague wanted list.

Belgrade investigators visited the Reporter offices today where they questioned editor-in-chief Vladimir Radomirovic and journalist Jovica Krtinic. The public prosecutor launched a probe yesterday into Reporter and Belgrade daily Blic, accused of spreading false information following reports of a list of over 360 Serbian policemen wanted as either witnesses or suspects by the Hague Tribunal. 

A statement from Reporter said that, in line with journalistic ethics of confidentiality, neither its editor-in-chief nor journalist had named the source of the story. 

The statement claimed the police continuously cited the notorious Serbian Information Act introduced under the former regime, under which the journalists were obliged to name names. 

Reporter hopes the new Serbian authorities will not emulate the former regime in a “campaign of open persecution,” the statement read. It reiterated that the list is “absolutely authentic,” and denied accusations by The Hague that the report was an obvious case of scare-mongering and an attempt to derail cooperation. 

“The only aim of this magazine is to inform the public objectively and correctly, and to protect the journalism profession,” Reporter said. 

Blic editor-in-chief Veselin Simonovic also denied spreading false information by carrying the story from the latest edition of Reporter. They did not discuss Reporter’s source during questioning in the Blic offices this afternoon, said Simonovic. 

• MEDIA USED FOR POLITICAL SHOWDOWNS, SAYS SUSA

BELGRADE, November 26, 2001 ­ The row over weekly Reporter’s publication of what purports to be a list of police personnel in whom the Hague Tribunal is interested confirms that political parties in Serbia and Yugoslavia are increasingly using media for their internal showdowns, Gordana Susa said today.

Susa, who heads the Association of Independent Serbian Journalists said that the Association would discuss the matter on Monday, but that “these are obviously political skirmishes”.

“It has become obvious now that one faction with DOS always comes up with something incriminating about the other faction in DOS, or the opposition itself uses the same tactic.  I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the current opposition submitted the list to Reporter,” she said.

Susa noted that there was no provision for the protection of journalists’ sources in the laws of either Serbia or Yugoslavia, and called for this to be defined in new legislation.

• PRESSURE ON JOURNALISTS UNACCEPTABLE: ANEM

BELGRADE, Monday ­ The Association of Independent Electronic Media has issued a sternly-worded statement about police interrogation of Vladimir Radomirovic, the editor of weekly Reporter, and journalist Jovica Krtinic.

ANEM reiterated its position that the protection of information sources is a basic condition for free media and that police pressure on journalists to reveal their sources is unacceptable.

• UNWANTED INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST

PETROVAC NA MLAVI, November 26, 2001 ­ The Temporary Council of Petrovac na Mlavi has dismissed writer Milan Ilic from his position of deputy manager for a broadcaster.

Ilic, who is a member of the Association of Independent Serbian Journalists, was sacked a year before he was due for retirement.

The Temporary Council was appointed by the Serbian Government in June this year, after the elected local government body proved unable to function.

The Council immediately proceeded to discharge managers of public companies and institutions.

In Ilic’s case, he was on leave when the sacking occurred and disciplinary measures were launched against him.

A sound technician from the radio, Dejan Jankucic, who is a member of the Otpor organisation, was appointed to replace Ilic.

“I was sacked after being accused of favouring the left during the election campaign and of embezzlement,” said Ilic, describing the accusations as “arbitrary”.

His replacement, Jankucic, resigned two months after being appointed.

The new manager appointed by the Temporary Council is Democratic Party member Nebojsa Necak.

• ORLIC: “PASS THE LAW ON BROADCASTING”

BELGRADE, November 27, 2001 ­ The Yugoslav secretary of information has called on parliament to adopt new legislation on information in light of the current debacle over an alleged Hague wanted list.

Slobodan Orlic said the current “legal vacuum” had led to the “painful questioning of journalists” from weekly Reporter, that last week published a list of over 350 Serbian policemen they claimed are wanted by the Hague Tribunal. 

“The proceedings and the sanctions against those who violate the laws must be defined up front, and any arbitrary action and improvisation must be ruled out,” said Orlic.

Reporter claimed on Friday that police had persistently threatened its editor-in-chief with the notorious Serbian Information Act in a bid to extract the source of the story. 

• BROADCAST LAW IN PARLIAMENT BY DECEMBER

BELGRADE, November 27, 2001 ­ The Serbian Government has announced it will table draft broadcasting legislation in the Parliament during September. 

Deputy Prime Minister Zarko Korac said today that the legislation was similar to that in developed European countries. He emphasised the urgency of the legislation in order to secure the independence and progress of electronic media. 

“For the first time, the Serbian Government has confirmed its determination to seeing Radio Television Serbia into a public broadcast service which will serve the interests of the people,” said a statement issued by Korac’s office. 

The deputy prime minister also underlined the Government’s determination not to influence professional decisions of Radio Television Serbia’s editors and its support for restoring the reputation and importance of the state media. 

• BROADCAST LAW IN PARLIAMENT IN DECEMBER

BELGRADE, November 28, 2001 ­ The chairman of the Serbian Parliament, Dragan Marsicanin, told B92 today that the draft law on broadcasting would be tabled in the Parliament in mid-December.

“I expect that this legislation will arrive in December.  The international community and the European Union, that is the Council of Europe, have intervened with the Serbian Government over the delay in tabling this legislation and announcements that the Government will put it into procedure are probably the result of these talks,” said Marsicanin.

• REPORTER ACCUSES GOVERNMENT OF HAGUE LIST COVER-UP

BELGRADE, November 28, 2001 ­ Belgrade weekly Reporter upped the ante today in a storm over alleged Hague wanted lists, directly accusing the Serbian government of trying to “cover up” the list of Serbian policemen whilst laying blame on the media.

Reporter, the weekly that recently alleged the existence of a list of over 350 Serbian policemen the Hague Tribunal wishes to talk to, issued a statement today in response to the government’s continued denials:

"Caught in the obvious lie and lack of any clear concept of cooperation with The Hague Tribunal, government representatives, as on several previous occasions, are desperately trying to buy some time, hoping the list will miraculously disappear."

"Instead of informing the Serbian police about the possible consequences of the existence of such a list, the government decided to cover up the information and lay the blame for its own irresponsibility on journalists"

Reporter said the government was seeking to “manipulate the public and the police.” The statement said the government had accusing the weekly of publishing a list of alleged “indictees” rather than, as Reporter quotes, a list of those “on which material is being collected concerning involvement in possible crimes,” and a number of witnesses to and participants in “Kosovo actions.”

Reporter pointed out that Police Minister Dusan Mihajlovic had first claimed that the list consisted mainly of policemen “killed or wounded” in Kosovo. “But today he names only five killed, at least three of whom are questionable,” the statement read.

The named policemen have every right to sue the government, said Reporter, reacting to comments by the prime minister that those named should sue the weekly.

• NUNS IN THE SERBIAN JOURNALIST CENTER 

BELGRADE, November 29, 2001 ­ The Independent Association of Serbian Journalists (NUNS) officially moved in yesterday to the second floor offices of the Serbian Journalist center, exactly a year after courts ruled they could.

"This is a typical example of how justice is slow but attainable”, said NUNS head Gordana Susa.

Slobodan Sisic, lawyer for the association, noted that it’s been exactly a year since the deadline for the execution of the court’s temporary measure, and that NUNS had moved into the offices only after nine unsuccessful attempts, and finally with police assistance. 

Gordana Susa said that the status of the premises would probably have to be regulated by a special law, so it could truly become a gathering place for all journalists. 

• FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BAILS OUT MILOSEVIC PROPAGANDA CHANNEL 

BELGRADE, November 29, 2001 - The Federal Government undertook yesterday to settle the debts of the YU Info television network, the company’s director, Zoran Predic, said today. 

The company’s accounts have been blocked for the past ten days because of its failure to pay debts. 

Predic said yesterday that at issue were debts of half a million Deutschmarks and that he hoped the federal government would take care of this by the end of the week. 

YU-Info was established in the last phase of the Milosevic regime in Yugoslavia, to broadcast government propaganda into Montenegro after the southern republic’s state television stopped relaying Radio Television Serbia news from Belgrade. 

• BROADCASTING LEGISLATION ON AGENDA NEXT WEEK

BELGRADE, November 30, 2001 - The Serbian Government will begin discussion of draft broadcasting legislation on Monday, the head of the commission which drafted the bill said today. 

Rade Veljanovski told B92 that he believed that the legislation could clear all hurdles within two months and be adopted by the Parliament by the end of January. 

He expected the legislation to pass largely unchanged: “There may be some amendments here and there but the most important thing is that the things in this bill which conform to European experience and standards cannot be changed.” 

Veljanovski added that there were two basic elements in the legislation, the establishment of an independent regulatory body for the media and the transformation of the state media network into a public service. 

• JOURNALISM COMMITTEE CONDEMNS INVESTIGATION INTO REPORTER

NEW YORK, November 30, 2001 - The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has expressed “deep concern” at the ongoing government investigation into Belgrade weekly Reporter and daily Blic, with regards the publication of alleged “Hague lists.”

In a statement issued yesterday, the CPJ executive director condemned the investigation as “wholly inappropriate,” insisting that reporting on war crimes issues “is at the very heart” of the reform processes in Serbia and Yugoslavia.

Last week, two police investigators made unannounced visits to the offices of both Reporter and Blic, questioning the editors and journalists responsible for the story concerning a list of over 350 Serbian policemen that it is claimed The Hague is investigating for alleged complicity in crimes in Kosovo.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent, non-profit organisation, expressed concern at the investigators’ attempts to pressure the journalists into divulging their sources by invoking two repressive Milosevic-era laws ­ Article 218 of the Serbian Criminal Code and the notorious Public Information Act.

The Committee also criticised Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic and his party for “encouraging” police officers named in the list to sue the weekly.

source: MHxJU
published by: Roland Brunner rbr@medienhilfe.ch date of release on this site: 5-12-2001

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